Christmas Chaos Cake
Christmas Chaos Cake is a rich, moist chocolate layer cake covered with creamy chocolate frosting and loaded with colorful Christmas toppings. The fun of this cake is that it is not supposed to look perfectly decorated. Sprinkles, candies, marshmallows, cookies, chocolate, and crushed candy canes can all be piled on however you like.
The cake itself is deeply chocolatey, while the frosting adds creamy sweetness. Every bite can taste slightly different depending on the toppings you add.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee or hot water
For the Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
For the Christmas Chaos Toppings
Use as much or as little as you like:
- Red and green sprinkles
- Crushed candy canes
- Mini chocolate candies
- White chocolate chips
- Mini marshmallows
- Crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
- Chocolate curls
- Holiday chocolates
- Red and green candies
You do not need to use every topping. Choose your favorites and decorate the cake however you like.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Cake Pans
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. This will make it easier to remove the baked cakes from the pans.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix well and make sure there are no large lumps of cocoa powder.
Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients
Add the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
Mix until everything is well combined. The batter will be fairly thick at this point.
Step 4: Add the Hot Coffee or Water
Slowly pour in the hot coffee or hot water while mixing on low spee
