Mint Chocolate Cake

Today is my husbands birthday! So to celebrate I made this heavenly chocolate layered cake with a cool mint swiss meringue buttercream. He loves anything mint chocolate, so what better way to say happy birthday?! To give the chocolate cake a little extra I added coffee and pure vanilla extract. The combination is really a beautiful thing. Then I garnished with a little chocolate ganache and Andes Candies.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
• 3/4 cup strong coffee
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9″ cake pan and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside

In a medium bowl add all the wet ingredients and gently whisk together until they are combined. Slowly adding the coffee as to not cook the eggs.

Then in a large bowl with a paddle attachment add all the dry ingredients and mix together. Carefully add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix all together for about 2-3 minutes, making sure to scrape down the sides until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, just until a tooth pick when inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely. Then remove from the cake pan and carefully cut the cake horizontally to create layers. A serrated knife works easiest.  Set layers aside and make the buttercream.

Swiss Mint Buttercream

Ingredients

• 5 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cubed and room temp (make sure it’s room temperature to blend into the meringue)
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract
• 3-4 drop green food coloring
• 3 oz good quality chocolate, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a hot water bath on the stove, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes until the mixture is smooth and not grainy.

Place the bowl on your stand mixer with a whisk attachment and mix on high until stiff peaks form and the mixture is cooled down about 3-5 minutes.

Once cooled, switch to a paddle attachment and slowly add the cubed butter a little bit at a time just so it all combines and is smooth. Add the mint extract and green food coloring until desired color. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate with a rubber spatula.

Chocolate ganache

• 3 oz good chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz heavy cream

In a small sauce pan over low heat melt the chocolate and cream together until smooth and silky stirring constantly. Place over a water bath if it starts to get to hot. Set aside to let cool.

To assemble:

Place the bottom layer of cake on cake stand or serving dish. Spoon 1/2 the buttercream onto the top of the cake. Place the other layer of cake on top of the frosting and then spoon dollops of the buttercream over the top and smooth with an offset spatula or butter knife. You can either frost the sides if you wish but I love the idea of seeing the layers so I left them unfinished. Pour the chocolate ganache over the top and finish with the Andes candies. Then serve immediately or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days covered.