Peppermint Cake Balls: A Festive Addition to Your Holiday Platter
Peppermint cake balls are an eye-catching and delicious treat for the holidays. They look beautiful and taste even better—soft cake blended with creamy buttercream, coated in vegan white chocolate and rolled in crushed candy canes for a festive crunch.
Although they aren’t technically cookies, these cake balls fit perfectly on a holiday cookie tray and were included in the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies series for that reason.
12 Days of Christmas Cookies
Not a Candy Cane Fan? These Might Change Your Mind
I was hesitant to fully coat the cake balls in crushed candy canes, thinking only true candy cane lovers would appreciate them. I was wrong—these are delightful. They’re easy to make and even easier to enjoy. The peppermint flavor is bright and refreshing, and the crushed canes add a satisfying texture.
These peppermint cake balls add holiday pizzazz to any dessert spread. Use your favorite cake and buttercream combination—the recipe is flexible. My go-to is an American-style buttercream, and lately I’ve been using a no-shortening version that stays ultra-white, which works well for a clean, festive look.
Watch the full video tutorial for step-by-step guidance.
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Notes & Ingredients I Used
Helpful tools and ingredients I used for these cake balls:
- #100 scoop for uniform cake ball sizes
- Vegan white chocolate for dipping
- Candy and chocolate dipping fork for handling
- Vegan candy canes, crushed
The amount of buttercream can range from ½ to 1 cup depending on how creamy you want the mixture. I prefer a very creamy texture and typically use more buttercream—add a little at a time until you reach the consistency you like. Peppermint extracts vary in strength, so taste and adjust the peppermint oil or extract (1–2 teaspoons) as you go.
Peppermint Cake Balls
45 mins
45 mins
24
Ingredients
- ½ recipe of your favorite vanilla cake
- ½–1 cup of your favorite buttercream (adjust for desired creaminess)
- 1–2 teaspoons peppermint oil or extract (adjust to taste)
- 1½ cups crushed candy canes
- Approximately 12 ounces vegan white chocolate for coating
Instructions
- Bake the cake and prepare the buttercream ahead of time.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, crumble it into a large bowl. Add the buttercream, ½ cup crushed candy canes, and peppermint oil or extract.
- Mix until the mixture reaches your preferred consistency, adding more or less buttercream as needed.
- Scoop the mixture into balls onto parchment-lined sheet pans and roll them for a smooth shape. Wear gloves to avoid contaminating the cake balls.
- Chill the shaped balls while you melt the vegan white chocolate. Dip each ball to coat completely, then roll in the remaining crushed candy canes before the chocolate sets.
Notes
Let us know how it was!