This White Chocolate Candy Cane Cake is the perfect addition to your holiday celebrations!
I don’t know about you, but the holidays are starting to creep into our country.
It actually started two weeks ago when we got back from celebrating my birthday at Walt Disney World (which was amazing). As soon as November 1st hit, it came out with everything Fall/Halloween/Pumpkin and festive holiday decor. Well, holiday decor that was within my reach, anyway.
There’s still a whole bunch hiding in the depths of our storage room. The can Try to fish it out myself, but knowing my clumsy and accident prone nature, I’m bound to break something. It’s safer if I wait for Ryan to help.
Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll screw it up for some of them today. Too fast??
I know it’s too early for some, but over the past couple of years, I feel like I’ve lost a bit of the holiday spirit. This is the busiest time of year for a food/pastry blogger, so I’m usually knee-deep in baking, writing, answering your questions, etc.
So I’ve brought Christmas a little earlier so I can enjoy it more. After all, it’s my favorite time of the year!
I’ve actually managed to get a head start on my Christmas shopping too, which is unheard of as I’m usually scrambling for a week in December!
Of course, with Christmas decorating and Christmas shopping comes Christmas baking! There really isn’t anything better. I love warm, comforting scents and flavors this time of year. So many delicious combinations of festive flavors and desserts.
Today, to kick off this wonderful season, I’m bringing you this White Chocolate Candy Cane Cake!
Candy cane bark
I have long wanted to make a cake inspired by reeds. I actually had one on my radar last holiday season, but never quite got around to it.
I really wanted the candy cane to shine through in both flavor and decoration, so I decided to make a candy cane-inspired striped bark on the outside of the cake, similar to the technique I used on the wheel. Black forest cake.
It’s easier to do than you think, I promise!
I used it Red AND White candy melts to make it, but you can use white chocolate instead. However, the candy melts were very easy to work with. Details in the recipe below, but check out mine Black forest cake post for more information and a link to a video tutorial.
Candy Cane Bar Butter
The candy cane ribbon buttercream inside the cake layers was really easy to make. I just filled two separate piping bags, one with red and one with white butter and used one large round top we both.
Starting with the white, I placed a circle around the outer edge of the cake layer. Then I went in, alternating colors. I think it turned out pretty well!
This cake is perfect for the holidays. It’s so festive and bright it will be the perfect addition to your holiday dinner tables!
Tips for making this White Chocolate Candy Cake
- The recipe as is will also work in three 6 inch pans. For three 8-inch pans, 1.5 times the recipe.
- To make cupcakes, all you have to do is reduce the baking time – start checking at 15 minutes or so.
- Cool cake layers can be baked ahead of time, wrapped twice in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Remove 2-3 hours before assembly.
- The frosting can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week to freeze for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and whisk again before use.
- I’d probably just do white rosettes next time so the red and white bark stands out more.
- I put peppermint on the cake layers but not the cream. You can also add it to the frosting if you want, but just know that it will likely overpower the white chocolate a bit and you may not be able to enjoy it as much.
- For more details on candy cane bark, check out mine Black forest cake post.
- For a cookie version of this cake, check out mine White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies!
- If you’re looking for more holiday-inspired cakes, be sure to check out mine Egg cake, Gingerbread Cake, Pink champagne cakeAND Butterscotch Pudding Cake!
- Be sure to check mine out Swiss Cream with Butter Meringue post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist by using Simple syrup.
- To ensure your cake layers bake nice and flat, see my How to bake flat cake layers post!
White Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
This White Chocolate Candy Cane Cake is the perfect addition to your holiday celebrations!
sERVICE 12
Calories 849kcal
Ingredients
White Chocolate Mint Cake:
White Chocolate Swiss Buttercream:
GUIDELINES
White Chocolate Mint Cake:
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Heat milk and chocolate until melted and combined, cool to room temperature.*
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Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Leave it aside.
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Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on high until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Lower the speed and add the eggs one at a time, incorporating them thoroughly after each addition. Add the peppermint extract.
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Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture, starting and ending with the flour (3 additions of flour and 2 additions of milk). Fully included after each addition.
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Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
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Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
White Chocolate Swiss Buttercream:
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Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, mix until combined.**
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Place the bowl over a double boiler on the stove and stir constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer lumpy to the touch (about 3 minutes). Or it registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
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Place the bowl in your mixer and beat on medium until the meringue is stiff and chilled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (about 5-10 minutes)).
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Go to drive attachment. Slowly add the cubed butter and mix until smooth.***
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Add the white chocolate, vanilla (or more peppermint extract) and beat until smooth.
Candy Cane Bark:
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Red and white candy melts are melted in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.
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Using a large offset spatula, spread white candy melts in a thin, even layer on a large sheet of parchment.
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Pour red candy melts into a piping bag. Cut the tip to about 1/2 inch in size. Pipe diagonal stripes across the white sheet. Spread using a small offset spatula to flatten.
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Roll from the short side of the parchment. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until firm (about 30 minutes in the fridge).
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Stir to create chocolate bark.
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Look this post for more details.
Assembly:
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Remove 1/3 of the frosting and color red. You will need to use a fair amount of colored gel to do this. The frosting will darken slightly over time.
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Fill a piping bag, fitted with a large round top with the red cream, fill another with the white.
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Place one cake layer on a serving tray or plate. Alternate piping with white and red circles, starting at the outer edge and working your way inward.
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Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the same process.
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Apply a thin layer of white frosting to the outside of the cake. Smooth the sides and top. Leave a bit of the sides exposed for a bare look if desired. Cool for 20 minutes.
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Place the remaining red and white icing in a separate piping bag fitted with a French Pipe Tip. I used a spatula to spread the white on one side of the piping bag and the red on the other. Pipe rosettes on the top of the cake.
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Fill the center between the rosettes with chopped candy canes and white chocolate if desired.
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Place candy cane bark around the outside of the cake. Stick with a little extra butter if needed.
endnoteS
* You can do this in the microwave, stirring in 30 second bursts, or in a pot on the stove, stirring constantly, or in a double boiler, stirring occasionally.
** Make sure there are no traces of egg yolks in your whites and that your mixer bowl and beater are completely fat free or your meringue will not set.
*** The buttercream may look like curd at some point. Continue mixing until completely smooth.
Calories: 849kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 8gFat: 52gSaturated fat: 32gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 183mgPotassium: 301mgSugar: 67gVitamin A: 1420wasVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 1.6mg
Nutritional information and metric conversions are automatically calculated. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favorite food calculator and/or metric conversion tool.
Originally published on November 19, 2017