Peppermint Mocha Cake Roll is a moist chocolate mocha roll cake filled with whipped cream and topped with chocolate ganache and peppermint crunch!  

Peppermint mocha cake roll with slice facing upward

‘Tis the season to be jolly, especially when it involves chocolate and peppermint!  And coffee. 🙂  

This Peppermint Mocha Cake Roll happened because my oldest son turned 13….and this is the flavor combination he chose.  He’s a big chocaholic, which he may or may not have gotten from me?  

You know I love salted chocolate…see my Toffee Fudge and English Toffee if you need proof.  

My son loved both of those, too, so he’s definitely my boy. 🙂

Close up front view of peppermint mocha cake roll with slice

My son is very easy going, and he will give me the flavor of the cake he wants with free reign to do whatever I like with it.  I’ve been on a bit of a cake roll kick because they’re quicker and easier than a layer cake or cupcakes.

We all loved my angel food cake roll and pumpkin cake roll, so I was really excited to do a chocolate peppermint version.

This peppermint mocha roll cake will be chilling in the fridge in a little over an hour with cooling time included, and you won’t have cake coming out your ears for days afterward either.  

I feel like I’ve made myself a cake roll crusader this past year…this is the 3rd one I’ve made and posted since April.  Yes, they can be intimidating, but as I said, they’re so quick!  

This chocolate roll cake takes 15 minutes to put together once your ingredients are prepped, and 15 minutes to bake.  Unreal?  Seems like it should be, but it’s not.  I’ll just keep singing it’s praises and hope that you give this cake roll thing a try. 😉

This cake doesn’t require a dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa on the kitchen towel before you roll it up — it’s moist but it’s not sticky.  I’ve made this recipe twice and the cake was easy to roll both times with barely a crack to speak of.  

If you want step by step instructions for this cake, visit the post for my German chocolate cake roll.

I decided to go the simple whipped cream filling route because peppermint mocha coffee drinks are topped with whipped cream and I tried to make this cake authentic for you peppermint mocha fans.  

Plus, it’s ridiculously easy, and I’m all about that these days.  You could certainly add crushed peppermint to the whipped cream for a crunchy texture, or fill the cake with whatever type of frosting you like.

Side view of peppermint mocha cake roll

I love having a deep dark chocolate coating over my cake roll, and ganache is the easiest way I know to get that.  The crushed peppermint with that ganache was SO good that I may or may not have had a little bowl of it on the side.  😉

This cake is quick to put together, but you do need to chill it for a few hours to set up.  This particular cake roll was perfect after 4 hours or chilling time, and I’m willing to bet it would’ve been fine after 2 hours as well.  

You absolutely can’t go wrong with this Peppermint Mocha Cake Roll for the holidays.  It’s festive, and it’s so much easier than a buche de noel (which some day I will get around to doing)!  

Writing this post has me dreaming about all things chocolate peppermint, and my cake is gone.  What’s a girl to do?  Don’t be surprised if something else chocolate and peppermint comes your way again soon.  

‘Tis the season, after all. 🙂

More chocolate peppermint recipes you’ll love:

Homemade Marshmallows with Chocolate and Peppermint

Peppermint bark

Peppermint hot chocolate

Peppermint mocha brownies

Peppermint mocha cake roll with slice facing upward

Peppermint Mocha Cake Roll

Peppermint Mocha Cake Roll is a moist chocolate-espresso cake filled with whipped cream and topped with chocolate espresso ganache and crushed peppermint. It’s your favorite peppermint mocha drink in cake form!
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Ingredients

  • For the cake:
  • 1.5 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly, plus 1 tablespoon more for preparing the cake pan
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1.6 ounces (1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon) sifted all purpose flour
  • 1.2 ounces (3/8 cup) unsifted cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 4 large eggs room temperature*
  • 4.3 ounces (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache:

  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips I used Guittard
  • 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips I used Guittard
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • crushed candy canes or peppermint crunch for garnish

Instructions 

Prepare the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a large rimmed baking sheet with half of the 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Line the pan with parchment paper, cutting a diagonal line from each corner into the corners of the pan so the paper nestles in easily. Brush the parchment and sides with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
  • Melt the butter in a medium sized microwave safe bowl until melted, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Set aside.
  • Add the room temperature eggs, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk just to combine with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture at high speed until it triples in volume, about 5 minutes, or until you can draw a figure 8 by dipping the whisk attachment into the batter and it holds.
  • While the eggs and sugar are being whipped, combine the flour, cocoa, and espresso powder with a whisk until combined. Sift the mixture together three times. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg-sugar mixture, and gently fold it in using a rubber scraper. Repeat with the remaining 2/3 of the dry ingredients, being careful not to over-fold. Add about 1 cup of the batter to the butter-vanilla mixture and fold gently until combined. Add this to the remaining batter and fold in gently just until incorporated. Pour large dollops of the batter over the entire surface area of the prepared pan so it's easier to spread without over-working. Spread as evenly as possible with an offset spatula, and bake on the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack.
  • While the cake cools, lay a large lint-free towel on the counter. Holding the cake pan with the cake facing away from you, hold onto the sides with oven mitts or towels and invert the cake gently onto the towel. Gently roll the cake up in the towel while it's still warm, and cool on the wire rack for 30 minutes to 1 hour until completely cool.

Prepare the whipped cream:

  • Place the whipped cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium high speed until medium peaks form, being careful not to over beat.

Prepare the ganache:

  • Place the chocolate chips, espresso powder, and heavy cream in a heat proof bowl. Set aside.
  • Fill a large sauté pan halfway full of water and heat over medium heat until the water simmers. Turn the heat down to low, then place the bowl of chocolate chips and cream, stirring constantly with a rubber scraper until the chocolate melts and emulsifies with the cream. When the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Assemble the cake:

  • Once the cake has cooled, unroll the cake and trim the edges, if necessary, with a sharp knife. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the unrolled cake, leaving a border of 1" around the cake. Carefully roll the cake as tightly as possible, tucking it gently as you roll. Place on a serving plate with two pieces of waxed paper on either side, which will be removed after frosting with the ganache.
  • If the ganache has cooled too much, heat it in the microwave for about 20 seconds or until just pourable. Pour some of the ganache over the cake carefully — you won't need it all — and spread along the sides if necessary. Remove the waxed paper. Garnish the cake with crushed candy canes or peppermint crunch. Chill 2-4 hours or until set. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Total time above includes 4 hours of chilling time.
  • To bring your eggs to room temperature faster, submerge them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes.
  • While this cake was still delicious the next day, I thought it was best the day it was made. If you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge or cover with plastic wrap.
  • The peppermint candies will liquify slightly when left in the refrigerator.
  • Cake recipe adapted from Alice Medrich .
  • Whipped cream filling and chocolate ganache recipes by Flavor the Moments.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 402kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 149mg, Sodium: 87mg, Potassium: 226mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 914IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

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