Mint Chocolate Cake Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Mint chocolate cake made with a rich chocolate sponge and a fun green frosting that is just minty enough, but not too overpowering.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time20

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 857kcal

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.

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.

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.

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!

Wrap and chill the cake layers before frosting. Once they cool to room temp, wrap each one in plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. Cold layers mean fewer crumbs and smoother frosting.
Trim those domes if you need to. Flat layers stack better and make your Grinch cake look clean and sharp. Just grab a serrated knife and carefully slice off the tops.
Start with a crumb coat. After chilling the layers, add a thin layer of frosting around the whole cake. Chill it again for about 15 minutes before going in with the final layer of buttercream.
Let the ganache firm up before piping any frosting details. If you don't do it, it will mix with the buttercream and get messy.

How to Store this Mint Chocolate Cake

Room Temp: Keep the cake covered with plastic wrap or foil and store it in a cool, dry spot. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days.
Fridge: Pop it in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will last up to a week and still taste bomb.
Freezer: Wrap the whole cake or slices tight in plastic wrap, then toss it in a freezer bag. It will keep for 4-6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight or sit out on the counter for about an hour.
Tip: If you're freezing slices, add a little parchment between each one so they don't stick together!