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This white peppermint cake is decorated with a mini gingerbread house, rosemary sprigs, ground coconut and powdered sugar, but you can do whatever you like. #peppermint #layercake #swissmeringuebuttercream #dessert #gingerbreadhouse

White Peppermint Cake

This white peppermint cake is mostly peppermint (both the cake layers and the buttercream), but there's a hint of coffee from the simple syrup!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword buttercream, cake, christmas, coffee, dessert, gingerbread, holidays, layer cake, mint, mint chocolate, nut-free, peppermint, vegetarian
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Decoration Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 403 kcal

Ingredients

Peppermint Bark Cake

  • ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon flavorless oil like canola
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅜ cup boiling water
  • ½ cup chopped peppermint bark

Coffee Simple Syrup

  • ¼ cup brewed strong coffee
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter room temperature, cut into tablespoons
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions

Peppermint Bark Cake

  1. Grease two 6.5-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients except for the boiling water. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then stir in the boiling water (it will be a very thin batter). Mix in the peppermint bark. Pour into cake pans.
  3. Bake at 350F for 25-28 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  4. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then turn onto a cooling rack.

Coffee Simple Syrup

  1. Combine the coffee and sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and boil until reduced, 5-10 minutes. Cool completely.

Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  1. In the heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch.
  2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks, fluffy and cooled.
  3. Switch to the paddle attachment. Add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and peppermint until smooth.

Recipe Notes

Cake from My Name is Yeh, buttercream adapted slightly from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.

Double everything if you want an 8" round layer cake!