Hot cocoa is such a cozy drink on it’s own, but when you add peppermint, it basically becomes a cup of Holiday cheer! Now, imagine those flavors in cake form: layers of hot cocoa infused chocolate cake, peppermint buttercream, and some marshmallow creme filling to bring it all together. It’s the perfect blend of festive flavors and makes an eye-catching centerpiece for your Holiday dessert table!

If you love a peppermint hot cocoa at your local coffee shop, you’ll be obsessed with this cake. It all starts with my favorite one-bowl chocolate cake recipe, only I’ve infused it with hot cocoa to give it the perfect flavor. It’s moist, decadent, and pairs perfectly with the peppermint buttercream and marshmallow creme. The buttercream gives it just the right amount of peppermint flavor. After trying lots of peppermint buttercream recipes that tasted like toothpaste, I was very intentional in the amount of peppermint extract I added. Turns out it doesn’t take much! 

Now let’s talk about this striped filling, because just look at it! I alternated adding peppermint buttercream (tinted red) and store bought marshmallow creme to create this striped effect when you cut into it. I think it’s such a fun touch! You can get this look with your filling by piping alternating circles – first peppermint buttercream, then marshmallow creme, then repeat until you reach the center of the cake. It will look like a bullseye when you’re finished, but it’ll be striped when you cut the slices. 

If you’d rather use all marshmallow creme as the filling or all peppermint buttercream, go for it! You can’t go wrong with these flavors. To use all marshmallow creme as the filling, be sure to follow the method for soft fillings in this blog post to ensure it doesn’t squish out between your cake layers. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve made a striped buttercream cake but I just had to with this one. Not only do the red and white stripes make me think of peppermint, they’re iconic of the Holidays. You’ll need a good cake comb (here’s the one I use) and red food color gel to get this striped finish. If you’ve never attempted buttercream stripes before, here’s a post that will show you how to create them. 

To finish this Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cake design, I added chocolate ganache drips, then combined red and white peppermint buttercream in the same piping bag before piping it into swirls with Wilton Tip 4B. I sprinkled crushed candy canes and mini marshmallows all over the top of the cake to give it some extra texture. If you’re storing the decorated cake in the refrigerator like I always do, be sure to hold off on sprinkling the candy canes until the last minute. They tend to liquify when going between room temperature and the refrigerator. My advice is to add the crushed candy canes at the point when you take the cake out of the refrigerator, which should be an hour or two before serving it. Cake always stores best in the refrigerator but tastes best at room temperature. 

No matter how you decorate, I am so excited for you to try this Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cake recipe and hope you love it as much as I do!

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Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cake

Layers of hot cocoa infused chocolate cake, peppermint buttercream, and marshmallow creme filling. The perfect festive treat for your Holiday dessert table!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Hot Cocoa Cake

• 3 Tbsp hot cocoa powder
• 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Cups (300g) white granulated sugar
• 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Cup (240ml) hot water

Peppermint Buttercream

• 2 Cups (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp pure peppermint extract
• 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
• red food color gel (optional)*

Chocolate Ganache Drip (Optional)

• 1/2 Cup (95g) semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream

Additional Fillings & Toppings

• 3 Oz marshmallow creme
• crushed candy canes
• mini marshmallows

Instructions

Make the Hot Cocoa Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle.
• Whisk the hot cocoa powder into the whole milk and set aside. Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and hot cocoa mixture and stir on low until just combined.
• Ensure that the hot water has been heated to a simmer, then with the mixer still on low, add the hot water in a slow stream. Turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
• Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Make the Peppermint Buttercream

• With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and add the sifted powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add vanilla extract, peppermint extract, milk, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated.
• Reserve half of the peppermint buttercream in a separate bowl. Add red food color gel to the half that’s still in the bowl of your stand mixer and mix on low until you achieve a red color. Keep in mind that it may take 30 minutes or more for the color to deepen and develop fully.

Make the Chocolate Ganache (Optional)

• Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal). In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft simmer starting in the middle. When it's reached this point, pour the cream into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds.
• Whisk the mixture together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Allow to cool at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature or slightly above, before using it as a drip. See the notes below for making this part ahead or troubleshooting if you don’t get the timing just right for your drip.

Assembly

• Once the Hot Cocoa Cake layers have cooled completely, level and torte each one to your desired height. Place the first layer onto a cake turntable.
• Prepare two piping bags by snipping off a ½ inch opening. Fill the first piping bag with red tinted Peppermint Buttercream and the second with marshmallow fluff. Pipe a circle of red Peppermint Buttercream along the outer edge of the cake layer on your turntable. Then, alternate piping subsequent smaller circles of marshmallow fluff and red Peppermint Buttercream until you reach the center of the cake layer. The filling should look like a bullseye.
• Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the filling process before adding the final layer on top, upside down so that the bottom of the layer is the top of the cake. Crumb coat the cake with red Peppermint Buttercream. Place the crumb coated cake into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting firm up.
• Frost the crumb coated cake with the un-tinted Peppermint Buttercream and use this tutorial to create red and white stripes with a cake comb. Once the cake has its final layer of frosting, place it back into the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before dripping with chocolate ganache.
• Finish the look with Peppermint Buttercream swirls along the top edge of the cake (I used Wilton Tip 4B for the ones pictured), then sprinkle crushed candy canes and mini marshmallows all over the top.

Notes

*The red food color gel that I recommend is Americolor Super Red. It’s very concentrated so you don’t have to use a whole lot to achieve a rich red color.

Make Ahead Tips:

1. The Hot Cocoa Cake layers can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
2. The Peppermint Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 

To Make As Cupcakes: fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3 of the way full and bake at 350ºF for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Yields about 35-40 cupcakes.

Did you make this Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cake recipe? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram and show me! I love to see what you create.

The post Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

This Holiday Bake-Along begins on December 1st and ends on December 24th, 2021. Here’s everything you need to know if you want to participate:

1. Make a mini Christmas tree cake using this tutorial. 
2. Decorate it however you’d like. I’ve posted pictures of a few different ideas below.
3. Post a photo on Instagram and tag @sugarandsparrowco in the image so I can see and share it. 
4. Use the hashtags #SugarAndSparrow and #HolidayBakeAlong so you can see everyone else’s cakes and cheer each other on! 
5. Check my Instagram Stories all throughout December to see your photos featured. I’ll be posting photos of your creations on my blog as well (all with your permission, of course!). 

Since there are countless ways you can decorate these mini Christmas tree cakes, I’m really looking forward to seeing your creativity! Here’s a video showing a few ideas I’ve come up with to inspire you:

Traditional

This is the very first Mini Christmas Tree Cake design I created and it’s so simple to replicate. I piped green buttercream with Wilton Tip 4B to get the leaf texture, then added sprinkles all over. Since it’s the same design from the original Mini Christmas Tree Cake tutorial, you can follow the step by step here to get the look. 

Retro Shag

There’s nothing more fun than a shag Christmas tree, and this design will work in any color you want. You’ll just need Wilton Tip 233 (the grass tip), some fun sprinkles, and you’re good to go. 

Glitzy & White 

No food coloring necessary for this one! You’ll just need some white frosting (here’s the Vanilla Buttercream recipe I use), Wilton Tip 4B, and pretty sprinkles. Make it even more glam with some gold luster dust!

Merry & Bright

This design is so satisfying to create and to look at. It uses Wilton Tip 32 to pipe overlapping vertical lines starting at the bottom of the cake and working your way up.

Snowy Swirls

The best thing about this design is you don’t need any piping tips. You can get this look by swirling a small spatula (or a butter knife!) through the frosting. Add a little powdered sugar “snow” for some Winter wonderland vibes!

I am so excited to see your Mini Christmas Tree Cake designs! Let me know if you have any questions below. And if not.. Ready, set, BAKE.

The post Holiday Bake-Along: Mini Christmas Tree Cakes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Now that I’ve shared my Eggnog Cake Recipe and my Hot Cocoa Cake recipe, it’s only fitting that I close out my 2020 holiday cakes with another that’s based on a festive drink: this decadent Peppermint Mocha Cake! This one may be my favorite one of all and it even impressed my husband, who is not a coffee drinker or a big fan of peppermint. We could not stop tasting it and talking about how good it was, so I am confident that you’ll love it too. Oh, and just look at that candy cane drip. 

I always try to get my flavors as close to the inspiration as possible, and the flavors going on in this Peppermint Mocha Cake ended up being spot on to the real deal. I thought about topping it with peppermint buttercream (I really wanted it to look like a striped candy cane at first), but the coffee buttercream was actually the perfect choice for the taste of this one. It gives you a great hit of coffee to balance out the peppermint and chocolate in the cake, and it’s so tasty you’ll want to sneak a few spoonfuls here and there or frost some cake scraps with it for snacking (that’s what I do). 

For the cake layers, I adapted my favorite Chocolate Cake recipe to include peppermint extract and hot coffee. In the original recipe, you pour in one cup of hot (simmering) water at the end, so for this version just make sure the coffee is hot, as in just-brewed. You can totally use instant coffee for this part too – I actually ended up using these Starbucks Via packets (made according to the package instructions) and they worked great! After those tweaks to the chocolate cake recipe that’s already extra moist and decadent, this version ended up being the ideal balance of peppermint, chocolate, and coffee. In other words, the perfect base for this Peppermint Mocha Cake. 

After filling and frosting the cake with Coffee Buttercream to enhance the coffee flavor of this cake, I dripped it with my go-to Chocolate Ganache recipe. After the drips set, it was super easy to press on candy cane bits and the result was so eye-catching! I basically used the same method as was used in this Sprinkle Drip Cake tutorial. One note on the candy cane drip though: adding the candy cane bits can’t be done too far ahead of time. When I left the cake in the refrigerator overnight, the moisture of the drip ended up melting a few of the pieces. If you do want to make this cake ahead and keep that drip looking perfect, be sure to add the candy cane pieces the day you’re serving the cake. They’ll press onto the drip just fine, even after it has set. 

To finish the look, I added a little piping to the top in a crescent moon shape using Wilton Tip 1 (for the rosettes) and 4B (for the stars). Then, I sprinkled more candy cane bits over the top. However you choose to decorate, this Peppermint Mocha Cake is downright delicious. As I type this weeks later, I’m already thinking about making it all over again. I consider that the sign of a good cake. Enjoy!

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Peppermint Mocha Cake Recipe

Inspired by the classic holiday coffee treat! Layers of peppermint mocha flavored cake and coffee buttercream, dripped with candy cane speckled chocolate ganache.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Peppermint Mocha Cake

• 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
• 1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated white sugar
• 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 2 whole eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
• 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk*, room temperature DIY recipe in notes
• 1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee

Coffee Buttercream

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 Cups (960g) powdered sugar
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp instant coffee or instant espresso powder
• 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate Ganache Drip

• 1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream

Additional Garnish

• 1/4 cup crushed candy canes

Instructions

Make the Peppermint Mocha Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle. 
• Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, peppermint, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot coffee in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin. 
• Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Make the Coffee Buttercream

• Combine the instant espresso/coffee with the whole milk and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on med-high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), scraping down bowl and paddle a few times in between.
• Add powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down bowl and paddle between intervals. Then add the vanilla, the coffee/espresso milk mixture, and salt. Mix on low until fully incorporated, about one minute.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

• Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal). If you’re starting with a chocolate bar, chop it into small pieces until they’re about the size of chocolate chips. 
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft simmer starting in the middle. When it's reached this point, pour the cream into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds. 
• Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool ganache at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature or slightly above. 

Assembly

• After the Peppermint Mocha Cakes have cooled completely, level and torte the layers to your desired height. Then, fill and frost the cake with Coffee Buttercream. To create the look pictured, place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before dripping with chocolate ganache. Here are tips on how to create the perfect drip. Place the dripped cake back into the refrigerator for 5 minutes to let the drip set before pressing on the crushed candy cane pieces by hand.

Notes

*DIY Buttermilk Recipe: add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe. 

Make Ahead Tips:

1. The Peppermint Mocha Cake layers can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
2. The Coffee Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 
3. The Chocolate Ganache can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it as a drip, microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after every interval until your ganache is room temperature and uniform in consistency.

To Make As Cupcakes: fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3 of the way full and bake at 350ºF for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Yields about 35-40 cupcakes.

Did you make this recipe? I want to know what you think! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram. I love to see what you’re caking!

The post Peppermint Mocha Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Of all the years, 2020 has everyone ready to kick off the Holiday season earlier than ever. It almost feels like the last chance we have at a little magic and I am here for it. So much that as soon as I felt like I made it out of the newborn haze of maternity leave (and realized I could wear Bubs around the kitchen in my Solly Wrap), I got inspired to start testing all the Holiday cake recipes I’d been dying to try since last Christmas. First on the list: this tasty and festive Eggnog Cake! 

Eggnog is a pretty crazy thing to drink when you think about it – basically cream, lots of sugar, spices, and raw eggs (and alcohol, if you’re into the spiked version). I can’t help but enjoy the heck out of it though, which is why this Eggnog Cake recipe is the first one on my list of must-writes for this Holiday season. As soon as I saw it at my local grocery store, I snatched up a carton and got right to work. It took me a few tries to nail down the right texture because Eggnog is so thick and already contains sugar and eggs, but I am so happy with the final results! There’s eggnog in the cake, buttercream, and even infused in the ganache, so you get a big hit of it with every bite. 

Let’s talk about these cake layers. While it was easy to make them taste like eggnog by adding it in as the liquid, it was not easy to get the right texture. My first few tries ended up really dense, but by using cake flour, upping the baking powder, and adding in a little sour cream, this Eggnog Cake is nice and moist, ultra-flavorful, and has a soft crumb. Between the addition of eggnog, extra nutmeg, and cinnamon, the flavor is surprisingly spot-on in the cake layers alone. To make them super moist, the sour cream is a must. You can sub in some plain greek yogurt as a straight substitute for the sour cream, but just know that if you omit it, this cake will be a little on the dry side. Trust me on this one!

To really bump up the flavor, I filled and frosted these tasty cake layers with Eggnog Buttercream, which uses eggnog as the binding liquid and is spiced with additional nutmeg and cinnamon. I decided to give the buttercream finish a bit of texture by using a decorative comb from this Wilton Icing Comb Set and I love the way it turned out! Such an easy way to add intrigue without stressing over the cake decorating process. You basically frost your cake with a semi-thick layer of frosting and then drag the cake comb over the finish before it’s set. The comb does all the work for you! 

After creating that decorative buttercream finish, I dripped the cake with Eggnog White Chocolate Ganache – basically my white chocolate ganache recipe but with eggnog as the liquid! Getting the ratio right for this ganache took a couple tries but it ended up being the perfect consistency as a 4:1 ratio and it has the perfect hint of eggnog to keep with this flavor palette. Once the ganache drip was set (here are some instructions on how to drip a cake if you need them) I added some buttercream swirls around the top edge of the cake with Wilton Tip 1M and sprinkled some additional nutmeg over everything. 

Keep in mind that if you want to create a boozier version of this Eggnog Cake, you totally can! I didn’t simply because I don’t drink, but after researching eggnog cake recipes it appears that you can spike your eggnog before using an equal amount as a substitute in this recipe. Whatever you decide, you’ll end up with a tasty Eggnog Cake that will make this Holiday season all the merrier. Enjoy!

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Festive Eggnog Layer Cake

Layers of eggnog-infused cake spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, paired with eggnog buttercream and dripped eggnog ganache for a totally festive Holiday cake!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Eggnog Layer Cake

• 2 3/4 Cups (290g) cake flour, sifted before measuring
• 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 Cups (360g) white granulated sugar
• 3 whole eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 Cup (56g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups (355ml) eggnog, room temperature

Eggnog Buttercream

• 2 Cups (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 Cup eggnog, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Eggnog Ganache

• 1 Cup (180g) white chocolate chips, chopped into bits
• 1/4 Cup eggnog
• 1/2 tsp AmeriColor Bright White color gel, optional

Instructions

Make the Eggnog Layer Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch or two 9-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a cooking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and a wax paper circle fitted to the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, you can grease and lightly flour the pans. 
• Sift the cake flour and then measure by spooning and leveling it in your measuring cup. Add the cake flour, baking powder, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. 
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter for on high for two minutes until it's creamy. Add in sugar and continue to mix on high for another two minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. 
• With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the eggnog slowly and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps (without over-mixing). The batter will be slightly thick, but pourable. 
• Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans (no more than 2/3 of the way full) and bake for 35-40 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they're entirely room temperature before applying any frosting. 

Make the Eggnog Buttercream

• With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, ground nutmeg, and ground cinnamon. With the mixer on low, add the spiced powdered sugar mixture a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next one. 
• Add vanilla, eggnog, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated. 

Make the Eggnog Ganache

• Chop the white chocolate chips into smaller bits with a knife or food processor, then add them into a metal or glass bowl and set aside.
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the eggnog until it starts to simmer, stirring constantly to ensure it doesn't burn in the process. When you see that it’s just starting to boil, pour it over the white chocolate and let sit for about five seconds. 
• Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Whiten or color the ganache with the food color gel (optional), then cool ganache at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes, or until the ganache itself is about room temperature.

Assembly

• Once they've cooled completely, fill and frost the Eggnog Cake layers with the Eggnog Buttercream before dripping the cake with Eggnog Ganache. To create the look pictured, drag a cake comb over the sides of the buttercream right after frosting them (I used this one by Wilton), then refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes to chill the buttercream before dripping with Eggnog Ganache. Here are some tips for creating the perfect ganache drip cake. Finish the design by piping swirls of Eggnog Buttercream around the top edge of the cake with Wilton Tip 1M, then sprinkle with ground nutmeg.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips:

1. The Eggnog Cake layers can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
2. The Eggnog Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 
3. The Eggnog Ganache can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, gently reheat it in the microwave in 5-10 second intervals until it’s ideal drip consistency. 

To Make As Cupcakes: fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3 of the way full and bake at 350ºF for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Yields about 36-40 cupcakes. 

Did you make this recipe? I want to know what you think! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram. I love to see what you’re caking!

The post Festive Eggnog Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.