Christmas Candycane Cake Recipe
By Peanut Palate
Ingredients
For the Cake Layers
2 Betty Crocker Funfetti Cake Mix Boxes Can substitute with any other flavor as well. Chocolate, Vanilla, or Golden Cake would all work great here.
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp flax meal or chia meal These are finely ground flax or chia seeds.
Cashew Milk Any other non-dairy milk could be used – not sure how taste would be with it.
Vegetable Oil I would only use canola or vegetable oil. Any other oil may impart a weird flavor.
For the Frosting
2 cups vegan butter Butter should be at room temperature, or melted a little bit to warm up.
6 cups powdered xylitol Xylitol is a healthier alternative to sugar. You can replace this with regular powdered sugar/icing sugar instead.
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup cashew milk Any other non-dairy milk can work, flavor will be different though.
A few drops red food coloring – only for the icing on the top You can omit this and keep the icing on the top white as well. This does NOT go in the entire icing batch – read instructions below to see when you will use it.
For the Outer Topping
1 pack candycanes I used a pack of medium sized candy canes that were green, red and white colored.
1 small pack Oreos I used one of the smaller Oreo packs rather than a full-sized pack. These were used inside the cake, as well as on the top.
1-2 tsp Christmas Sprinkles I used a Christmas Sprinkles mix of red, green and white sprinkles.
For the Chocolate Ganache
1-2 tsp refined coconut oil This is the coconut oil that is NOT virgin or extra-virgin – it shouldn't smell like a coconut. You can also use vegetable oil instead.
1 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips You can also use dark chocolate chips, but it will be more bitter.
Instructions
1To make the funfetti cake mixes, get a large bowl and add in the cake mix along with the ingredients on the back of the box. It usually calls for oil, milk, and eggs, but this is where the ingredients listed above under the cake section will be used instead. I have the generic substitutes listed in the cake ingredients above, so follow those guidelines for your specific cake mix.
2For the egg replacement (usually every cake box lists that you need to add egg on there), you can use 3 tablespoons flax or chia meal mixed with 1 tablespoon of water (as listed above). Combine them and let it sit for 15 minutes to make one "egg" and then you can add as many "chia/flax eggs" as you need to the cake mixes in replacement of real eggs.
3Add in the other ingredients to each cake mix, and stir it to incorporate. Then grease two 9" cake pans, and evenly separate the mixture into each. Follow the instructions for the oven temperature and time to bake it for on the back of the box. Once they are done baking, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool completely.
4Cut each of the cakes horizontally in half, so there are four layers of cake. The cakes should be completely cooled to do this, and you should use a very sharp knife.
5Add all the icing ingredients to a bowl, and use a hand mixer to mix them until stiff peaks form.
6Add more milk in a teaspoon at a time if it's needed for the consistency, but it should hold stiff peaks and be spreadable on a cake. Set aside when finished.
7Crush candycanes in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin to go over them. Or you could also quickly put them in a spice grinder, but it will make the inside of the grinder sticky. Set these aside when done.
8Melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of refined coconut oil to it, and keep stirring to make sure it doesn't burn. The consistency should be enough that once cooled, it is able to be "dripped" onto the cake to the create the effect in the picture. Depending on the fat content of the chocolate chips you buy, you may need more or less oil. I would start with 1 teaspoon and add more if needed. Once completely melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and let it cool completely. It will not work as a topping if it isn't completely cooled down! Add the chocolate to a squeeze bottle and put the bottle upside down so the chocolate comes to the tip and is able to be squeezed out. Set it aside.
9Take 1/2 cup of the buttercream frosting you made earlier, and add red food coloring to it. Alternatively, you could just keep it white as well. If making it red, then add the buttercream to a bowl and attach a mixing paddle on it. While the mixer is on, slowly add in red food coloring, a little bit at a time, until you get the desired color. The food coloring we used turned a little more red over time, but looked pink to begin with. Add that frosting to a piping bag, attach a star icing tip (or any other icing tip you prefer) and set aside.
10Take 4 Oreos and cut them in half. You will use these 8 halves on the top. Set aside.
11The first layer is one of the four cake layers. Put this on a cake tray, or whatever tray you will be keeping the entire cake on. It will be difficult to move once it is assembled.
12Carefully, using an offset frosting spatula, put frosting on top of this cake. Then crush some Oreos, and add a layer on crushed Oreos on top. I would use about 1/2 of an Oreo sleeve for this. (The Oreos should be crushed, not whole. Otherwise the second cake layer will not stick on top if it does not touch the icing underneath).
13Repeat the same as Layers 1 and 2
14Repeat the same as Layers 1 and 2
15Now put the last cake layer on top of the crushed Oreos.
16This last frosting layer will be the top of the cake. Make a "crumb coat" over the cake. This is a layer of icing all over the top and sides of the cake, completely covering it in white frosting. This crumb coat prevents crumbs from coming into the real icing layer.
17After the crumb coat, refrigerate the cake for an hour to let it set.
18Now to add the real frosting layer on top of the crumb coat. Using the offset frosting spatula, put frosting to cover the entire cake.
19Put crushed candycanes all along the outer bottom edge of the cake using your hands. You will have to press the candycanes into the frosting, as shown in the pictures of the cake above.
20Refrigerate the cake for a half hour to let it set.
21Using the chocolate topping in the squeeze bottle, cover the entire cake top in chocolate topping, and use a frosting spatula to spread it around. Then on the sides, "drip" the chocolate like it shows in the pictures above.
22Using the piping bag with a star icing tip and red frosting within it, pipe icing (as shown in the pictures above) into 8 circles around the cake. Top with half an Oreo slice each.
23Sprinkle some Christmas sprinkles into the middle of the cake.
24Refrigerate the cake for about an hour to let it set, then serve!
