Peppermint Bark Cupcakes
Rich, fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with peppermint white chocolate buttercream and crushed candy canes, these truly are peppermint bark in a cupcake. Simple to make, these are a perfect holiday treat for any party or just because!
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To be honest, I kinda took this last week off. Off from everything I didn’t absolutely have to do. Like take my daughter to the park and prep Thanksgiving desserts (none of which were photographed and I feel zero shame). I just feel like I’ve been turning my baking into a rat race and I don’t like that. I want it to be fun and creative and artistic and interesting.
And when my baking or my blogging becomes anything but an artistic endeavor, I’m going to pause. Because no one—not me or my readers—will enjoy it if it’s obligatory.
Let me just say that my mini break was SO worth it. I slept and I watched Christmas movies and read books and it was glorious.
So, this recipe may be a few days later than planned, but I think I want to impart the same advice I inadvertently gave myself: take care of yourself. Don’t put productivity above your mental health or your family.
For me, I needed to preserve my mental health so that I could be there for my family. And I wasn’t about to take away from either of those things in order to be productive here. Which may sound pompous or ridiculous for any number of reasons, but it’s true. And I feel it’s worth saying in case anyone reading resonates with that and needs someone to affirm their choice (or wish) to take a break.
You deserve it.
You also deserve cupcakes. So if you need one of those, I HIGHLY recommend these. There are few problems that a good chocolate cupcake can’t cure.
Why this recipe works
First, the chocolate cake. It’s just SO good. Fluffy yet moist, rich but not overly so, and the perfect amount of sweet. It’s my absolute favorite chocolate cake. Paired with the peppermint white chocolate buttercream and topped with crushed candy canes, you get a wonderful mixture of textures. And the flavors are a perfect combo—it really does taste like the cupcake version of peppermint bark. It’s a simple recipe yet such a fun, festive treat!
Key ingredients
Flour. Be sure to spoon then level your flour so you don’t pack it in, and always sift with a fine mesh sieve!
Cocoa powder. Sifting this is a must, as it tends to clump. Be sure you use unsweetened cocoa. Regular is preferred, but Dutched will work as well.
Sugar. Obviously! You’ll need this in the cake as well as the caramel sauce.
Baking powder/soda. Both are needed to help the cake rise properly. Be sure they haven’t been open longer than a few months or they do start to lose their umph, regardless of the indicated expiration date. And be sure they’ve been well-sealed! Any moisture getting in will stop them from working properly.
Salt. Again, needed in all elements of this cake. I highly recommend sea salt, as it helps complement the sweetness better.
Buttermilk. I always make my own by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup. I then fill it the rest of the way with room-temperature whole milk.
Oil. I prefer avocado or grape seed oil, as they are light and tasteless but still heart-healthy. Vegetable or canola oil work, too.
Eggs. Use fresh, large eggs and make sure they have reached room temperature.
Vanilla. Always use pure extract in baking, not imitation.
Hot coffee. Be sure your coffee is piping hot when you use it. You can make it as strong or light as you’d like. I prefer blond coffee in most cakes, but you really can’t taste it if you use a dark roast. It just serves to bring out a more intensely dark chocolate flavor.
Peppermint dark chocolate buttercream. You can make this ahead of time to make things easier. It’s a fairly simple recipe, but I’m all about taking things as easy as I can.
Crushed candy canes. You can buy these or make your own. Make them by placing a few candy canes in a couple freezer proof plastic baggies (one inside the other) and whacking them with a rolling pin until crushed.
How to make peppermint bark cupcakes
Make the cupcakes
1. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. Don’t skip the sifting! It’s key to making this cake nice and fluffy.
2. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, peppermint extract (if using) and vanilla. Whisk very well to fully emulsify (blend) it all, especially the eggs and oil.
3. Slowly whisk hot coffee into wet ingredients. Whisk very quickly and pour slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs. If you do think you scrambled some, you can run it through your fine mesh sieve.
4. Slowly stir wet ingredients into the dry. Do this on low and immediately stop and scrape the bowl once everything is combined.
5. Beat on medium for exactly 2 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t under or over mix.
6. Bake. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out with just some moist crumbs—not fully clean, as this can mean it’s over baked. Remember that it continues to bake a little when you take it out of the oven.
Assemble
7. Make the buttercream. You can also do this ahead of time but while the cupcakes cool is plenty of time to make it and have it fresh for piping.
8. Frost and decorate cupcakes. I piped mine using a 1M tip to create simple rosettes. I then topped them with crushed candy canes, and some leftover dark chocolate peppermint bark candy pieces.
Enjoy
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Do I have to use coffee in the cake?
No! You can make this a chocolate cake by using regular blond roast coffee instead of stronger coffee. You could technically use just hot water, but I have never been a fan of how this cake tastes without coffee. Trust me, you will not taste the coffee if you use light roast. If you’re worried, you can make it half strength, which should be enough to bring out the chocolate flavor.
Measure dry ingredients carefully
Always spoon flour and cocoa into your measuring cup then level with the back of a knife or other straight edge. And be sure to sift with a fine mesh sieve so your cake is nice and fluffy.
Sift your dry ingredients
Usually, you don’t need to sift the dry ingredients unless it’s cake. However, I realized that every time I tried making brownies, my cocoa left little clumps that in turn caused me to over mix my batter. Instead, sifting the dry ingredients means you can simply fold them into the wet ingredients without over mixing, resulting in a tender, fudgy brownie that’s not dense.
Use room temperature ingredients
This is another baking must. Room temperature ingredients (when called for) are non-negotiable. I have seen the difference in cakes that are tough and don’t rise. Plan ahead and make sure your ingredients have had time to sit out.
Use quality cocoa
Since cocoa is the main flavor here, you want a good brand. Opt for something organic and fair trade, if possible, because this usually means it was produced in smaller batches and thus higher quality and is often fresher, too. Plus, the flavor of the high quality cocoa is always noticeable in the brownies. My go-to is Volupta, from Costco, but some other good options are Ghirardelli, Guittard, Scharffen Berger, Anthony’s, or even Hershey’s Special Dark in a pinch.
Does the peppermint brand matter?
Yes! McCormick is a pretty reliable brand, but it can taste like toothpaste if you use too much. I’ve also weirdly had good luck with the Whole Foods 365 peppermint. Nielsen-Massey is another one I’ve had pretty good luck with, but I haven’t tried their peppermint. The key is starting small and adding more as needed. Also, the flavor WILL intensify over time—especially in the fridge, so if you plan to make this ahead of time or more than a few hours before serving your dessert, err on the side of “that’s just right” rather than “yeah I taste that peppermint.”
Refrigerate frosting overnight if possible
When you refrigerate buttercream, it helps smooth it out quite a bit. Since whipping it to get it white and fluffy adds air (that we ideally stir out, but it’s not always easy), refrigeration helps smooth this out. Plus, it helps the flavors deepen. I tend to add just a minimal amount of peppermint so that I can refrigerate it and let it deepen before I use it. That way, I’m not caught off guard if my frosting is too minty when I go to use it.
Crush your own candy canes
Sure, you can buy crushed candy canes. But I’ve always found they become soggy and stuck together after one use, and you don’t need an entire bag for this recipe. Instead, take just 3-4 candy canes, put them in a freezer safe plastic baggie, then double bag that (or even triple bag it). Use a rolling pin to whack them until crushed. It’s very therapeutic.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these cupcakes. Affiliate links provided.
Cupcake pans (I’ve used many over the years and these are the most consistently successful.)
Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)
1M piping tips (for piping rosettes)
Peppermint Bark Cupcakes
- prep time: 25-30 minutes
- bake time: 15-18 minutes
- total time: 45 minutes (plus at least 30 minutes for cupcakes to cool)
servings: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 1 ⅔ cups (335g) granulated sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups (226g) flour, sifted
- ¾ cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (236g) buttermilk, room temperature*
- ½ cup (108g) avocado oil (can sub vegetable or canola oil)
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) hot, light roast coffee (or hot water)
- one batch peppermint white chocolate buttercream
- 3-4 candy canes, crushed
- optional: one batch dark chocolate peppermint bark
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 325F/165C. Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners (or spray with baking spray or even grease with butter and lightly sprinkle with flour—use what you have!). This is also a great time to set your coffee to percolate.
- Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift and whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, sifting everything but the sugar (unless yours is fine enough to sift--go for it!). Set aside.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla together until well-blended and fully emulsified, about 1 minute.
- Very, very slowly stream the hot coffee or water into the wet ingredients, whisking vigorously and constantly as you pour to avoid scrambling the eggs. Feel free to do this in segments if it’s easier. If you do scramble some of the eggs, you can run the mixture through your fine mesh sieve to remove the cooked egg bits.
- Using the paddle attachment, turn your stand mixer to low (or use a hand mixer) and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry. This should take about 30 seconds or so. The batter will clump up then thin out. Once you’ve poured all the wet ingredients, immediately turn off the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides. Beat on medium for exactly 2 minutes (set a timer).
- Evenly divide batter between 24 cupcake liners (they should be somewhere between ⅔ and ¾ full). I found an ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop helps with this.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a middle cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs (ideally not fully clean, as this could mean they’re over baked). Check early and rotate halfway if not using convection.
- Let cool 5-10 minutes in the cupcake pan then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes cool, make the peppermint white chocolate buttercream. Optional: you can also make the buttercream ahead of time, chill it, then let it come to room temperature on the counter for 1-2 hours while you make the cupcakes, just be sure to give it a good stir if it was refrigerated longer than overnight.
- Frost using a 1M piping tip (and ideally a reusable piping bag!). Top with crushed candy canes and a piece of dark chocolate peppermint bark.
Enjoy!
If not serving right away, store in an airtight container until ready to eat. Cupcakes will last for 3-5 days. Avoid refrigeration for more than an hour, as this can cause them to dry out.
*You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar with enough room temperature whole milk to equal 1 cup total. Stir and let sit 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
