The Holiday's and peppermint are the perfect match, and this Peppermint Mocha Layer Mini Cake celebrates both! Tender and moist chocolate cakes are layered with creamy chocolate filling and topped with peppermint marshmallow meringue - for the most festive 6-inch cake!
Make ahead of time - The pudding needs time to chill and set up. I recommend making it the night before if possible.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk and cornstarch until thoroughly combined.
1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 tablespoons corn starch
In a medium saucepan, whisk to combine the milk, cream, and maple syrup. Heat over medium heat until bubbles start to form along the sides of the pan. Do not boil.
½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle about half the warmed milk mix into the egg mix. This tempers the egg so it does not scramble. Add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan. Still whisking constantly, cook the pudding over medium heat until it thickens and bubbles – about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chocolate chips, vanilla, and butter. Stir until the chocolate chips have melted and the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Optional – Strain the pudding through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. This will remove any lumps.
Cover the pudding with plastic wrap with the wrap directly touching the top of the pudding. This will keep a skin from forming on the top of the pudding. Refrigerate the pudding for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line the bottom of 2 6-inch round cake pans with a pieces of parchment cut to fit. Lightly grease the pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil. Add the sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup canola oil, ½ cup full fat sour cream, room temperature, 1 large egg, room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
Sprinkle half of the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, along with the hot coffee, and whisk just until no dry streaks remain.
½ cup medium brew coffee, very hot
Pour the batter equally into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 18 to 22 minutes - until the cake is springy when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Cool the cakes in the pans set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then, invert the cakes onto to the cooling rack and gently remove the parchment paper (if it stuck to the cakes). Cool the cakes completely before frosting and assembling.
Peppermint Meringue Frosting
When ready to assemble - make the frosting.
Simmer about 2-inches of water in a saucepan. In a heat-proof mixing bowl large enough to fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water, add the egg white, water, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar. Set the bowl on top of the saucepan.
1 large egg white, room temperature, 1 tablespoon water, room temperature, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon light corn syrup, ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
Using one of the whisk attachments, constantly whisk the mixture until foamy and white. We want the sugar to dissolve and the temperature of the mixture to reach 160F degrees. This may take up to 4 minutes. Tip - If you don't have a thermometer, you can test if the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a little of the egg white between your thumb and index finger – if done, you will not feel sugar granules.
Remove the bowl from the heat and add the vanilla and peppermint extract. Using a hand held mixer with whisk attachments, beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form, and the frosting is pillowy and glossy. This may take about 2 to 3 minutes.
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
The frosting is ready to be used immediately. If storing, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Longer than that, the frosting may start to loosen and separate. I do not recommend keeping the frosting at room temperature for longer than 4 hours.
Assemble the cake - Place one of the cakes on your cake platter. Optional - Pipe a small ring of frosting around the edge of the cake. This creates a dam so the pudding filling doesn't spill out the sides of the cake. Smooth the pudding filling on the top of the cake.
Set the second cake on top of the bottom cake. Either pipe, spoon, or use an offset spatula to frost the top of the cake with the meringue frosting. Sprinkle the top of the cake with crushed peppermint candies.
candy canes, crushed
Because of the frosting, if there are any leftovers, I recommend covering and refrigerating the cake.