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A huge, gorgeous chocolate layer cake with white chocolate peppermint frosting has been on my to-do list for quite awhile now, and I was planning to make it this week to post today…but as is my typical habit, I tried to cram too many things into one multi-tasking kitchen session so I was like, “I ain’t got TIME for a white chocolate peppermint layer cake!!” And I figured that some of you might not either, so I went waayyy easy and made cupcakes instead.
These are not difficult cupcakes. In fact, the chocolate cupcake part is based off of my One Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe (page 269 of my cookbook). It takes about 5 minutes to whip up. The peppermint frosting (which is a-maz-ing straight off a spoon, by the way) only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes (think: TWO) to whip up. If you don’t have sugar-free peppermints, just leave them out. There’s peppermint extract in there too, so you should be all right. Very quickly, you will have party-ready cupcakes.
They really taste shockingly normal. I was pleasantly surprised how well they turned out on the first try. That’s always handy.
The white chocolate peppermint layer cake will be coming someday. Maybe next Christmas. Hopefully I won’t be in the middle of releasing a cookbook next Christmas.
Can we talk about the frosting again? It’s amazing. Like, seriously amazing. You could use it on many different things, like a layer cake. Or a spoon.
OK, it’s Saturday and I have things to do, so I’m going to be quiet now and let you just look at pictures of cupcakes and drool over said cupcakes. You should go make said cupcakes.
Coming up Monday: a peppermint recipe roundup!
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for extra info. Check out the links in and below the recipe to see the products I use and recommend. Some of the links included in the recipe and blog post are affiliate links, which means that if you make purchases through these links, I make a small commission to help defray the costs of running this blog (at no extra charge to you). Thanks for your help!
You may also enjoy:
- Starting THM
- my recipe index
- my recipes grouped by fuel type, allergy info, and theme
- Christmas-themed recipes
- all my peppermint recipes
- 1⅓ c. Briana's Baking Mix
- ⅔ c. cocoa powder
- 2½ T. THM Super Sweet Blend
- 2½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. xanthan gum
- ½ tsp. salt
- -
- 1 c. + 2 T. water
- ¾ c. egg whites
- ½ c. olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened*
- 2 tsp. THM Super Sweet Blend
- ½ tsp. Watkins Peppermint Extract
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 sugar-free peppermints, crushed
- -
- ¾ c. heavy whipping cream
- For the cupcakes, whisk the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Divide the batter among 18 cupcake tin holes. (I like to use paper liners for less mess and no chance of sticking, but if you don't have any, grease the cupcake tins.) Bake at 350* for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Leave the cupcakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove them and let them cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat the first set of ingredients together until smooth. Add the cream and beat until thick. Frost the cooled cupcakes, then refrigerate the cupcakes to chill completely before serving.
The chocolate cupcakes without the frosting are dairy free if you use a dairy-free protein powder to make my baking mix.
If you don't have any of my baking mix on hand, you can try substituting THM Baking Blend. You'll probably need a few extra tablespoons since my mix is drier and soaks up more liquid.
Suggested products:
These turned out okay, but I did not care for the taste. They weren’t sweet at all, & the cake had a bitter taste. I subbed THM baking blend. Everything else was the same as called for in the recipe.
I’m sorry you didn’t care for them, Pam! Feel free to add more sweetener to my recipes; I often like things less sweet than most people. Tasting and adjusting the batter is the best way to ensure that they’ll be good to your taste buds.
If you could only use Stevia in the batter and frosting, how much do u out hinkle would.be best? Thanks!
Hi Rhonda! You can use this conversion chart to switch between sweeteners: http://www.trimhealthymama.com/main-home/sweetener-conversion-chart/
I always start with less than I think I’ll need, then taste and add more as necessary. 🙂
If you are already using whole eggs, why additional egg whites?
Extra protein/structure without the added fat of the whole eggs. 🙂
Do you think that these would freeze okay? I am hoping to make them for snacks, and I want to help them not all disappear the same day. Thanks!
I’ve never tried it, but I think it should be OK. The frosting would be the only iffy part, but I think it’s stable enough that it should hold up OK.
Hi! Can you tell me how to substitute your baking mix with THM’s baking blend? Thank you!
My mix is drier and soaks up more liquid, so you’ll need a little more of THM’s Baking Blend to substitute for it. 🙂 In a recipe like this, maybe a few tablespoons. I’d start with the same amount as my mix called for, then see how the batter looks and add more if needed. You can find more info at the baking mix post on my website here: https://www.briana-thomas.com/brianas-baking-mix/
I don’t have xantham gum…will they turn out ok?
I’m afraid I don’t know since I’ve never tried it, but you’re welcome to leave it out as an experiment. 🙂 I really like the texture that xanthan gum gives to baked goods. If you have glucomannan, you can substitute that in the same amount.
Received my cookbook today……it is lovely!!
Can hardly wait to sit down and go through it!
You did a great job !
Thank you!
I was wanting to make a dessert today and had all the ingredients for this so they are in the oven right now!
I still haven’t received my preordered cookbook. 🙁
All preorders have been shipped out as of Thursday, so you should be getting it any day!
I love anything peppermint, and can’t wait to try these cupcakes!
Can’t wait to make these. Think I’ll do mini muffins. Thank you for all the peppermint recipes ?