See Candy Cane Crunch Cake on A Beautiful Plate.
Moist peppermint chocolate cake filled with candy cane Swiss meringue buttercream and topped with dark chocolate peppermint glaze. This whimsical Candy Cane Crunch Cake is perfect for the holidays!
This recipe was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill.
The holiday season has always been magical to me. Despite the chaotic nature and occasional stress-inducing moments (have you met my family?), I look forward to this brief window of time each year. Even though we are now scattered across the country, my sisters, brothers-in-law, nephew, and I always travel home to DC to celebrate the holidays with my parents. The house is full and there is never a dull moment. It’s a time to unplug, soak in moments, and celebrate traditions. Many old, some new, and a few slightly silly.
As one might guess in a food-obsessed family, most of these traditions take place around the table. The kitchen is constantly abuzz with the sounds of whirling stand mixers, simmering pots, beeping kitchen timers, humming dishwashers, and bossy cooks (raises hand sheepishly).
Today’s Candy Cane Crunch Cake is my latest addition to our ever-evolving holiday menu, and I’m certain you will love it as much as I do! It is festive, downright delicious, and just as much fun to make as it is to devour. It looks intimidating, but I’m going to walk you through the whole process.
The inspiration for this Candy Cane Crunch Cake came from those candy cane sandwich cookies that have made their way into my grocery shopping cart on more than one occasion this season. So simple, yet so addictive! I was able to pry my hands off of the latest box just long enough to brainstorm this cake and since nothing screams ‘happy holidays’ like candy canes, peppermint, and chocolate, it is no surprise that this cake incorporates all three!
Like all good desserts, this candy cane cake starts with a few simple ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, sugar, milk, and eggs. Small deviations make all the difference in flavor and consistency, so try to get your hands on the best that you can find. Leading up to the holidays, I always stock up on baking essentials, including several bags of all-purpose flour and other basics. There are so many distractions during the holiday season and there is nothing worse than running out of flour or having to go on last-minute grocery store runs!
My go-to is Bob’s Red Mill unbleached all purpose flour. It is versatile, reliable, and unlike other all-purpose flours, contains a touch of malted barley flour (which improves rise and browning of yeast breads!). My family uses it for everything from traditional sugar cookies to pumpkin muffins (these are requested each year), fruitcake (don’t knock it ’til you try it), buche de noel, and everything in between.