Check out this holiday showstopper of a Mint Chocolate Cake that reminds you of the Grinch! A festive combination of decadent chocolate, sweet mint, and a beautiful mint green buttercream this cake is perfect for the holidays, birthdays, or any celebration.
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Mint Chocolate Cake Ingredients
A little bit of everything goes into preparing this beautiful mint chocolate cake!
The dry ingredients: A pretty good list of dry ingredients today, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, and lastly baking powder. Most of which you’ll likely have on hand already.
The wet ingredients: Room temperature eggs and vegetable oil are going to help boost the fat in this cake and keep is extra moist. Hot coffee or water is another fun one to add. If you choose coffee, it will greatly enhance the flavors of the chocolate without tasting like coffee.
The dairy: Room temperature ingredients are best used in baking because they help to bring all of the ingredients together in a smooth mixture. Room-temperature butter, heavy cream, and milk are what we will be needing.
The flavors: We’re going to be using a mint extract to really pack in that minty flavor, along with vanilla and salt to balance.
The fun extras!: The bits and pieces that really make this cake pop are all of the fun extras we get to add. Green food coloring, chocolate shavings, and white chocolate are going to make this cake extra playful.
Making a Mint Chocolate Cake
For the Chocolate Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray. If desired, line with parchment paper as well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium-low to combine.
In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Turning the mixer back on to medium-low, alternate adding the hot coffee (or water) and dry mixture in small increments. Be sure to scrape the sides down a few times throughout the mixing.
Once smooth and well-mixed, divide the batter into the 3 prepared pans. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until cooked through.
After about 5-10 minutes of being out of the oven, turn the layers out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the Mint Buttercream Frosting
In your stand mixer, mix the butter and salt at medium-low speed.
Next, turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the confectioner’s sugar in small portions until all is added. Turn up the speed to medium-high to combine.
Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and mint extract and mix until thick and fluffy.
Finally, turn the speed to the lowest setting and add in the green food coloring. Start with a teaspoon of coloring, then add more to deepen the color to your liking. Add chocolate shavings to the frosting if you would like.
Keep the buttercream refrigerated until ready to use. If the frosting hardens at all, just re-mix a bit to smoothen it out.
For the White Chocolate Ganache
Place white chocolate chips into a heat-resistant bowl (glass or metal). If you’re starting with a white chocolate bar, chop it into small pieces until they’re about the size of chocolate chips.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to boil. Look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When you see that it’s just starting to boil, pour it over the white chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds.
Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk.
Color the ganache by adding in green food coloring until you’ve achieved your desired “grinch-ey” green. Alternatively, the colors blue and yellow can be used to achieve the same result.
Cool the ganache at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature.
To Assemble
Level the cakes, if necessary, and add frosting between layers. Then frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting.
Once cool, carefully pour the ganache over the top of the cake. Allow the ganache to drip over the side. Let the ganache set for 30 minutes, then slice and serve!
How to store a layer cake
Keep your freshly baked cake in a dry, cool area and cover it with foil or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. At room temperature, this cake will last for 2-3 days.
If refrigerated, your mint chocolate cake will last for up to a week in an airtight container. You can even freeze your cake; wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. The freezer will maintain the quality of the cake for 4-6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter at room temperature for about an hour.
Expert Tips for Assembling your layer cake
I often find that assembling and icing a cake is the most difficult part of the whole process. The texture of this mint chocolate cake is finicky, frosting can be runny and patience is always required. But, don’t fret just yet! I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve to make this much easier for you folks at home.
Chill The Cake
Consider baking the cake layers the day before frosting and allowing them time to properly chill. The cold makes for fewer crumbs and therefore, a smoother layer of frosting.
Once baked and out of the pan, leave the cake out to come to room temperature. Then, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.
Use A Knife To Level The Top
If your cake has come out of the oven with a domed top I would suggest giving it a trim. Flat cakes make for easier stacking and a more visually appealing result.
Use a long serrated knife to carefully slice the rounded tops off each layer.
Crumb Coat
After having chilled your layers, apply a thin, even layer of frosting to the top and side of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes then, proceed with the final beautifully smooth layer of frosting.
More Grandbaby Cakes Layer Cake Recipes
- Black Forest Cake
- Apple Cider Donut Cake
- Blue Velvet Cake
- Funfetti Cake
- Real Deal Southern Caramel Cake Recipe
And if you love chocolate cakes, definitely check out these:
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Chocolate Birthday Cake
- Devil’s Food Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- a perfect Chocolate Pound Cake
- BEST Chocolate Cake recipe with Blackberry Buttercream.
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Mint Chocolate Cake
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Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Light brown sugar packed
- 3 large Eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cup Whole milk room temperature
- 3/4 cup Vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Natural cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cup Very hot coffee or water
For the Mint Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups Unsalted butter 4 sticks, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 6 cups Confectioner's sugar
- 4 tablespoons Heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Mint extract
- Green food coloring
- Chocolate shavings
For the White Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup White chocolate chips, chunks, or white chocolate bar chopped into bits
- 1/3 cup Heavy cream
- Green food coloring
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray. If desired, line with parchment paper as well.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium-low to combine.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Turning the mixer back on to medium-low, alternate adding the hot coffee (or water) and dry mixture in small increments. Be sure to scrape the sides down a few times throughout the mixing.
- Once smooth and well-mixed, divide the batter into the 3 prepared pans. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until cooked through.
- After about 5-10 minutes of being out of the oven, turn the layers out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the Mint Buttercream Frosting
- In your stand mixer, mix the butter and salt at medium low speed.
- Next, turn the mixer down to low and slowly add confectioner’s sugar in small portions until all is added. Turn up the speed to medium high to combine.
- Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and mint extract and mix until thick and fluffy.
- Finally, turn the speed to the lowest setting and add in the green food coloring. Start with a teaspoon of coloring, then add more to deepen the color to your liking. Add chocolate shavings to the frosting if you would like.
- Keep the buttercream refrigerated until ready to use. If the frosting hardens at all, just re-mix a bit to smoothen it out.
For the White Chocolate Ganache
- Place white chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal). If you’re starting with a white chocolate bar, chop it into small pieces until they’re about the size of chocolate chips.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to boil. Look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When you see that it’s just starting to boil, pour it over the white chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds.
- Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk.
- Color the ganache by adding in green food coloring until you’ve achieved your desired “grinch-ey” green. Alternatively, the colors blue and yellow can be used to achieve the same result.
- Cool the ganache at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature.
To Assemble
- Level the cakes, if necessary, and add frosting between layers. Then frost the entire cake with remaining frosting.
- Once cool, carefully pour the ganache over the top of the cake. Allow the ganache to drip over the side. Let the ganache set for 30 minutes, then slice and serve!
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The cake looks to tempting. Want to make it for our son birthday.
Oh my, what have I discovered here! This is definitely a recipe I’m printing out to make over the holidays!
Made this cake on Sunday. Loved by everyone! I was skeptical about using white chocolate as really don’t like it. Didn’t even notice it with the chocolate mint flavors.
Here’s a lazy way of making the frosting. Put the powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Stir all wet ingredients together in a cup. Add slices of very soft butter (slice when cold) to the powdered sugar then the wet ingredients. Turn on mixer to low until somewhat mixed. Then slowly turn on high. Whip on high for 5-10 minutes stop once to scrape sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue whipping until light and fluffy. Always works for me.
Absolutely adore this cake! I must admit that I am a biased mint lover but it is just delicious. The white chocolate ganache was perfection!
Mint and chocolate is one of my favorite combos! I can’t wait to make this gorgeous looking cake!
What a gorgeous-looking chocolate cake. Perfect for holidays. Thanks for sharing
This is a beautiful cake. Love the light mint flavor with the chocolate. It sounds heavenly.