Vegan Marble Peppermint Cake

It's not exactly a white Christmas here in Minnesota right now, we had rain last weekend, it is above freezing and it is rather brown outside.  That is ok though.  It is better for driving, perfect for running and I am still feeling festive as ever!  We visited a Christmas market last weekend, made a gingerbread house and I made a festive cake!  This Vegan Marble Peppermint Cake! I love a good marble cake for celebrations and I thought it would be wonderful with peppermint for a festive twist!

This cake is pretty easy to make as far as cakes go.  For the cake batter, I used whole wheat pastry flour because that is my favorite but you could also use regular AP flour or even gluten free AP flour if you wanted it gluten free. I have had good results with Bob's Red Mill all purpose baking flour for cakes subbed 1:1.  This cake is basically my vanilla cake batter, with cacao powder whisked into half once the batter is made.  It has a good amount of vanilla and a touch of peppermint and it tastes amazing.  Yes I sampled the batter!  When I was little, it was my favorite part of baking a cake with my Grandma, getting to scrape the extra out of the bowl.

This smelled amazing while baking!  Holiday baking is one of my favorite things about this time of year!  Being all cozy in the kitchen, listening to Christmas music and the wonderful aromas!  This delicious cake deserved an equally delicious frosting!  So I went with a simple vanilla buttercream (which is my favorite vegan frosting as of lately) with a touch of peppermint added.  It was perfect! I also included crushed up candy cakes for a nice textural contrast and more peppermint flavor!

This cake turned out amazing! It was so heavenly with the layers of swirled chocolate and vanilla peppermint scented cake and rich creamy vanilla peppermint buttercream with the crunchy candy canes!  Even my Husband loved it!  I should add he doesn't like candy canes and isn't always a big cake eater but asked for seconds of this one!  If you are in the mood for something festive and yummy, definitely give this Vegan Marble Peppermint Cake a try!

Vegan Marble Peppermint Cake

Makes one 2 layer 6 inch cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder (1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp golden ground flax seed mixed with 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water, allowed to sit 15 minutes)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp avocado oil or other neutral oil
• 1/2 cup plant based milk (I used Oatly but you can use what you prefer)
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 2 Tbsp cacao powder

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups vegan butter, I used Earth Balance (at room temperature)
• 3-4 Tbsp plant based milk (I used Oatly, but you can use what you prefer), add 3 then if needed add another if frosting comes out too stiff
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• vegan food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees, and line 2 6 inch round cake pans with parchment on the bottom and oil the sides.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and sea salt and whisk to blend.
3. Add the flax eggs, avocado oil, oat milk, vanilla and peppermint and beat with an electric mixer for about a minute (or 3 minutes if doing it by hand with a whisk).
4. Divide between 2 bowls, whisk the cacao powder into one of them.
5. Spoon the cake batter by the heaping Tbsp into the prepared pans, alternating between chocolate and vanilla and dividing evenly between them. Swirl lightly with a knife.
6. Place the cakes in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes until the cakes are done in the center (you are able to insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out almost clean with a few moist crumbs).
7. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans by cutting around the sides, placing a plate on top then inverting it and tapping on it.  Allow them then to cool completely once they are out of the pans.
8. To make the frosting, beat the butter with the milk, vanilla and peppermint until fluffy.
9. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, and beat until completely mixed and light and fluffy (if the frosting is too stiff add that other Tbsp of milk).
10. When ready to frost, Place one cake layer on a plate, spread about 1/2 inch thick layer of the frosting over it.
11. Place the next cake layer on top.
12. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and down the sides of the cake evenly, then place the rest of the frosting in a pastry bag and use it to decorate the top.  This frosting recipe makes enough that you should be able to do some generous piping decorations on top, because I like a lot of frosting! If you wish to tint the frosting colors as I did, feel free to.
13. Serve the cake and enjoy!