Description
Christmas crunch cake delivers festive delight through layers of rich chocolate and peppermint. Crunchy candy cane pieces and silky ganache create a memorable holiday dessert you’ll crave all season long.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups (310 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (90 g) rice cereal
- ½ cup (85 g) white chocolate chips
- ½ cup (100 g) holiday sprinkles
- ½ cup (85 g) crushed candy canes or peppermint candies
- ¼ cup (50 g) crushed pretzels
- ¼ cup (50 g) melted butter
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsps milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Dry Ingredient Preparation: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined and aerated.
- Butter Mixture Creation: Cream butter and sugar in a spacious mixing bowl until light and fluffy, developing a soft, pillowy texture.
- Egg and Flavor Integration: Add eggs one at a time, blending completely after each addition, then incorporate vanilla extract to enhance the overall flavor profile.
- Batter Formation: Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet mixture, gently folding to create a smooth, well-integrated batter without overmixing.
- Festive Incorporation: Fold crushed candy canes throughout the batter, ensuring even distribution for consistent holiday crunch in every bite.
- Baking Preparation: Grease and flour a 9×13-inch cake pan, pour the batter, and smooth the surface to promote uniform baking.
- Oven Transformation: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 minutes, verifying doneness by inserting a toothpick that comes out clean from the center.
- Cooling and Topping Preparation: Allow cake to cool completely while simultaneously creating a crunchy topping by mixing rice cereal, holiday sprinkles, crushed pretzels, and white chocolate chips.
- Caramel Binding: Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan until achieving a glossy, bubbly caramel sauce, then pour over the cereal mixture and gently toss to coat thoroughly.
- Final Assembly: Spread the crunchy caramel-coated topping evenly across the cooled cake, then optionally drizzle with a silky glaze made from powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Serving Suggestion: Cut into generous portions and pair with warm beverages like hot cocoa or freshly brewed coffee for the ultimate holiday indulgence.
Notes
- Manage Ingredient Texture: Crush candy canes or peppermint candies into fine, consistent pieces to prevent large chunks disrupting cake’s smooth texture.
- Prevent Overmixing: Blend cake batter gently and minimally to maintain light, airy consistency and avoid developing tough, dense cake structure.
- Control Caramel Binding: Heat butter and brown sugar carefully, stirring constantly to prevent burning and achieve glossy, smooth caramel sauce without crystallization.
- Temperature Precision: Cool cake completely before adding crunchy topping to ensure crisp texture and prevent soggy or melting ingredients.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 455
- Sugar: 37 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg