Mint chocolate is one of my very favorite flavor combinations.
Orange chocolate? Not so much. I’ve never been a huge fan of chocolate and fruit except for one rare exception of these delicious {vegan!} raspberry jam brownies. Oooooooo if you haven’t baked those yet, you must. They’re dangerously good…..kinda like this candy cane cake! What we have here is an intensely mint dark chocolate loaf cake topped with an even more intense dark chocolate ganache and crushed candy canes.
I made this cake the other day for a special treat while we decorated the Christmas tree. We ended up going to three different places before we found the perfect tree this year! Then, as Adam strung the lights and Dexter drank the water in the tree stand, I cut this cake and poured us a mug of peppermint tea to share. I love my little family. Every year Adam gets me a dessert ornament and this year, we found the CUTEST Dairy Queen soft serve ice cream cone ornament at a little shop in Berkeley. I’m hoping by the time I’m forty, I have an entire Christmas tree dedicated to desserts.
Anyway, if you like mint chocolate you will LOVE this cake. It’s perfect for Christmas parties or a special Christmas Eve at home.
To make a fun candy cane layer cake, double the recipe below and divide the batter between two 9″ cake pans. Use a chocolate buttercream frosting with crumbled candy canes to frost.
I want to eat this cake for breakfast. And for morning snack. And for lunch. And for ……..you get the picture. And don’t tell me that you have enough will power to keep your fingers out of the ganache! Lucky for y’all, I photographed this cake before it sat on my counter all afternoon. By night (when I served it), it had finger swipes all through the sides.
I’m sorry.
Not really.
Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
makes 1 loaf cake
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I like Hershey’s Special Dark)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
ganache—
8 oz dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup cream
3 candy canes, smashed in a plastic bag with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until lightly crushed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a loaf pan. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Sift in the cocoa powder and mix until all is combined.
Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and peppermint extract, beating until combined. Slowly stream in the buttermilk alternately with adding the dry ingredients.
Continue beating until smooth then pour batter in prepared loaf pan, smoothing top with a rubber or offset spatula.
Bake cake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert on a cake stand or large plate while you prepare the ganache.
To make the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer on the stove. Pour cream over chocolate chips and mix until all chips melt and mixture is smooth and combined. Pour ganache over cake and scatter crushed candy cane on top. Ganache will harden slightly as it cools, coming to more of a fudge-like consistency.
Time:
1.5 hours
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
Perfection! This is my Christmas Eve treat for sure!!
Yessss, mint + chocolate is a perfect march (almost as perfect as pb and chocolate). I have a peppermint/choco recipe coming up on my blog tmrw that I made for dessert last night!
I was planning on bringing spring rolls to a Christmas party this weekend….I’m thinking this sounds much better
This looks so beautiful Jenna! That’s so cute that Adam gets you a dessert ornament each year. Hallmark has a small line of baking ornaments and my mum has been giving me one each year as well. So far, I’ve got an oven and a Kitchen Aid-like mixer!
This is basically my heaven!
Oh. My. Pure decadence there. Looks insanely good, Jenna!
This sounds so simple and delicious! Perfect for tree-trimming
Three Christmas tree attempts? That’s dedication. We sorta threw in the towel and ended up with a Christmas tree to wide that it almost takes up and entire room.
Mint and chocolate is one of my favourite flavour combinations too! This will be a perfect dessert to make over the holidays!
I love that yall are now a little family, so cute!! Mint and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combos, can’t wait to try this cake!
YES!! I’ve been trying to decide what I want to make for our Christmas Eve holiday party dessert and this might just be the winner!
I’m obsessed with mint and chocolate right now…this looks delicious!
I love the dessert ornament idea, how cute and perfect!
be still my hear!! Mint and chocolate is my all time favorite!! I need this!
i’m a sucker for anything with chocolate + mint. this looks so fun and festive! and easy, which is a requirement for me and decorating.
I love that tradition, the ornaments sound adorable!
This is so festive and pretty!
Wow, that cake looks incredible! I could spend all day inside with a fork eating it!
Jenna the cake is dark, rich, fudgy and perfect looking! Can’t go wrong with any of Deb’s recipes or with peppermint + chocolate!
I’m supposed to be looking for a recipe for lemon cake for the hubs birthday cake request. Maybe I can convince him this would be better?
Awesome! I’m going to make this for a holiday dessert – I love chocolate-mint (and cake!) too!
Love how decadent that cake looks, like every chocolate cake should
The candy canes add a special touch to it and lots of lovely colour.
OMG that looks soooo good! Great pics too, looks like it should be in a magazine!
I love everything about this cake. Perfect Christmas Eve dessert!
Wow! Is it wrong that I kind of want to lick my computer screen looking at those pictures of that cake? If it’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right.
Definitely adding to my list of “things from eatliverun to make”
Ha – I am the worst for taking frosting/ ganache off cake. Once I ate ALL the cream cheese frosting off this carrot cake that was inconspiculously hanging in the fridge. Turned out my mum was saving it for a dinner party – whoops!
Your cake looks totally yum.
Whoa this looks ridiculously, deliciously decadent! Peppermint and chocolate is a winner for sure – but I have to say that orange and chocolate are two long lost soul mates! Raspberry and chocolate though…that’s a whole other story (of perfection).
Ditto on the fruit and chocolate….especially in cake form. Not my thang. But I love how dark and rich this looks! That ganache looks ridiculous.
A Christmas tree full of dessert ornaments? Too adorable! Loooove mint chocolate, this is going to be dangerous…
I.love.mint. And this cake…OMG. I must try it!
Woah. You have really hit it out of the park with this cake, and these photos! They are absolutely mouthwatering.
I love mint/chocolate combo, I will confess to always having a box of mint thin cookies covered in chocolate in my pantry, and grabbing one {almost} every night
Must make this cake!
The idea of the dessert ornaments is the cutest!
Yum! So festive! I’m impressed you kept your fingers to the ganache… I would have been cutting myself a slice every time I walked by
Oh yes! Loving the chocolate fix here. I want to eat it for breakfast too ; )
Tree pictures!!! (por favor)
I love the combination of mint and chocolate. This looks simply divine
I agree about chocolate and fruit combos! Never been my favorite either. I do love mint, so I’ll have to try this cake
Also you should post a picture of your tree! Sounds like an awesome tree! What shop did you get the ornament? I live in Berkeley and would love a cupcake ornament, etc.
Oh bother….you had to show me something so wonderfully delicious and so totally up by sweet-toothed alley during a time I’m trying to take it easy on the sweets. sigh…you’re one great baker, lady!
Oh man. I think I could eat that 3 meals a day, and of course for snacks too. THANKS for sharing that fabulous recipe!
A few things:
THIS LOOKS AMAZING.
Every time I try and comment a pop up comes up.
Please don’t go to posting every other day
Yuu-um! The ganache looks painfully tempting as it is. It would make a truly festive holiday dessert and, I swear, a good center piece for the table! Why not? Thanks for sharing this recipe and the wonderful pictures!
oh. my. lanta.
let my wipe the drool off my keyboard.
then gather the ingredients to make this…like now.
Yummy! My boyfriend’s niece recently told me how much she loves peppermint candy canes. I may have to make this for her!
Count me in! I definitely need this anytime of the day. Love the combination.
Mint and chocolate are one of my very favorite combinations. This cake looks wonderful! I love the idea of doubling the recipe and making it into a layer cake.
that is one gorgeous cake!
I am on such a peppermint kick lately
That looks DANGEROUSLY fudgy!! mmmmm
I cannot think of anything more perfect for this time of year. Bring on the ganache!
This looks amazing! Do you think a double-batch would make a bundt cake?
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This looks incredible. Forget finger swipes, I’m going for a full-on face-plant… right into this delicious minty dark chocolatey-ness!
That cake looks amazing! Jenna, I made your chocolate peppermint cookies with the white chocolate drizzled on top last year and they were my absolute favorite!
I made this cake today and it is delicious. My 13 yearnold son said “this may be the best cake I have ever had”. I love that it is a small cake. I will definitely make this again and again. I can imagine several variations on this same concept. Thanks for a great addition to my recipe collection.
This cake was amazing! Thanks!
I made this tonight for my roommates and my boyfriend for our own little Christmas celebration before everyone leaves for home. It was amazing!!!! Very dense, very rich, SO Christmas! With stress of finals hitting everyone, this cake was just what everyone needed. And it came together really simply. Loved it. Thanks!
If I double it and make 2 9 inch round cakes, how long would I bake them?
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