February 11 is National Peppermint Patty Day, and who doesn’t love chocolate and mint? I decided to pick up a bag of York Peppermint Patties and turn them into a delicious cake for you! My son is my primary taste tester at this time, and when he sampled the cake he said, “It tastes just like one of those peppermint patty candies.” Mission accomplished! With those dark chocolate and white mint layers, it even looks like a Peppermint Patty.
A Little History:
It is commonly accepted that the York Peppermint Patty originated in York, PA in about 1940 when Henry Kessler decided to create a peppermint candy coated in dark chocolate. This cake also incorporates mint filling and dark chocolate. My cake is made with layers of dark chocolate cake, a white peppermint filling, vanilla buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, and true York Peppermint Patties as garnish.
Here’s What You Will Need:
The picture below illustrates the ingredients needed to complete this baking project. It includes what you will need for the cake, filling, frosting, and decoration. For the pictured cake I used full sized and mini peppermint patties. The mini version is not included in the photo. Also, water is a cake ingredient which is not pictured, but I figure it’s something you can access without a special trip to the store!
Pro Tips:
- As usual when baking cake, start with room temperature ingredients for best results.
- Don’t forget to preheat that oven for even baking.
- Perfect is the enemy of good. Don’t stress too much about getting frosting perfectly smooth, or decorations lined up just right. This cake is all about flavor so focus on that.
A Special Ingredient Note:
Ok, so I usually try to develop recipes that use nice round numbers or full servings of ingredients. I tried to use up the entire can of sweetened condensed milk, but that just wasn’t working. So, what to do with a can of sweetened condensed milk that is missing 1/4 cup? Fear not, I have you covered! Turn it into Dulce de Leche! It will take just a bit more of your time, but is so simple. You will thank me for the suggestion.
Peppermint Patty Cake
Dark chocolate cake with peppermint filling is reminiscent of a Peppermint Patty candy.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water
For the Peppermint Filling:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
pinch kosher salt
2 cups powdered sugar
For the Frosting:
This recipe makes enough to frost, fill, and decorate the cake.
2 1/2 cups (5 sticks) butter at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch kosher salt
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
For the Ganache Top/Chocolate Drip:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips
*optional York Peppermint Patties for ganish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
Prepare three 8″ round pans by spraying with cooking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment.
For the Cake: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Stir in the eggs, and add the oil, buttermilk and water. Once mixed, divide the batter between the 3 pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. The cake should be set in the middle and spring back when lightly touched. When baked, remove from oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before turning out of pans. Cool completely before filling and frosting the cake.
For the Filling: Mix 1/2 cup room temperature butter with 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk. Add the kosher salt and peppermint extract to incorporate. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined. The filling should be a bit more stiff than a typical buttercream to hold up under the layers of cake.
For the Frosting: For best results, use a stand mixer. Blend the butter, vanilla, pinch of kosher salt and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. I usually set the mixer and let it run for at least 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl periodically.
For the Ganache/Drip: Pour the cream into a medium microwave safe bowl* and heat until steaming (about 40 seconds in my microwave, but units vary). Once warm, add the chocolate chips and allow to sit for a minute to melt. Stir the cream and chocolate together until smooth and pourable. Heat for a few seconds at a time additionally if needed.
To Assemble: Place one layer of cake on a flat surface or cake board and pipe a ring of frosting along the outer edge to create a border. Fill the middle with peppermint filling. Stack the next layer of cake on top and repeat the frosting border/filling step. Top with the 3rd cake layer. For best results, cover the stacked cake with a thin layer of frosting (crumb coat) and chill for 15 minutes before adding the finishing frosting. Once the cake is frosted, gently pour and spread ganache over the top of the cake. To make things fancy, pipe rosettes along the top and add peppermint patty garnish.
Notes
*I find the microwave to be a quick and easy method for melting chocolate. Alternatively, the ingredients can be warmed over low temperature on the stove. For best stove top results, melt using a double boiler or water bath method by placing a heat proof bowl containing chocolate and cream over a pan of simmering water.
More:
Do you love chocolate and peppermint? Consider trying some of my other recipes. Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies are fun to share, and my Chocolate Mint Cream Pie is a popular treat. Around the holidays you might consider my Peppermint Bark Cake.
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