Candy Cane Cake Recipe

'Tis the season for festive treats. And when the holiday season hits, it's all about peppermint. Sure, you can certainly add peppermint to your morning mochas and your hot chocolate with marshmallows, but there are plenty of other creative ways to add this seasonal flavor to food and drinks.

Peppermint fudge or chocolate peppermint cookies are great treats worthy of any seasonal celebration. But what about when you need something bigger? If you're looking for a holiday centerpiece for your upcoming dinner, then this recipe is certainly it. This candy cane cake is dressed up in its most festive holiday best, just waiting for your guests to dive in when they're ready for dessert. And as for the flavor itself? You'll be treated to moist, fluffy cake paired with luscious, cool peppermint frosting. It's the ideal balance for a splash of holiday flavor and a touch of whimsy. And you can pull it off at home from-scratch in under an hour.

Ready to get started making this festive candy cane cake? Grab your ingredients first! This will make the process for putting together your dessert much smoother.

For this candy cane cake recipe, you'll need white sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, three eggs, oil, milk, one stick of butter, powdered sugar, and pure peppermint extract. To decorate the cake, you'll also need 12 mini candy canes. Then, you're ready to begin your festive holiday baking!

With your ingredients gathered, it's time to dive in on baking. First off, start by preheating your oven to 350 F. This will give it plenty of time to warm up while you prepare the batter.

In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients first. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix to combine. Be sure the mixture is free of any large clumps before moving on to the next step.

With the dry ingredients mixed and ready to roll, it's time to add in the wet ingredients. First up, mix in the three eggs one at a time. Next, mix in the oil, and then mix in the milk. Once the wet ingredients have been added, mix the batter until just combined. Note that you'll want to avoid over-mixing the batter so you don't end up with a dry cake.

Once the batter is ready, prepare two 8-inch cakes pans. Spray the cake pans with cooking spray to keep the cake from sticking. Another helpful tip? Place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan to be extra sure the cake doesn't stick. 

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, and bake the cakes for 25 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven once the tops are lightly golden brown and the centers are fully set, and set them aside to cool.

While the cakes are cooling, make the peppermint frosting. Start by creaming the softened butter in a mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, and mix. Then, add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk and the peppermint extract, and mix. Gradually mix in the remaining powdered sugar until the frosting forms, and then turn the speed up on the mixer to mix it until fluffy.

Once the cakes have fully cooled, use a cake stand or plate as the base for assembling your cake. Use a sharp knife to cut across the top of each cake layer to level it. Spread peppermint frosting on top of the first cake layer. Crush up three mini candy canes, and sprinkle them on the frosting before adding the second cake layer on top. Use a spatula or a piping bag fitted with an icer tip to frost the rest of the cake and decorate the sides of the cake with powdered sugar for a "snowy" look. Garnish the cake with whole mini candy canes, along with crushed mini candy canes to finish it off.