Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake – With a moist, peppermint and coffee infused chocolate cake, to die for peppermint frosting and crushed candy canes! The perfect cake for Christmas.
This Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake tastes like a peppermint mocha in cake form! If you’ve made my Best Vegan Chocolate Cake, you will be happy to hear this cake is very similar.
Instead of adding hot water, I subbed hot coffee plus a little peppermint extract. The incredibly delicious frosting is a version of my Vegan Vanilla Frosting recipe, with peppermint extract added.
Sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top and you are ready to celebrate!
Want more vegan cake recipes?
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake
Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cake - With a moist, peppermint and coffee infused chocolate cake, to die for peppermint frosting and crushed candy canes! The perfect cake for Christmas.
Ingredients
The Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
Peppermint Frosting
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons almond or soy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/4-1/2 cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8-inch cake pans. I also line them with parchment rounds for easy removal of the cakes later.
- Measure 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and add the tablespoon of vinegar to it. Stir slightly and set aside to curdle.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Now add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, peppermint and almond milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer until well combined.
- Lower the speed and carefully pour in the hot coffee, continuing to mix into the cake batter until combined. The batter will seem very runny at this point; that is how it should be, trust me!
- Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting & Decorating
- In a large bowl, beat the vegan butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until all the powdered sugar is mixed in.
- With the mixer on low-medium speed, add the non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla and peppermint as well, and increase the speed to high. Beat for about 30 seconds, until light and fluffy.
- If the frosting seems too thick, you can add more non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thin and runny, simply add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Frost the cake and decorate with crushed candy canes as desired. I like to put a sprinkle of crushed candy canes in the middle layer of the cake as well. Enjoy!
Notes
- I recommend using dark cocoa powder, such as Hershey's Special Dark if you can, it makes the cake darker and so pretty. But regular cocoa powder will work as well, your cake will just be lighter in color.
- I used Earth Balance brand of vegan butter. I prefer the sticks, but the tub will work. You could also use another brand such as Melt, Miyokos or even vegetable shortening if you can't find vegan butter.
- I found crushed candy canes in the bulk section at my local store, but you can crush them yourself using a ziplock bag and something heavy, like a cup. Just pound away until you have little candy cane pieces.
Nutrition
Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 365mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 539IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
I’m not a vegan but my brother and sister in law are. I ran across your website a couple years ago and now have made 3 vegan cakes from this site(chocolate, strawberry and peppermint mocha). I don’t think I will make any other cakes unless they come from your website. Vegan cakes taste so much better!
Hi Carrie. I am so thrilled that you are loving my cake recipes! Thank you very much for taking time to share your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cake baking!
Can this cake be made with gluten free flour?
Thank you!
Yes, you can use a quality gluten-free all purpose flour.
I made this great cake for Christmas! The icing and cake went perfectly together.
Hi Madeline. I’m thrilled that the cake turned out perfect for you! Thank you for sharing your glowing review!
I love this cake, and I make it every year for my holiday party; however, the popularity has grown, so how do I alter it for a sheet pan?
Hi Kayleigh. I’m thrilled that you and everyone else are loving the cake! To bake the cake in a sheet pan, pour into an 11×17 inch sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until done in the middle. Thank you for sharing your steller review! Happy baking!
I put the cake in 9” pans and they caved in the middle; used all brand new ingredients and I measure everything with a scale. The texture of the cake was a miss. Followed the frosting recipe and it turned out weirdly grainy and tasted a bit like toothpaste. I mean, not sure if the toothpaste aspect was the recipe’s fault or mine for not thinking about this frosting’s flavor profile. Anyway, will not be making the cake again. Thank you for your recipes overall though!
Sorry something went wrong here, that’s certainly not how the cake should come out at all. I make it at least once every holiday season and it turns out just like my Vegan Chocolate Cake but with a peppermint twist! I wonder if something was off with your scale measurements perhaps. I also wonder what sort of vegan butter you used for the frosting, and if you made sure it was a bit softened but nowhere near melted. Perhaps you aren’t a fan of minty desserts? Peppermint extract adds just a bit of mint flavor but I don’t think it tastes like toothpaste.
What cocoa powder do you use to bake these?
I don’t use a specific brand. I just use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, but I’ve used Dutch cocoa and it works fine too.
I also want the cake to be very dark like this. But is dark cocoa different? Having trouble with that. Maybe the coffee makes it dark?
Yes, dark cocoa is different than regular unsweetened natural cocoa. It’s also called dutch processed cocoa. You don’t have to use it, but it will make your cake darker like the photos.
Excellent! I left out the coffee because my son doesn’t care for it. It is very delicious and light! So good!
Hi Eva. I’m so glad that you loved the cake! Thank you for sharing your great review and feedback!
HI! Could I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF for this cake?
You can try it, it will work okay. The cake will be a bit different in terms of texture and might be a little dense. But many have reported success with gluten free flour. I do prefer King Arthur’s Measure for Measure personally.
Hello Nora
Can I substitute Canola Oil for Coconut Oil? I don’t use Canola.
Also, can I use decaf coffee and cashew milk instead of almond?
Thank you! Excited to make this for Christmas.
Lynn
Yes, you can use another oil like melted coconut oil or even avocado oil. And you can use decaf coffee and cashew milk. Hope you enjoy the cake, thank you!
Thank you for the reply. I was going to ask the same question about canola oil
I made this cake 3 times last year and it is such a hit🤩 Curious if recipe could be made into cupcakes and what changes would need to be made? Thanks so much for sharing such incredible recipes!
Thanks Sarah! You can make cupcakes out of this recipe – simple fill cupcake liners half full about bake for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!!
Incredible!!
Hi, Could I subsitute the applesauce with vegan non-dairy yoghurt? Thanks, this looks amazing!
Yes, vegan yogurt works quite well in place of applesauce. Enjoy!
I have made and enjoyed so many of your recipes and am so excited to try this one as I absolutely love this flavor combination! I was just wondering if there would be a substitute for the canola oil (a non oil substitute). It’s not a non negotiable but thought I would ask. Thank you!
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my recipes, thank you! I would try substituting the oil in the cake for a plant based yogurt (plain flavor) or even more applesauce. It will be different in terms of flavor and texture, but it should work quite well. Of course, the frosting is made with oil (vegan butter) so you’ll probably want to leave that out I suppose. You could try the Cashew Vanilla Frosting here if you want. Maybe adding a little peppermint extract to the frosting. Anyhow, hope you enjoy it!
Hello,
Love you girl! I eat so MUCH of your stuff!
I wanted to know if this cake can be made in a different cake pan, like a bundt or sheet cake?
Thank you!
Hi Danette. Thank for the love! You’ve brought a big smile to my face! I’m so glad you are loving my recipes! Yes, this cake can be made both as a bundt cake, and a sheet cake. Bundt: Put the cake batter in a greased bundt cake (standard size, 10-12 cups) and bake for 40-45 minutes. Sheet Cake: Use greased 11×17 pan, bake for 20-25 minutes or until done in the middle. Happy baking, and enjoy!
This turned out PERFECTLY. I used a little packet of instant decaf for the coffee. I’m not the most accomplished baker, but this was easy and one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten.
Hi Pamela. I am THRILLED your cake turned out perfect for you! It is such a fun and festive cake! Thanks for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Happy baking to you!
Perhaps the best cake I’ve ever had. 10/10 you should make this.
I made this for Christmas Eve and everyone loved it! The recipe was easy to follow and everything came out perfectly. I was told I have to make this every year now! 😅
I made this cake for a holiday dinner and it got devoured. Not a crumb left. Wow! What a delicious cake! I’ve baked so many of your cakes and they’ve all been awesome. I really trust your recipes. Thanks so much!
Hi Nora. I make a lot of your recipes because they are simply delicious and easy.
But to tell you the truth I am a very sensitive person and when I see all that food to indulge in to the point of bursting I remember all those families with nothing, just nothing to have at Christmas or for any other, my stomach closes up and end up having a simple meal of a pasta and a drink.
Happy Christmas and God bless you all.
May the good Lord have mercy on us all.
JOE.
this cake was super moist and amazing! i crushed up the candy canes and mixed them into the icing which made a nice pink color but i would be sure to crush them very very small so that there are no big chunks because sometimes it was a little hard to bite through. super cute!
Hi Riley. I’m so glad you loved the cake! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback! I love this cake as well – it’s so fun for the holidays! Wishing you happy cooking!
Would this come out okay if I replaced the flour with gluten free flour? Fingers crossed! 🤞
Hi Alayna. I have not tested this gluten free, however, the recipe should work well with a quality gluten free flour. I like Bob’s 1:1 gluten free flour, and have received comments that it has worked well for them. I hope you enjoy the cake!
This recipe is so good and everyone raves about it! I made them into cupcakes and they were delicious!
Hi Sarah. Cupcakes are a great idea for this cake! I’m glad they were a hit! Thanks for sharing your stellar review! Happy holiday cooking!
I made this today, and it is heaven on a plate. Nora, I do not know how you do it, but sure am glad you do! As far as substitutions, I used avocado oil and oat milk. Both worked just fine. My family is not a fan of frosting, so I made it in a 9×13 plan and only used half of the frosting. Regardless, absolutely fantastic.
Hi Mary. Your fabulous 5 star review and feedback are so encouraging! Feedback like yours validates the time I spend creating recipes. I appreciate you and the time you took to share! I am so glad you loved the cake, and wish you lots of happy cooking!
Could I sub the apple sauce with mashed banana?
I have never tried this, however, I have received comments that subbing a mashed banana worked successfully! Let me know how it works if you try it! Happy baking!
What is the adjustment for high altitude?
Hi Judy. I don’t have experience with high altitude baking. I bet you can find great recommendations for high altitude baking adjustments through a google search. Enjoy!