This Mint Chocolate Cake is four amazing layers of dark chocolate cake with a delicate mint buttercream in between each layer. The cake is covered in chocolate buttercream and topped off with a mint green chocolate curl. Minty perfection!
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Mint Chocolate Cake
I have to tell you if you are a mint fan, this is the cake for you. The flavors work together so beautifully… decadent rich chocolate with a subtle minty buttercream. It’s one of the dreamiest cakes I have ever made! I would recommend making one of my homemade Buttermilk recipes to use for this recipe.
Mint Chocolate Cake Recipe
There are four parts to this recipe–chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, mint buttercream, and mint curls.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
This recipe starts with a moist and flavorful chocolate cake. To make the cake, prepare two 8-inch round cake pans. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk (or homemade buttermilk), vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low, slowly add these wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Continue to mix on low and add the coffee until just combined. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans, and then turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Finally, level each layer of cake and cut each layer in half so you have four layers of cake. Chill the cakes until ready to assemble.
Chocolate Buttercream
Mint Buttercream and Curls
To make the mint buttercream, simply cream together the sugar and butter using a stand mixer. Blend in the peppermint extract, 2 tablespoons of the milk, and salt. Gradually stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk and mix until your desired consistency is reached.
Let’s talk a little bit about those curls. It can take a few times to get it right, so I recommend practicing. Or at least buy double what you need so you don’t have to worry about not getting the “perfect” curl every time! I have a post about “How to Make Chocolate Curls” if you want to see a quick video.
Assembling the Mint Chocolate Cake
With all the parts ready to go, it’s time to get the cake assembled.
- Place the first layer of the cake on a cake stand or cake plate.
- Spread 1/3 of the mint buttercream over the cake.
- Repeat this with the remaining layers of chocolate cake and mint buttercream.
- Cover the cake with chocolate buttercream, smoothing out the surface and sides of the cake as much as possible.
- Place the remaining chocolate buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large, open round tip.
- Pipe out dollops of frosting around the top of the cake.
- Sprinkle the mint curls over top.
- Chill the cake until ready to serve.
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (88.5g) cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 extra-large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
Mint Buttercream
- 2 cups (250g) confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 56g) butter, softened
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (or less depending on preference)
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
Mint Curls
- 2 cups light green candy melts, or 1 cup green + 1 cup white
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans. (Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans, or spray with nonstick baking spray.)
- Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- When cakes are completely cool, level each layer of chocolate cake and then cut each layer in half. You should now have four layers of cake. Chill until ready to assemble.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and vanilla on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended.
- *Don’t whip! Set aside until ready to assemble cake.
Mint Buttercream
- In the bowl of stand mixer, cream sugar with 1/2 cup butter.
- Blend peppermint extract, 2 tablespoons milk, and salt. Gradually stir remaining milk into frosting until desired spreading consistency is reached.
Mint Curls
- Melt the candy melts and the shortening in a large microwave-safe bowl for 1-minute increments, then in 15-second increments, stirring after each heating.
- When candy is melted, add peppermint oil and stir until incorporated.
- Take out a large, flat and clean cookie sheet and flip it over. We will use the back.
- Pour half of the melted mixture over the cookie sheet and spread out with an offset spatula. This is important, as you want the layer to be as even and level as possible. Thin is good, but not translucent.
- Place it into the fridge to set for 1 to 2 minutes. You can also leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes. The mixture needs to be at the perfect temperature for curls to form. If it’s too cold, they will just break. If it’s too warm, they will just be blobs. Press your finger into the mixture. If it leaves a mark, the mixture is too soft.
- Using a flat head screwdriver (clean!), press the screwdriver into the mixture at a 45-degree angle and then move forward slowly. Curls should form. Immediately place curls on a cooled plate or in the refrigerator so that they hold their shape. Chill until ready to assemble cake.
When Ready To Assemble
- Place first layer of chocolate cake on cake stand or cake plate. Spread 1/3 of mint buttercream over cake.
- Repeat this with remaining chocolate cake and mint buttercream.
- Cover cake with chocolate buttercream. Try to smooth out surface and sides of cake as much as possible.
- Place remaining chocolate buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large, open round tip (such as a 2A tip).
- Pipe out dollops of frosting around the top of the cake. Sprinkle mint curls over top. Chill cake until ready to serve.
Video
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I’m concerned about the coffee. I don’t want it to taste like that.
Made this today, was really good and super moist!I am curious on the butter measurement for mint butter cream, I’m assuming it’s supposed to be 1/2 cup like it states in the instructions instead in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick). Very rich flavor.
I made this….
So yummy!
I used small springform pans and made 68 cakes. I sandwich 2 for a total of 4 cakes.
So rich and yummy.
The best chocolate cake I’ve eat by far! The cake is so moist and delicious. The icing turned it into a masterpiece! I only have one problem, and I have no idea what I’m doing wrong. The center of my cakes don’t rise as much as the outside edge making it impossible to cut in half. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks
Kim, I would check the temp of your oven. There are a number of ways you can do this, from using a fairly inexpensive oven thermometer to hiring someone to calibrate it. (Personally, I would buy a moderately-priced oven thermometer.)
IF your oven temp is good, I would look at your pans. They can make a HUGE difference. I’ve been loving the simple, heavy aluminum pans I bought at the restaurant supply, but I have a couple of Fat Daddio pans that I like, too.
And the last thought I had is: does anybody walk very heavily (or run, jump, or play) while the cakes are in the oven? This can make them fall.
This is an AWESOME cake.