Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
This Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake is based on the BEST ice cream flavor of all time (sorry, chocolate chip cookie dough) and a reader favorite! It’s a moist dark chocolate cake covered in a fun, pastel mint chocolate chip buttercream. Simple and delicious!
Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake
You guys. This Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake honestly deserves all the cake awards. I have always been a big fan of the mint and chocolate combination. There’s just something about the dark, sweet flavor of chocolate mixed with the crisp, refreshing flavor of mint that I really love. I love it in ice cream, I love it in candy and I REALLY love it in this cake. Everyone that I’ve made this cake for loves it so much, and it’s been a reader favorite since I first posted it in 2013!
If a layer cake seems intimidating, I’ve included detailed instructions on how I assembled everything. I’ve also included a video down below that will hopefully help you out. Once you get it down, layer cakes are easy to assemble and just require a little bit of trial and error. I like to transport my layer cakes in a Wilton cake carrier like this one.
How to Make Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake
– I’m not normally a homemade cake person. I’ve tried both homemade and mixes, and find a lot of homemade recipes to be dry, and fairly expensive to make. I’ve heard good things about the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake though, and the recipe is simple enough, so I decided to give it a whirl with just a few minor changes. It’s amazing. So rich and chocolatey and not dry in the slightest. It’s a gorgeous almost black color, which contrasts perfectly with the mint chocolate chip buttercream.
-I made a normal buttercream, then added mint and vanilla extract. Then I used a gel food coloring to tint the frosting green. The easiest way I’ve found to do this, is to dip a toothpick into the gel food coloring, and then swirl it into the frosting. You want to go slow with this because you’re looking for a gorgeous, pastel mint green.
-I added chopped semi-sweet chocolate to my frosting. You could also chop up mint chocolate chip candies, such as Andes, if you wanted to!
-I didn’t add a ganache, but feel free. It’s very simple to make and a drippy ganache would be so pretty!
How to Assemble the Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake
- Once your cake is completely cooled, trim your layers. A rotating turntable makes it so much easier. I always use a long, serrated knife and go slow. Your goal is to make the top as flat as possible.
- Put about a cup of frosting onto the top of one layer. Use a small offset spatula to push the frosting to the edges of your cake layer, leaving a little bit of overhang on the edge. Make sure to keep this layer of frosting even so your cake won’t be lopsided!
- Place your second layer on top and apply very gentle pressure to make sure it’s really settled into the frosting.
- Now this is when you would apply a crumb coat. This step is optional, but it really does make everything cleaner. I use about one and a half cups of frosting, starting with the top and working my way over the edges, and down the sides, using that frosting overhang in the middle. You want this to be a thin layer of frosting. Then I chill the cake in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- To frost, you want to use a very generous amount of frosting. I frost the exact same way I did the crumb coat, but I just use a lot more frosting. If things get too streaky, you can use a warm, wet rag to clean your offset spatula. I like a more rustic looking cake, so I don’t smooth things out perfectly, but I do try to make it look presentable.
Love All Things Mint Chocolate? Try These Recipes!
- Mint Chocolate Brownie Bites
- Thin Mint Truffles
- Minty Fudge Brownie Cups
- Mint Oreo Cupcakes
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Grasshopper Pie
**cake portion adapted from Hershey
Ingredients
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened, Dutch process cocoa powder (I used Hershey Special Dark)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, slightly softened
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp mint extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Drop or two of green food coloring
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 eight or nine inch pans.
- In the bowl of a mixer, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until fully combined. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then slowly stir in the boiling water. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 30 -40 minutes, until tops of cakes spring back when you lightly touch in the center.
- Remove cakes from oven. Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove to finish cooling on wire racks.
- Prepare frosting: In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter, cream, and both extracts on medium speed until smooth. With mixer speed on low, slowly add powdered sugar and mix until just combined. Add food coloring and increase speed to medium high and beat for about minute, until frosting is light, smooth, and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add another Tablespoon or two of cream and beat for 30 more seconds. Add chopped chocolate and mix on low until incorporated. Frost cooled cake.
Notes
Refrigerate cake until serving.
Do not sub chocolate chips for chopped chocolate in frosting -- it will make the cake very difficult to frost. I used bakers chocolate, but feel free to use your favorite dark chocolate bar.
To make frosting the cake easier, wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and or refrigerate for an hour or two before frosting. It will make the cakes more firm, which is easier for handling. Bonus -- it also makes your cakes more moist.
Have a great week, everyone!
