These are moist chocolate peppermint cupcakes with marshmallow frosting and a sprinkle of crushed candy canes on top. Like a peppermint hot chocolate that you can eat!
Here’s my take on peppermint hot cocoa: it’s delicious but I think I prefer eating it over drinking it. Hence: peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes.
These start with a chocolate peppermint cake that’s ultra moist and also super easy to make. No mixer needed for the cupcakes–just two bowls and a whisk! They’re topped with a sweet marshmallow frosting and then sprinkled with crushed candy canes and chocolate sauce. Very similar to my dark chocolate peppermint cupcakes, with just more of a hot chocolate vibe.
If you’re looking for a great holiday dessert idea then give these cupcakes a try!
Ingredients for Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Ingredients for Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour: I recommend using a digital food scale to measure flour for accuracy.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: either Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder are fine. I personally prefer Dutch-process. You could also try using a dark cocoa powder like the Hershey’s special dark to make the cakes a little richer.
- Boiling water: use this to bloom the cocoa powder (more on that in a bit).
- Oil: any neutral oil such as vegetable or canola
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness.
- One egg, at room temperature: soak the egg in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes if it’s cold.
- Vanilla extract and peppermint extract
- Buttermilk: if you don’t have buttermilk you can substitute a mixture of Greek yogurt and milk (equal parts). Make sure to warm the buttermilk in the microwave to room temperature before baking.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Fine sea salt or kosher salt
- For decorating: some crushed candy canes and some chocolate sauce (like Torani)
Ingredients for Marshmallow Frosting
- Unsalted butter: soften it to room temperature
- Fine sea salt or kosher salt
- Powdered sugar
- Marshmallow Fluff
- Milk, of any kind
What Does It Mean to Bloom Cocoa Powder?
Blooming cocoa powder is why boiling water is part of this recipe. Essentially what we’re doing is mixing cocoa powder with hot liquid to release the flavors contained within the solids.
Have you ever had a chocolate cupcake where the chocolate flavor was there but not very rich? An easy fix for this is to bloom the cocoa powder. Yes, it requires dirtying another bowl, but you’ll get a more intense and rich chocolate flavor!
Tips and FAQ
Don’t over-mix the batter: make sure to fold the flour into the wet ingredients only until it is just combined. The final batter will be runny, so don’t be alarmed by that.
Make sure your leavening agents are fresh: Did you know that baking powder and baking soda lose their effectiveness over time? f your leavening agents are well over a year old, or you’ve noticed your bakes not coming out with quite as good a rise, it may be time to replace them.
Bake until just done: Start checking in on the cupcakes around 18 minutes, and then bake them until they are just set. You can test by gently tapping the tops, which will spring back once baked through. Or, do the ‘toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean’ test–it’s okay if there are a few crumbs but avoid wet batter.
Can I pre-make the cupcakes? Yes! You can pre-bake the cupcakes ahead of time and just frost them once you’re ready to serve. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Pin and Save for Later
Not ready to bake yet but want to come back to this recipe? No problem! Simply hover over any image in this post (or tap on mobile) to save this recipe to your favorite baking Pinterest board.
Happy baking and hope you enjoy your peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes!
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Moist chocolate peppermint cupcakes with marshmallow buttercream frosting and sprinkle of crushed candy canes.
Ingredients
Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
- ⅓ cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup boiling water
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (135g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Marshmallow Frosting
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup marshmallow fluff
- 1-2 tsp milk
- Optional: crushed candy canes and chocolate sauce for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 14 cupcake tins.
- In a small, heatproof bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and boiling water together until the cocoa is lump-free and dissolved. Set this aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil and sugar together until combined. Then whisk in the egg, peppermint, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Whisk in the buttermilk, followed by the cooled chocolate.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Whisk it into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake tins, filling to around ¾ full. This recipe makes approximately 14 cupcakes. Bake for 18-19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are okay). Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, start by beating the butter and salt together in a mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar, beating it in starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high. Add the marshmallow fluff, vanilla, and milk. Continue beating for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- dFrost the cupcakes with an offset spatula or your favorite piping tip. Note that the frosting is on the sweeter side to you don't need to add to much for a lovely cupcake.
Notes
For the chocolate sauce to top the cupcakes, try something like Torani, which can be found usually with other coffee syrups in the coffee aisle.
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