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Peppermint Fudge Cake That Tastes Like a Bakery

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3.9 from 29 reviews

This Moist Peppermint Fudge Cake features super moist and rich chocolate layers combined with fudgy peppermint chocolate ganache and a creamy peppermint buttercream. Perfect for holiday celebrations, this cake is baked using the Cut and Stack Method for even layers with no dark edges, creating a deliciously festive treat that is both elegant and indulgent.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 170 grams (1 ¼ cups + 2 Tablespoons) All-Purpose Flour (Gold Medal recommended)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt
  • 3 Tablespoons Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix or 2 Tablespoons instant clearjel
  • 26 grams (¼ cup) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Hershey’s recommended)
  • 100 grams (½ cup) Sugar
  • 113 grams (½ cup packed) Brown Sugar

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 large Eggs
  • ¾ cup Buttermilk
  • ¼ cup brewed Coffee
  • ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
  • 3 Tablespoons Dark Corn Syrup (or light corn syrup)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Butter Mixture

  • ¾ stick (3 ounces) Salted Butter
  • 43 grams (¼ cup) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Nestle recommended)

Peppermint Fudgy Ganache

  • ½ cup Heavy Cream
  • 172 grams (1 cup) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Nestle recommended)
  • ¾ teaspoon Pure Peppermint Extract (Olive Nation recommended)

Peppermint Buttercream

  • 455 grams (3 ½ cups) Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Instant Clearjel (optional)
  • 4 ounces Cream Cheese
  • 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) Salted Butter (at room temperature)
  • 48 grams (¼ cup) Shortening
  • 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ¾ teaspoon Pure Peppermint Extract (Olive Nation recommended)

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 1″ tall ¼ sheet pan with parchment paper, then spray the parchment and pan sides with cooking spray for easy release.
  2. Sift and Mix Dry Ingredients: Using a sifter or fine mesh strainer, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, instant pudding mix or clearjel, and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the granulated and brown sugars, then whisk thoroughly until blended and brown sugar lumps are broken up.
  3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, brewed coffee, vegetable oil, dark corn syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth and homogeneous.
  4. Melt Chocolate Butter Mixture: Melt salted butter in the microwave or over low heat just until melted. Immediately whisk in semi-sweet chocolate chips until smooth and fully melted. Whisk for about 30 seconds to 1 minute to ensure smoothness.
  5. Combine All Batter Components: Pour wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Then pour the chocolate butter mixture over and whisk gently until the batter is smooth and free of lumps, allowing some small brown sugar lumps to remain.
  6. Prepare Batter in Pan: Pour the batter into the prepared ¼ sheet pan and smooth evenly with an offset icing spatula. The batter level should be about ¼ inch from the top of the pan.
  7. Rest Batter: Let the cake batter rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to allow instant pudding mix or clearjel to thicken the batter, which helps better cake rise.
  8. Bake Cake: Place the pan on the middle or top rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 325°F for 16 minutes, then without opening the oven door, reduce temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional 6-10 minutes. Check by gently touching; if jiggly, bake another 1-5 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
  9. Cool and Freeze: Allow cake to cool completely in the pan. For easier layering and cleaner cuts, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap (2-3 horizontal and 1 vertical wrap) and freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  10. Cut Layers: After freezing, cut cake layers using cake rings as per the Cut and Stack Method for even layers with clean edges.

Notes

  • Instant clearjel is a commercial food starch used as a pudding mix alternative to improve cake structure and moisture retention.
  • Spraying the parchment paper prevents the cake from sticking to both the paper and pan edges for an easy release.
  • If freezing the cake for more than a couple of days, brush with simple syrup before wrapping to maintain moisture and softness.
  • Using a kitchen scale is highly recommended for accuracy in measurements, especially for baking cocoa and flour.
  • The Cut and Stack Method yields a beautifully layered cake with minimal dark edges, ideal for presentation.

Find it online: https://yumfoodusa.com/peppermint-fudge-cake-that-tastes-like-a-bakery/