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If you’re searching for just the right dessert to bake this holiday season, look no further than this decadent, boozy chocolate cake from Honest Cooking Magazine. The festive combination of chocolate and peppermint in Bright-Eyed Baker’s recipe is sure to get everyone in the holiday spirit — and it’s even gluten-free!

Boozy Chocolate Peppermint Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

• butter and cocoa powder, for pans
• 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, leveled
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp natural cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1⅓ cup milk
• 5/8 cup vegetable/canola oil
• 1/3 cup Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• 2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1⅓ cup chopped peppermint hershey kisses

Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting

• 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 4½ cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 lb 2 ounces ounces white chocolate wafers (or chopped white chocolate), melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

Garnish

• crushed candy cane bits
• peppermint or candy cane flavored Hershey’s Kisses

Instructions:

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9” cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds and dust sides with cocoa powder.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, oil, vodka, vinegar, and vanilla and mix just until evenly incorporated. Fold in chopped peppermint kisses.
3. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean and tops of cakes spring back when lightly touched in the center.
4. Let cakes cool to room temperature in pans, and then carefully turn each out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Peel off parchment and wrap cake entirely in plastic wrap until ready to frost. For best results, place cake in freezer for 30 minutes before frosting.

Peppermint White Chocolate Frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low and gradually add confectioner’s sugar until fully incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium-high again and beat until smooth and fluffy.
2. With mixer on low, slowly pour in melted white chocolate. Once all of it has been added, beat on medium-high until smooth (if any white chocolate hardens on sides of bowl, do not scrape it into the frosting). Add vodka and peppermint extract and continue to beat until light and creamy.
3. Assembly: Place one cake layer bottom-up on a cake board or plate. Spread a layer of frosting over cake and top with second cake layer, bottom side up. Apply a smooth layer of frosting over top and sides of cake.
4. Cup candy cane bits in palm of hand and gently press onto sides of cake to cover completely, allowing to extend over top perimeter of cake slightly. Use a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip (I used Ateco #846) to pipe 6 dollops of frosting around the top perimeter. Top each with a peppermint kiss. Garnish top of cake lightly with extra candy cane bits as desired.
5. Leftover cake can be covered with plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container and stored at room temperature.