This has to be the easiest cake ever! It’s basically a super-moist vanilla cake with crushed candy cane mixed in topped with the perfect buttercream and a hint of mint. This was definitely one of the most popular cakes I’ve made for the holidays soooo maybe make two? If the texture of candy canes is what bothers you then go ahead and don’t use them in the buttercream. They melt in the cake during baking so there’s no sticky or crunchy bits to work about there.
how to Make a Candy Cane Sheet Cake
1. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Add parchment paper to a cake sheet. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, then mix in sugar. Add in vanilla and salt. Mix until creamy.
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour and baking powder together.
3. Add egg whites to stand mixer, then mix on medium until combined.
4. Whisk milk and sour cream together in a separate bowl.
5. Alternate adding milk mixture and dry mixture. Mix until batter is fully combined. Fold in 1/3 of the crushed candy cane. Do not over-mix.
6. Pour cake batter into sheet cake pan. Sprinkle ⅓ crushed candy cane into batter. Swirl with a spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes or until cake is springy in the middle. Let cool.
7. For the Frosting, cream the butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sifted sugar while mixing on low. Slowly pour in milk, peppermint extract and vanilla. Beat until combined and fluffy.
8. For the Assembly: Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the frosting on the cake. Smooth with an offset spatula.
9. Sprinkle the last ⅓ of crushed candy cane. and ENJOY!!!
pro tips for this recipe
- If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- If you American buttercream is too sweet for you try whipping up a batch of Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream!
- To get a perfect unblemished edge just use a sharp serrated knife to trim a 1/4 inch from each side.
If you’ve tried this sheet cake then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Candy Cane Sheet Cake
Fluffy peppermint sheet cake with crunchy candy cane topping!
Print Recipe
Servings 15
Calories 200kcal
Video
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 1 tablespoon vanilla 5mL
- ¼ teaspoon salt 1g
- ⅔ cup crushed candy cane ⅓ with the batter, ⅓ sprinkled on top and swirled
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk 300mL
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300g
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 255g, room temp
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 6 egg whites
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
For the Buttercream:
- 3 sticks unsalted butter 340g, room tem
- 1 lb confectioners sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla 5mL
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract 2mL
- ¼ cup milk 60mL
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Cake:
- Preheat to 350 degrees F. Add parchment paper to a cake sheet.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, then mix in sugar.
- Add in vanilla and salt. Mix until creamy.
- Whisk milk and sour cream together in a separate bowl.
- In another bowl, sift flour and baking powder together.
- Add egg whites to stand mixer, then mix on medium until combined.
- Alternate adding milk mixture and dry mixture. Mix until batter is fully combined.
- Fold in 1/3 of the crushed candy cane. Do not overmix.
- Pour cake batter into sheet cake pan.
- Sprinkle ⅓ crushed candy cane into batter. Swirl with a spatula.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until cake is springy in the middle.
- Let cool.
For the Frosting:
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter.
- Add the sifted sugar on low.
- Slowly pour in milk, peppermint extract and vanilla.
- Beat until combined and fluffy.
For the Assembly:
- Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the frosting on the cake.
- Smooth with an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle the last ⅓ of crushed candy cane.
Notes
- If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- If you American buttercream is too sweet for you try whipping up a batch of Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream!
- To get a perfect unblemished edge just use a sharp serrated knife to trim a 1/4 inch from each side.
Nutrition
Serving: 115g | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g
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Prepping to make this at Christmas time! Maybe I am missing it, but what size sheet cake pan does this recipe call for?
thanks!
9×13 🙂
Could this be divided to make individual cakes as a hostess gift?
Hey Gail,
Yes, you probably could! That is a cute idea. How small of a pan would you use?
Best,
John
Delicious!
I LOVED this cake! Although the cake is not made with cake flour, the cake was very light in texture. I thought there was just the right amount of peppermint flavor. I was worried it might be over-powering, but it was just right, IMO. I loved the fluffy buttercream. And it was a very pretty cake, too. I also love this cake, because it uses up a lot of my egg whites that I keep in the freezer. (A lot of recipes I make call for egg yolks, so I just put egg whites in Ziploc baggies, and put them in the freezer, and thaw them when I need just the whites.) My only complaint with this recipe is that I felt it needed more specific instructions. For example, in neither the recipe nor the video, there was no indication of what size of pan to use. After watching the video, I just guessed that it was a 9×13 pan that was used, so that’s what I did, and it turned out just fine. Also, after watching the video several times, I heard you say to add a “heaping 1/2 cup of sour cream.” In the recipe, it just says 1/2 cup. That’s why I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5. Other than hoping for more specifics in the recipe, it was a great recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
You mean baking powder with flour, not soda. Right? Says powder in ingredients list and soda in directions. ??♀️
Hope,
Use baking powder in this recipe!
John