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Candy Cane Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cake (Vegan)

Chocolate and peppermint are a classic holiday combination that works wonderfully in this delicious cake.

Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 1 cake (about 18 servings)

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 cup aquafaba liquid from 2 cans cooked chickpeas
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup organic vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or organic vegetable shortening ,melted
  • 1/4 cup applesauce can sub pumpkin puree if you don't mind a little more golden color
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 150 g about 1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips, or chunks
  • 3 cups flour

Frosting:

  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks vegan butter, softened to room temp
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons almond milk
  • 1/2 cup broken candy cane or peppermint candy pieces

Topping (Optional):

  • 150 g about 1 cup dairy free semi-sweet dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup broken candy cane or peppermint candy pieces
  • Candy canes as desired for decorating

Instructions

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) and line 3 (8-inch) cake pans with parchment paper. Pour aquafaba into bowl of stand mixer and beat until its begins to look light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Slowly drizzle in sugar while beating on high and continue until it forms stiff peaks (it should take about 5 more minutes).
  2. In separate large mixing bowl, stir together the lemon juice, applesauce, melted coconut oil, oil, and extracts. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and gently stir.
  3. Remove the mixer bowl from the mixer and use a large spatula to gently fold in the aquafaba into the other bowl of ingredients just until fairly combined. (It's actually better to leave some small lumps then to overmix and lose volume.) Then add the chocolate chips and fold in gently.
  4. Divide batter into the pans as evenly as possible. Bake for 30-40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden. Remove the cakes from oven and cool completely before frosting. (I prefer to cover them and place them in the freezer for at least an hour.)

Frosting:

  1. Beat butter in a large mixing bowl until creamed. Add vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add almond milk beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk as needed for frosting consistency. Stir in the peppermint pieces (*see note) until combined.

Assemble:

  1. Once cakes are cooled, use a sharp knife to loosen the sides and gently remove cakes from pans. Peel off the parchment and place one of the layers on your desired plate or tray.
  2. Spread a layer of the icing on top. Add another cake layer and again spread on a generous amount of frosting, then repeat once more and now spread frosting also on the sides of the cake until you have a smooth coat on the whole cake.
  3. Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil in a double boiler until smooth, then carefully pour it over the cake and spread just to the edges to allow it to drip down the sides a bit. Sprinkle the top with additional candy cane pieces and decorate as desired with candy canes or anything else you'd like.

Recipe Notes

If you'd prefer your icing to be smooth and creamy, feel free to skip the candy cane pieces and replace them with 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract

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It's best to store the cake in something such as a cake dome to prevent it drying out.