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M&M’s cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate ganache recipe

June 19, 2015 by Roxana 18 Comments

Love M&M’S? You’re gonna love this M&M’S cake! Incredible simple to make, loaded with candy and topped with a smooth ganache and more candies! It’s a M&M’s paradise cake!
Love M&M'S? You're gonna love this M&M'S cake! Incredible simple to make, loaded with candy and topped with a smooth ganache and more candies! It's a M&M's paradise cake!

According to both my daughter and my husband sprinkles and M&M’S should make the world go round. Every time I ask what cake should I make they both reply: a colorful one!

Since I’ve already made a sprinkle cake for her birthday, it was time to take care of my husband’s request. A cake loaded, LOADED with M&M’S!!!

This incredible simple white cake is packed with M&M’S minis milk chocolate baking bits both in the batter and the frosting. And if that wasn’t enough, I finished it with more M&M’S candy. Of course you can skip the M&M’S on top but why would you? Don’t you like how colorful the cake looks like? It puts a smile on everyone’s face. You should have seen how my husband’s eyes lit up when he noticed the cake in the fridge!

Love M&M'S? You're gonna love this M&M'S cake! Incredible simple to make, loaded with candy and topped with a smooth ganache and more candies! It's a M&M's paradise cake!

The white cake base it’s becoming my go-to base for different layer cakes!

Loaded with butter and vanilla flavor, it has a tender moist crumb. The M&M’S minis milk chocolate baking bites give the cake a touch of chocolate and a little crunch in  every bite.

It’s so much better than the store-bought one! And bonus, it’s a snap to make!!

All you need are basic ingredients to make a cake – butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, milk, all-purpose flour, baking powder and of course M&M’S minis milk chocolate baking bits.

Have you seen the new M&M’S baking bits? They come in two varieties – M&M’S® Semi- Sweet Dark Chocolate Baking Bits and M&M’S® Minis Milk Chocolate Baking Bits.

Obviously, I prefer the mini ones. At least in this cake!

Cream the butter with sugar, beat in the eggs, vanilla and alternately add the milk with the flour.  Make sure you don’t overbeat the batter or your cake will turn out tough and/or rubbery.

Although I wanted to make a round cake, I thought baking the cake into a jelly roll pan is way more fun! And it takes just about the same amount of time as making a 3 layer cake. Don’t feel intimidated!

Love M&M'S? You're gonna love this M&M'S cake! Incredible simple to make, loaded with candy and topped with a smooth ganache and more candies! It's a M&M's paradise cake!

Baking with M&M’S takes a little bit of practice. Not all cake batters support the weight of the candy. To prevent them from sinking, you have to make sure the cake batter is not too runny. It needs a thick batter to support them.

Do not worry. Just because the cake batter is thick, does not mean the cake is dry. It actually has a moist tender crumb and since it’s not a thick cake,  it picks up more moisture from the frosting, making it absolutely irresistible!

While test tasting this cake recipe, I noticed also M&M’S bleed slightly when folded into the cake batter. To prevent having a tie-dye cake (although that sure sounds like lots of fun) gently fold the batter with a spatula for no more than 30 seconds.

The same goes for the frosting! Ahh, the frosting!!!

Did you notice that thick layer of frosting? It’s just as thick as the cake! I hate when I get a slice of cake and hardly has any frosting in between the layers. Might as well just give me a piece a plain cake than tease me with a drop of frosting, am I right?

For the frosting I used both butter and cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract plus a cupful of mini M&M’S.

For the extra fancy touch, I make some ganache, poured it over the cake and let my daughter go crazy with the M&M’S on top. I think she did quite an amazing job, don’t you think?

Ganache is a thick chocolate sauce, made from chocolate and heavy cream. I highly recommend chopping baking chocolate rather than using chocolate chips. Baking chocolate melts faster and I’ve noticed it makes a shinier ganache (maybe it’s just me)

When applying the ganache, spoon or pour it in the middle of the cake and let gravity do its work. Of course, you can shape its course with a small spatula of the back of a spoon.

Do you love M&M’S? Which ones are your favorite?

If you’re looking for more ideas using M&M’S candy in your recipes, follow along the newly launched pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/mmschocolate/  for daily inspiration!


M&M’s cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate ganache recipe

Love M&M'S? You're gonna love this M&M'S cake! Incredible simple to make, loaded with candy and topped with a smooth ganache and more candies! It's a M&M's paradise cake!

40 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

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Ingredients

    Cake
  • ¾ cup butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ cup milk, room temperature
  • ¾ cup M&M’S minis milk chocolate baking bits
  • Frosting
  • 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar
  • few drops of heavy cream or whole milk
  • 1 cup M&M’S minis milk chocolate baking bits
  • Ganache
  • 4 ounces baking chocolate (I prefer 60%), chopped
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 to 1 ½ cups M&M’S to decorate

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350F. Line a 15X10” jelly roll pan with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
  2. In the mixing bowl of your mixer, add the butter and the sugar. With the paddle attachment on, beat on low-speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the vanilla, and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and the baking powder. (This will ensure the leavener is evenly distributed in the cake batter).
  5. Add the flour mix alternately with the milk to the cake batter. Start with the flour, about half of it, half of the milk, one third of the flour, the remaining milk and the rest of the flour. Beat until there’s no more dry flour. Do not over mix!!
  6. Gently, with a spatula, fold in the M&M’S baking bits. Just give them a few folds, since they tend to bleed into the cake batter.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely in the pan before inverting on a wire rack.
  9. Frosting
  10. In a mixing bowl, add the butter and the cream cheese. With the paddle attachment on, beat on low-speed until combined and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
  11. Gently, on the lowest speed, add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, allowing the sugar to be incorporated into the frosting before adding more.
  12. Once all the sugar is added, increase the mixer’s speed to medium and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes. If you think your frosting is too stiff, add a few drops of heavy cream.
  13. With a spatula, fold in the M&M’S minis.
  14. Assemble the cake!
  15. Cut the cake into 3 equal parts.
  16. Place the first layer on a serving platter.
  17. Place half of the frosting on top of the first layer and spread it evenly.
  18. Top with the second cake layer.
  19. Spread the remaining frosting on top of the cake and finish with the third cake layer.
  20. Place the cake in the fridge for about 1 hour, to set.
  21. In the meantime, make the ganache.
  22. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until boiling point. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate, leave it for 30 seconds and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
  23. Let the ganache sit at room temperature until thickened slightly.
  24. Pour over the cold cake and either let the ganache cover the cake all by itself, or spread it with a small spatula or the back of a spoon.
  25. Decorate with M&M’S
  26. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
  27. Leave the cake stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving it.
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https://atreatsaffair.com/mms-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting-and-chocolate-ganache-recipe/
Roxana Yawgel http://atreatsaffair.com/ All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

Disclosure – this post is sponsored by M&M’S. Although I’ve been compensated to develop the recipe and write this post, the opinions expressed here are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands I love.

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Filed Under: Chocolate, Cupcakes and Cakes, Recipe

About Roxana

Roxana has a passion for all things food, a sweet tooth that can’t be tamed and a severe case of the wanderlust
With an audience in search for real food and no fuss recipes, I make midweek meals exciting sharing approachable recipes, both sweet and savory, that taste completely sinful.

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Comments

  1. Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says

    June 19, 2015 at 4:48 pm

    I LOVE M&M's! My husband's birthday is in August and he would totally love this cake!
    Reply
  2. Omotayo says

    June 19, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    Hi, can I use regular M&Ms, the ones u mentioned for baking are not yet available in stores
    Reply
    • Roxana says

      June 19, 2015 at 10:46 pm

      Hi Omotayo, If you're using regular size M&M'S, I suggest you chop them a little. The ones in the cake. You can use them whole in the frosting.
      Reply
  3. Medeja says

    June 20, 2015 at 1:02 am

    Looks so colorful and fun!
    Reply
  4. Emily @ Life on Food says

    June 21, 2015 at 10:31 am

    M&Ms are my favorite. This cake is divine. Ice cream is just what we need on this hot, first day of summer!
    Reply
  5. Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says

    June 22, 2015 at 7:47 am

    I thought I loved cake and M&M's on their own...but TOGETHER? My taste buds just fell off my head, because this looks AMAZING! Pinning!
    Reply
  6. Liz says

    June 22, 2015 at 8:23 am

    This cake would put a smile on the whole family's faces! All those M&M's? Pure heaven!
    Reply
  7. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says

    June 22, 2015 at 8:23 am

    Ahhh - my boys would go nuts for this!!
    Reply
  8. Karly says

    June 22, 2015 at 9:12 am

    Ooh, I love how colorful this cake is! M&Ms are so fun!
    Reply
  9. Alida says

    June 22, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    This cake looks absolutely wonderful. LOVE M&MS!
    Reply
  10. Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says

    June 24, 2015 at 10:48 am

    Anything made with M&M's equals fun and delish. Awesome cake!
    Reply
  11. Brooks @ RecipeBoy says

    June 24, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    I'm a sucker for sweets, and this cake has my name all over it!
    Reply
  12. Brandi says

    June 24, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    Hi there, could you make this in 2 round cake pans to make a round layered cake?
    Reply
    • Roxana says

      June 25, 2015 at 7:33 am

      Hi Brandi, Yes, you can bake the cake in two 9 inch round baking pans, just keep in mind to bake them few minutes longer. And, unless you're going to frost the outside of the cake, you may wanna make just half of the frosting. Roxana
      Reply
  13. Krista says

    June 25, 2015 at 5:40 am

    Roxana, this looks so good! I love the shape of the cake, the thick layers of frosting and the fact that there are m&ms in the cake batter. And the ganache on top! This is the kind of cake I want to eat!
    Reply
  14. Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says

    June 26, 2015 at 9:23 am

    This cake is EPIC! So festive! My kids will go crazy for it!
    Reply
  15. sue|theviewfromgreatisland says

    June 26, 2015 at 11:45 am

    Fabulous cake - everything is better with m&ms!
    Reply
  16. June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says

    July 3, 2015 at 7:36 pm

    Oh my gosh that looks perfect! M&M's used to be my favorite, I would've been all over this cake :) Love the rectangular style, I'll have to try that sometime...
    Reply

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Hi there! I'm Roxana. I have a passion for all things food, a sweet tooth that can’t be tamed and a severe case of the wanderlust. I make midweek meals exciting by sharing approachable recipes, both sweet and savory, that taste completely sinful. Read More →

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