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These Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes are filled and dipped in chocolate ganache, topped with peppermint cream cheese frosting and have a sprinkle of candy cane on top.
Peppermint chocolate cupcakes are the perfect holiday dessert. The chocolate cupcakes are rich and moist, they are filled with peppermint chocolate ganache that turns the cupcake into a chocolatey piece of heaven. They are frosted with a rich and delicious peppermint cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with crushed peppermint.
The cupcake starts with a boxed mixed that you dress up with a few easy additions, making the cake easy to make soft, and delicious. The ganache and frosting take the flavor of these cupcakes over the top, but they are actually easy to put together.
Ingredients Needed
- Devils Food Cake Mix
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Butter
- Milk
- Buttermilk
- Sour Cream
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Vanilla Extract
- Peppermint Extract
How to Make Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
- Combine eggs, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix.
- Add cake mix and sour cream and fold to combine.
- Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full
- Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
- Sift powdered sugar into a bowl
- Melt butter in a small pan and add cocoa and buttermilk. Bring to a boil
- Pour mixture over powdered sugar, add peppermint extract, and stir until smooth.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven.
- Poke a whole in the middle of the warm cupcake with a wooden spoon and fill the whole with ganache.
- Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache.
- Allow cupcakes and ganache to cool before frosting.
- Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy
- Add powdered sugar gradually and continue to mix until you have a good frosting consistency.
- Add peppermint extract and beat to combine.
- Pipe frosting onto cupcake.
- Top with crushed candy canes.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Use a scoop to fill muffin tins to insure that the cupcakes are the same size and bake evenly.
- If your ganache is a little thin, add a bit more sugar or let it sit for a few minutes and it will thicken as it sits.
- To prevent the ganache from running off the sides of the cupcake, just dip the middle of the cupcake into the ganache.
- Be sure to allow your cream cheese to sit at room temperature to soften up before making frosting.
- I like to use a decorating bag and a large star tip to pipe frosting onto the cupcake. This makes the frosting easy and looks great!
Check out more of my favorite peppermint flavored treats:
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Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 box devil’s food cake mix
- 1 cup sour cream
Peppermint Ganache:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 6 Tbsp buttermilk or 5 ½ T milk, ½ T lemon juice
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
Peppermint Buttercream:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- ½- 1 tsp peppermint extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix the eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla together
- Add in cake cake mix and sour cream until well blended
- Fill cupcake liner ¾ full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
- While cupcakes are baking, make the peppermint ganache
- In a bowl, sift 3 cups powdered sugar
- In a small pan, melt butter and add cocoa and buttermilk and bring to a boil
- Pour mixture over powdered sugar and, add peppermint extract and stir until smooth
- Dip the tops of the warm cupcakes into the warm ganache and let cool before frosting
- You can also poke a hole in the middle of the cupcake with a wooden spoon and fill the whole with ganache
Frosting:
- Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy
- Gradually add powdered sugar
- Add extra sugar if needed for right consistency
- Add peppermint extract and beat again
- Pipe frosting onto cupcake and then top with candy cane kisses, crushed candy cane or even mint M & M’s
Nutrition Facts:
J says
Cake was really good. The ganache was yummy on it’s own, and the buttercream was good and piped really well. At first they looked great but an hour in to our party the buttercream was sliding off the ganache. I would make again but will tweak how I execute the components.
Vicki Hodgman says
Ummmm. Hummm!
Wendy Webster says
I think I just figured out what I’m bringing for Christmas dessert! 🙂 YUM!!
Kelly says
I agree wholeheartedly – chocolate and peppermint is a near perfect combo!! Sounds like Clark picked a good girl:)
Lisa says
I’d like to make these, but I was wondering what size tip you used to do the frosting?