These double chocolate peppermint bark cupcakes have a moist chocolate cupcake base topped with fluffy peppermint white chocolate buttercream and homemade swirled peppermint bark! They're the perfect Christmas treat!
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What is Peppermint Bark?
Peppermint bark is a fun holiday treat made from chocolate and crushed candy canes! It's referred to as "bark" because when broken into pieces, it resembles the uneven, rough surface of tree bark.
These cupcakes have a chocolate cupcake base and peppermint white chocolate buttercream to mimic the flavors of peppermint bark. Then topped with a big piece of homemade peppermint bark!
Typically peppermint bark has two distinct layers of dark and white chocolate. But for my peppermint bark recipe, I like to swirl the layers together to make this beautiful marbled pattern!
You might also like these peppermint bark brownies or these hot chocolate cupcakes!
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients make these festive peppermint bark cupcakes!
Vegetable Oil - I use oil instead of butter in these chocolate cupcakes to help keep the cake super moist and delicious! You can also use canola oil or a neutral olive oil.
Cake Flour - I always use cake flour in my cupcakes because it makes them super soft and tender, but all purpose flour also works great!
Cocoa Powder - My absolute favorite cocoa powder to use in my baking is the King Arthur Flour Triple Cocoa Blend! It's a blend of natural, Dutch, and black cocoa and is perfect for any baking. But you can easily substitute unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa instead!
Peppermint Extract - You can find peppermint extract next to the vanilla at the grocery store or online! Just note that peppermint extract is very strong, so you only need a little bit for great peppermint flavor!
White Chocolate - For the white chocolate buttercream use white chocolate baking bars as opposed to chocolate chips!! Chips contain emulsifiers that help them keep their shape, which also means they won't melt as smoothly.
Candy Canes - You can use crushed candy canes or crushed peppermints to garnish the cupcakes. The easiest way to crush candy canes is to place them in a plastic bag and gently smash with a rolling pin.
Peppermint Bark - I love using my homemade swirled peppermint bark to top these cupcakes, but you can use your favorite store-bought peppermint bark or the Ghirardelli peppermint bark squares instead!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Peppermint Bark Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Then whisk in the sugar until fully combined.
Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
Let the chocolate cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Frost the chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream and then garnish with crushed candy canes and pieces of homemade peppermint bark!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Cupcake Decorating Tips
For chocolate cupcakes, I like to use these chocolate brown cupcake liners for a more seamless look!
Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!!
For these big beautiful white chocolate frosting swirls on these cupcakes, I use the 9FT tip from this decorating kit. The tips are much larger than standard sizes and so fun for decorating cupcakes!
Garnish the peppermint bark cupcakes with crushed candy canes and pieces of homemade peppermint bark!
Recipe FAQ's
These double chocolate peppermint bark cupcakes will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, they taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Nope! I love using my homemade swirled peppermint bark to top these cupcakes, but you can use your favorite store-bought peppermint bark or the Ghirardelli peppermint bark squares!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Christmas Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Peppermint Bark Cupcakes
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil, substitute canola oil or light olive oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
White Chocolate Buttercream
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2-4 tablespoons whole milk, as needed
Top With
- peppermint bark
- crushed candy canes
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Then whisk in the sugar until fully combined.
- Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
- Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
- Let the chocolate cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
White Chocolate Buttercream
- Melt the white chocolate and let cool almost to room temperature. It should be melted but cool to the touch. I prefer to melt the chocolate in the microwave in intervals of 20 seconds, stirring each time.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract together until smooth.
- Set the mixer to low speed and slowly drizzle in the melted white chocolate until it's fully incorporated into the buttercream. Then beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes or until the buttercream is super light and fluffy.
- If the frosting is too thick, add in 1-2 teaspoons of milk at a time to thin it out a bit.
- Frost the chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream and then garnish with crushed candy canes and pieces of homemade peppermint bark!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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