Description

This Candy-filled M&M Drip Cake is a vibrant and delightful dessert perfect for celebrations. Featuring layers of moist vanilla cake studded with colorful M&M’s and mini chocolate chips, it’s stacked and frosted with creamy vanilla buttercream. A rich chocolate ganache drips enticingly over the sides, topped with extra M&M’s for a fun and festive look.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream

Add-ins

1 ½ cups M&M’s (plus extra for decorating)
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Ganache

¾ cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Frosting

3 cups vanilla buttercream frosting

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Instructions

Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease three 8-inch round cake pans thoroughly to prevent sticking.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to ensure even distribution of leavening agents.
Beat Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, which will help create a tender cake texture.
Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time into the butter mixture, blending well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla extract for flavor.
Combine Milk and Sour Cream: In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole milk and sour cream to create a smooth liquid mixture that will add moisture.
Add Dry and Wet Ingredients: Alternately add the dry flour mixture and the milk-sour cream mixture to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined to avoid overmixing.
Fold in M&M’s and Chocolate Chips: Gently fold in 1 ½ cups of M&M’s and the mini chocolate chips to evenly distribute them throughout the batter.
Fill Cake Pans and Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
Cool Cakes: Let the cakes cool completely on wire racks to room temperature before assembling to prevent melting frosting.
Level and Stack: If needed, level the tops of the cakes for even stacking. Place the first layer on your cake board and spread vanilla buttercream frosting over it.
Fill Center with M&M’s: Cut a hole in the center of the middle cake layer and fill it with the reserved extra M&M’s before placing it on the frosted bottom layer.
Top Layer and Frost: Place the top layer on the stack and frost the entire cake with the remaining vanilla buttercream smoothly.
Prepare Ganache: Heat the heavy cream until just simmering and pour over the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir until smooth and let cool slightly until ready to pour.
Drip Ganache: Pour the cooled chocolate ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip naturally down the sides for a beautiful effect.
Decorate: Garnish the top of the cake with additional M&M’s for a colorful and festive finish.

Notes

You can substitute the M&M’s with your favorite small candies or themed M&M’s based on holidays or preferences.
Chilling the cake before pouring the ganache helps achieve better control of the drips and prevents it from running too much.
Ensure cakes are completely cooled before stacking and frosting to avoid melting buttercream.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American