Description
This Candy Cane Sheet Cake is a festive and delicious dessert perfect for the holidays. It features a moist vanilla cake infused with crushed candy canes, topped with a creamy peppermint buttercream frosting and more crushed candy cane swirls for a delightful minty crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (5 mL)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (1 g)
- ⅔ cup crushed candy cane (⅓ mixed with batter, ⅓ sprinkled on top and swirled)
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk (300 mL)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300 g)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (255 g)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 6 egg whites
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
For the Buttercream:
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (340 g)
- 1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (5 mL)
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract (2 mL)
- ¼ cup milk (60 mL)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet cake pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue mixing until creamy and fluffy.
- Add Vanilla and Salt: Mix in vanilla extract and salt until well combined.
- Mix Milk and Sour Cream: In a separate bowl, whisk together whole milk and sour cream until smooth.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In another bowl, sift together all-purpose flour and baking powder to ensure even mixing and to aerate.
- Add Egg Whites: Add the 6 egg whites to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed until incorporated evenly into the batter.
- Alternate Adding Wet and Dry Ingredients: Alternate adding portions of the milk and sour cream mixture and the dry flour mixture to the batter, mixing just until combined each time to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in Crushed Candy Cane: Gently fold in one third of the crushed candy cane into the batter carefully, ensuring it is distributed without overmixing.
- Pour Batter and Swirl Candy Cane: Pour the batter into the prepared sheet cake pan. Sprinkle another one third of the crushed candy cane evenly over the batter and swirl it gently with a spatula to create a marbled effect.
- Bake the Cake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the Cake: Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan.
- Prepare Buttercream Frosting: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter until smooth. Gradually add sifted confectioners sugar on low speed to avoid powder clouds.
- Add Flavorings and Milk: Slowly pour in the milk, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract while continuing to beat until the frosting is combined and fluffy.
- Frost the Cake: Use an ice cream scoop to distribute the buttercream evenly over the cooled cake. Smooth the frosting with an offset spatula for a clean finish.
- Garnish with Remaining Candy Cane: Sprinkle the last one third of the crushed candy cane on top of the frosting for a festive decoration and added crunch.
Notes
- If you notice little clumps of butter after mixing the wet ingredients, don’t worry; it will smooth out once the dry ingredients are mixed in. Using melted butter and warming the milk and sour cream slightly can aid smooth mixing.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for sour cream if desired; the flavor difference is minimal.
- If American buttercream is too sweet for your taste, try making Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream for a lighter frosting.
- For a perfectly clean edge when cutting the cake, use a sharp serrated knife to trim about ¼ inch from each side.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
