Mrs. Claus's Peppermint Cream Torte

The construction on this Christmas cake is genius. Bake a chocolate cake roll, slice it lengthwise into six strips, coil them into a pinwheel on a serving plate, and frost. When sliced at the table, each wedge reveals a swirled cross-section that looks like an old-fashioned peppermint candy.

The peppermint cream is simple but smart. Reserved whipped cream stays plain for the outside, while the rest gets folded with crushed candy canes for the filling. The color contrast (white outside, pink-speckled inside) is the kind of thing Mrs. Claus would approve of.

Rolling the still-hot cake in a powdered sugar-dusted towel is the classic jelly roll move. That initial rolling while the crumb is warm and flexible trains the cake to hold the curl later when it’s filled and re-rolled. Let it cool flat and you’ll crack every strip.

Pro Tips

• Line the jelly roll pan with parchment, not wax paper if you can avoid it. Parchment releases cleaner and doesn’t tear in the middle of transferring the hot cake.
• Chill the mixing bowl and beaters for the whipping cream. Cold gear whips faster and holds peaks longer, which matters for a torte that sits refrigerated for hours.
• Crush the peppermint candies inside a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Keeps sticky candy dust off your counter and lets you control the coarseness.

Variations

• Swap peppermint for Andes mints, crushed Heath toffee, or white chocolate shards for different holiday tortes from the same template.
• Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract to the filling for a more intense mint flavor if your candies are mild.
• Drizzle dark chocolate ganache over the finished torte for a more bakery-style presentation.