Red velvet peppermint cake recipe

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Give your favourite peppermint red velvet cake a festive update with crushed candy canes and some cute Christmas decorations

One of our favourite Christmas cake ideas and designs with royal icing, fondant snowmen and candy canes
Makes1
SkillEasy
Preparation Time10 mins
Cooking Time25 mins
Total Time35 mins
Rosie Hopegood's avatar
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published
in Recipes

Give your favourite red velvet cake a festive update by topping it with cool peppermint icing, crushed candy canes, and some cute Christmas decorations. American holidays are filled with all things candy cane, while red velvet cake is a stateside classic.

This peppermint red velvet cake uses some clever time-saving cheats. Ready-made frosting is flavoured with peppermint essence, while the sponge base is a box cake mix enriched with fresh buttermilk. Apple cider vinegar might seem like a surprising ingredient, but it’s traditionally used in red velvet cake to counteract the sweetness of the sponge. For a classic cake, we love Mary Berry’s Christmas cake recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25oz) white cake mix
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 (9oz) yellow cake mix
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 1 x tub Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting (or use vanilla and add a few drops of peppermint essence)

To decorate:

  • Green plastic Christmas trees or similar cake decorations
  • 6 (5-inch) red and white peppermint candy canes, crushed
  • 12 (5-inch) green candy canes, broken
  • 12 round peppermint candies

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. Beat the first four ingredients according to cake mix package directions.
  2. Beat yellow cake mix and next six ingredients according to package directions. Spoon red batter alternately with white batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Swirl batter gently with a knife.
  3. Bake at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for ten minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.
  4. Spread Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with the crushed candies, if desired. Serve within two hours.

Top tips for making red velvet peppermint cake

To convert these US measurements into UK ones, use our cups to grams converter. Top with sugarpaste snowman to complete the festive look.

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Mary Berry’s fruit cake

Red velvet Christmas cake

Easy Christmas cake recipe

Rosie Hopegood
Rosie Hopegood
Freelance Contributor (US)

Rosie Hopegood is a journalist, editor, and writer with many years of experience writing about lifestyle, including parenting, for a broad range of magazines and newspapers. Now based in Brooklyn, New York, Rosie has written for Daily Telegraph, Al Jazeera, The Observer, The Guardian, The Independent, Vice, Telegraph Magazine, Fabulous Magazine, Stella Magazine, Notebook Magazine, Saga Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, S Magazine, and Stella Magazine. She spent five years on staff at the Mirror, where she was Deputy Features Editor on the magazines team.