Rich Chocolate Sheet Cake frosted in Striped Peppermint Buttercream and festive holiday sprinkles. My Chocolate Peppermint Sheet Cake is perfect for your holiday baking this year! Plus, it feeds a crowd without having to stack cake layers – it’s all in one 9×13 sheet pan. Let’s dive in!

10 Sheet Cakes for Christmas Series

We’re back again with another fun sheet cake recipe leading up to Christmas. Welcome to cake #4 out of 10! We still have 6 more delicious cakes to share with you. So far we have my now-viral Eggnog Tres Leches Cake with Nutmeg Whipped Cream, Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Sheet Cake, and ever-popular Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake. With 7 more still on the way, you’re sure to find a sheet cake that will fit your comfort level, as well as taste absolutely mouthwatering for your guests this holiday season. There’s so much already on your plate – lets dive right into my newest creation: Chocolate Peppermint Sheet Cake!

How to make the chocolate peppermint sheet cake:

My chocolate peppermint sheet cake simply can’t be beat! Bakers from all around the globe use it in the bakeries and home-bakes for the perfectly tasty results this recipe gives them every time. It starts with a box mix, and then we add a bunch of ingredients to it for the best taste and texture. Let’s dive right in!

Here’s what you’ll need (the quantities are with the recipe at the bottom of this post!):

  • Buttermilk, room temperature
  • Sour Cream, room temperature
  • Eggs, room temperature
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Vanilla
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Peppermint Extract
  • Chocolate Cake Mix – I use Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge every time

That’s it! Whisk everything in a bowl together, sift in the cake mix, then bake! Let it cool in the pan, then we’ll add on all those festive peppermint decorations.

Where to find peppermint extract:

I typically find my peppermint extract at the grocery store next to the other extracts. I use McCormick, but sometime Watkins has some available. Remember, mint isn’t the same as peppermint. There’s a slight sweetness to peppermint. And as always, a little goes a LONG way, so go easy on the peppermint. We don’t want the cake or buttermilk to taste like toothpaste!

How to make easy peppermint buttercream:

Peppermint buttercream is a perfect compliment to our chocolate peppermint sheet cake. I started with my vanilla buttercream recipe, and then added a touch of peppermint to it. If you’d like to take the flavor even further, you can add in the white chocolate ganache right into the buttercream. As for our buttercream with this cake, here’s what you’ll need (and remember – the quantities are with the recipe at the bottom of this post):

  • Unsalted Butter
  • Salt
  • Vanilla
  • Peppermint Extract
  • Heavy Cream
  • Powdered Sugar

Whip the butter up in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until it’s light and fluffy, then add in the salt, vanilla, extract, and heavy cream. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, then whip up on high speed – add in a little more heavy cream if needed.

How to make stripes on a sheet cake:

You’ll need to make sure that you’re baking your cake in a sheet pan (9×13 pan in our case) that can easily fit the stripe cake scraper. If the scraper doesn’t fit flat across the top of the cake, you won’t be able to pull the buttercream flat with the scraper along the top.

The one I used is here: AMAZON affiliate link.

Step 1- Tint half the buttercream a deep red color. I used “very red” and the more you let it sit, the more intense the shade of red will be.

Step 2- Spread on the white buttercream in a flat layer across the top of the baked sheet cake. Use the stripe cake scraper to make clean indents along the top of the cake. For the best stripes, this step will need to be perfect!

Step 3- Freeze the cake for 5 minutes. Not too long, and not too short.

Step 4 – Pipe the red buttercream into the stripe indents, then use a flat cake scraper to smooth out the stripes. It will look like chaos, then it will slowly start to look better. Be patient and don’t press too hard.

Step 5 – that’s it! Pipe on the braid border with a large french tip, then add on the festive sprinkles.

What sheet pan should I use?

You can use any 9×13! The one I used is here.

Where did you get those sprinkles?

They’re from Neon Yolk, and I love them! They’re called Candy Cane Crush and fit perfectly!

Here’s a video of the process:

I hope you enjoy my newest sheet cake here for my 10 SHEET CAKES FOR CHRISTMAS series! It’s been so fun so far, and there’s many more to come. If you make my cake or a creation inspired by it, I’d love to see it. Make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on all the fun.

Happy Baking!

xo, Mandy

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Sheet Cake

Rich Peppermint Sheet Cake with Festive Peppermint Striped Buttercream and holiday peppermint sprinkles.
Servings: 12 Servings
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Ingredients
 

Peppermint Chocolate Sheet Cake

  • 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sour cream , room temperature
  • 3 whole large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, you can add more if you'd like for a stronger peppermint flavor
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 Box (13-15oz) Chocolate Cake Mix, I used Duncan Hines

Peppermint Buttercream

  • 3 sticks (or 1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, left out at room temperature for 15 minutes
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 7-8 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 drops red gel food coloring if doing the stripes

Extras

  • 1 cup Christmas Sprinkles

Equipment

  • 9×13 Sheet Cake
  • stripe cake scraper
  • Cake Scraper
  • French Tip
  • Peppermint Holiday Sprinkles

Instructions
 

Chocolate Peppermint Sheet Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prep a 9×13 sheet cake with nonstick spray, cake goop, or shortening. Set aside. *remember to use a sheet cake that can fit your stripe cake scraper if doing stripes.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the cake mix. Sift in the cake mix and gently stir to combine. Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-27 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Peppermint Buttercream

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add in the salt, vanilla, peppermint and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Whip up to combine. Add in the powdered sugar and whip up again on high speed for a fluffier texture. Add in the rest of the heavy cream if needed to thin and whip up again.
    If not doing stripes, spread on the peppermint buttercream and then sprinkle on the festive sprinkles.

Peppermint Buttercream Stripes

  • If you're doing the stripes: Spread on a layer of the white peppermint buttercream, then use the stripe cake scraper to create clean indents into the top of the cake. Freeze for 5 minutes.
  • Tint the remaining buttercream red with a 2-3 drops of gel coloring, then pipe in the stripe indents the colored buttercream. Use a flat cake scraper to gently pull the red into the indents and create stripes. Keep scraping! The stripes will slowly appear.
  • With the remaining red buttercream, using a large french piping tip, pipe a braid border on both ends, and then a couple lines down the middle.
  • Add on the festive peppermint sprinkles, and enjoy!
Author: Mandy Merriman – Baking with Blondie