Mint chocolate cake is a surprising mixture of creamy mint frosting and fudgy darkish chocolate cake. Adorning is simple with both a chocolate ganache drip or mini chocolate chips. Recipe features a how-to video tutorial.
Mint Chocolate Cake
If mint chocolate chip is your go-to ice cream taste, you’re going to completely LOVE this mint chocolate cake! It begins with wealthy, moist, fudgy chocolate cake layers and is completed with a light-weight and refreshing mint buttercream. It’s a bit totally different from the standard peanut butter chocolate cake or German chocolate cake, and I simply adore it!
I like to paint the frosting mint inexperienced to be harking back to the traditional ice cream, however it’ll nonetheless style simply pretty much as good with out the meals coloring. With the beautiful mint inexperienced shade, this cake could be good for St. Patrick’s Day!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One bowl cake recipe! And there’s no mixer wanted for the cake layers, similar to my triple chocolate cake.
- Decadent and spectacular. With three layers of fudgy cake and loads of frosting, this cake makes an ideal celebration dessert. Undoubtedly add the chocolate ganache drip if you wish to put issues excessive!
- You possibly can simply flip it right into a mint chocolate chip cake by foregoing the ganache topping and urgent mini chocolate chips into the frosting. I display this in my video under.
- May very well be served at Christmas when mint chocolate recipes are notably standard, however this mint chocolate cake would additionally make a fairly St. Patrick’s Day dessert with the mint inexperienced shade and taste (much like a Shamrock Shake!).
Elements
This isn’t your common chocolate cake recipe, so there are a number of extra elements under than you’d usually see. Let’s go over a number of earlier than we dig in.
- Dutch cocoa. I really like the best way Dutch cocoa enhances the creamy mint taste of the frosting. In the event you can solely discover pure cocoa, I like to recommend making my chocolate cake as a substitute (you’ll be able to divide it into 3 pans and bake it as indicated under).
- Peppermint extract. Don’t use mint extract! Mint extract tends to lend a toothpaste-y style as a substitute of a traditional mint taste. In truth, I exploit peppermint extract in all of my mint recipes, like my skinny mints, butter mints, and the mint chocolate cookies I simply shared.
- Buttermilk. There are some situations the place I like to recommend actual buttermilk over my buttermilk substitute, however this mint chocolate cake recipe is just not one in all them. So, in case you don’t really feel like shopping for a quart of buttermilk, simply make the substitute as a substitute!
- Unsalted butter. Sure, that’s a whole lot of butter! This can be a massive three-layer cake, and we’re making each the cake and the frosting, so it’s crucial. We’ll soften the butter for the cake and use softened butter for the frosting, and each ought to be unsalted.
- Scorching espresso. This gained’t make your mint chocolate cake style like espresso, however it’ll make the chocolate taste far more intense. I don’t personally drink espresso, so I hold some instantaneous espresso readily available for recipes like this one. In the event you don’t have both, you’ll be able to simply use very popular water.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t use baking powder on this recipe! Baking powder and baking soda will not be interchangeable; I discuss extra about this in my baking powder vs. baking soda put up.
Keep in mind, that is simply an outline of the elements I used and why. For the total recipe please scroll right down to the underside of the put up!
Methods to Make Mint Chocolate Cake
Make the Cake Layers
- Whisk the dry elements and sugars collectively in a big bowl, then stir within the oil and melted butter. The batter will likely be very thick and dough-like at this stage–that’s completely regular!
- Add the buttermilk slowly till absolutely integrated.
- Fastidiously pour within the scorching espresso and stir till the batter is uniform. Be very cautious as you do that and take a look at to not burn your self! Scrape the bowl after this step to verify all the things is cohesive.
- Divide the batter between your cake pans and bake till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear or with moist crumbs. Let the muffins cool of their pans for quarter-hour earlier than eradicating to a cooling rack.
Make the Mint Frosting & Embellish
- Cream the butter till easy, then regularly add the sugar till mixed. Do that step regularly and ensure every addition is integrated earlier than including the subsequent.
- Add the extracts, salt, and meals coloring (if utilizing), then whip in a tablespoon of cream till easy and creamy. If you might want to add extra cream to get the appropriate consistency, that’s tremendous.
- Stage and frost your cake. I love to do a crumb coat (I discuss extra about this within the recipe under!) earlier than adorning.
- Embellish as desired; more often than not after I make this mint chocolate cake I simply do a plain mint frosting (no additional ornament). To embellish the cake as in images, you’ll want extra frosting (improve the frosting by 50%) and a ganache drip. Another choice is to only enhance the cake as written (simply the mint frosting) and press mini chocolate chips up the facet of the cake for a mint chocolate chip cake!
SAM’S TIP: In case you are new to adorning muffins, take a look at my information on the way to enhance a cake for newcomers. It outlines your complete strategy of adorning a cake like this one and even features a how-to video if you’re extra of a visible learner.
Steadily Requested Questions
Sure! This mint chocolate cake may be made in a 9×13″ pan or three 9″ pans. Your bake time will likely be totally different for every although, so positively regulate your muffins as they bake! Additionally, in case you make the cake in 9×13 you’ll in all probability solely want half the quantity of frosting.
Scorching espresso helps to “bloom” the cocoa powder, which convey out its taste. It’s very similar to steeping tea; the warmth is important for the right taste extraction. Scorching water will work too, however espresso enhances the chocolate taste much more (with out imparting a espresso style).
Sure! Simply ensure that to wrap it nicely (I like to make use of plastic and foil!) and retailer in an hermetic container. I like to recommend having fun with inside three months for the very best taste and texture.
In the event you love mint and chocolate collectively however don’t wish to make fairly a lot effort, strive my mint chocolate chip cookies!
Take pleasure in!
Let’s bake collectively! Subscribe to my publication to be notified of all the latest recipes, and discover my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Mint Chocolate Cake
Servings: 14 servings
Energy: 910kcal
Elements
Frosting (see “adorning” part in notes under)
Forestall your display from going darkish
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease and flour three 8” (23cm) spherical pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Put aside.
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In a big mixing bowl, whisk collectively flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt till nicely mixed.
2 ⅔ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour, 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (112 g) + 2 Tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder, 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, 1 cup (200 g) gentle brown sugar
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Add oil and melted butter and stir till the entire dry elements have been moistened. Batter will likely be thick.
1 cup (240 ml) impartial cooking oil, ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
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Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir nicely till batter is easy and uniform.
3 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Progressively add buttermilk, stirring till batter is totally mixed.
1 ½ cups (354 ml) buttermilk
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Slowly pour scorching espresso into the batter and stir till uniform. Make sure to scrape the edges and borrow of the bowl and stir once more.
¾ cup (177 ml) very popular/boiling espresso
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Evenly divide batter between ready cake pans (in case you’re weighing your muffins you’ll want 700 grams in every cake pan). Bake in heart rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven for 35-38 minutes or till a toothpick inserted within the heart of every cake comes out clear or with a number of moist crumbs. In case your oven bakes erratically, rotate muffins throughout baking.
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Permit muffins to chill of their pans for quarter-hour, then run a knife alongside the sting to loosen muffins from pan and punctiliously invert onto a cooling rack to chill fully earlier than frosting.
Frosting
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In a big mixing bowl, use an electrical mixer to beat butter till creamy and easy.
1 ½ cups (339 g) unsalted butter
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Progressively add sugar, a few half cup at a time, utilizing your electrical mixer to stir on low-speed till mixed earlier than including the subsequent.
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar
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As soon as all of the sugar is added in, add salt, vanilla, and peppermint extracts and stir till fully mixed. If desired, stir in meals coloring till desired shade is reached.
2 teaspoons peppermint extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, Mint coloured meals coloring
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Add a Tablespoon of heavy cream, and beat till nicely integrated. Add extra cream as wanted till frosting is easy, creamy, and simply spreadable.
1-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
Meeting
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Stage muffins if wanted and evenly cowl with frosting. I discover it useful to do a crumb coating, that means after making use of icing between the layers and stacking the muffins I’ll do a really skinny layer of frosting across the exterior of the cake then place it within the freezer for quarter-hour (this may catch all of the crumbs) then take away and end adorning the cake with a good layer of frosting. See adorning notes under for extra concepts on adorning.
Notes
Adorning Notes/Choices
- Ganache: For a ganache drip, see my recipe and tutorial on the way to do a ganache drip.
- Ornamental swirls: In the event you’d love to do ornamental swirls on high of the cake (as seen in photos), you’ll need to extend the frosting recipe by 50%. I used an Ateco 848 piping tip for piping the swirls within the picture.
- Mint chocolate chip cake: As proven within the video, you’ll be able to forgo the ganache and the ornamental swirls and press mini chocolate chips up the facet of the cake. Additionally they work properly as ornament on high of the cake and in between the layers!
Heavy cream
You could substitute milk (non-dairy would even be tremendous), simply observe you’ll need much less as it’s thinner than cream. The extra liquid is for thinning the frosting and giving it a considerably gentle, silky texture.
Storing
Retailer in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 2 days or within the fridge for as much as 5 days. This cake may be tightly wrapped and frozen for as much as 3 months.
Diet
Serving: 1serving | Energy: 910kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 6g | Fats: 49g | Saturated Fats: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 6g | Monounsaturated Fats: 19g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 96g | Vitamin A: 1021IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary info is predicated on third-party calculations and ought to be thought-about an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will differ primarily based upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking methodology, portion sizes, and extra.
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