This Mint Chocolate Chip Cake is a mint lover’s dream! Layers of decadent chocolate cake topped with a silky mint chip buttercream.
Did you know that there is only one Olive Garden restaurant in Vancouver? It’s not really even in Vancouver, it’s in a suburb called Langley about 40+ mins outside of the city. Further research tells me there is actually only ONE Olive Garden in all of BC. Meanwhile, just south of the border it seems like there’s one every few blocks.
The one location we do have is about 20 mins from where we live, and always has at least a 1 hour wait. With such high demand, you think they’d expand to more locations?! So, I think I’ve only been to Olive Garden two or three times in my entire life. Sad, right??
One of these times was actually just a few weeks ago, when Ryan and I spontaneously decided to go there for a late dinner. Very out of character for us — both the spontaneous Olive Garden trip and the late dinner. The wait was only 45 mins this time. It was worth it though — we got a great table and the food was delicious. Those breadsticks and dipping sauces (five cheese marinara, omg yum) and I finally got to try the infamous Zuppa Toscana. Maybe only infamous to me though. As a food blogger I see that recipe everywhere. Now I see why. I could happily have had free refills of that as my dinner and been content. Well, that and the breadsticks.
Anyhow, you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this, and what on earth it has to do with this Mint Chocolate Chip Cake. Well, I had forgotten that at the end of the meal they give you these Andes Chocolate Mints and omg they are GOOD. I love the combo of mint and chocolate (hello After Eights ♥), but these mints are honestly the best. The BEST. Someone tell me where I can get these in Canada! I was hoping I’d find a giant tub of them in Costco, but no luck. I need these in my life, and my once-in-a-blue-moon trips to the Olive Garden aren’t going to cut it.
So, inspired by the delicious Andes Chocolate Mints, and in an attempt to recreate this flavor and try to satisfy my craving, I bring you this Mint Chocolate Chip Cake!
For the cake layers, I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe. It truly is the best if you like a rich, chocolatey flavor. I debated putting mint extract into the actual cake batter, but I stuck with vanilla. I wanted the frosting to contrast with the cake, and didn’t want the mint flavor to be too overpowering.
The frosting is a classic Swiss meringue buttercream but with mint extract instead of vanilla, some green color gel, and chopped chocolate added in. I recommend using good quality chocolate for the chips and the ganache. It really makes a difference! I use Callebaut, but you can use any good quality chocolate that’s available to you. If you’re limited to a grocery store, Lindt is your best bet.
To me, this cake tastes just like those delicious Andes Chocolate Mints, but in cake form. A worthy substitute until I can get my hands on some. If you love mint chocolate candy, ice cream, or any other form, you will love this cake!
Tips for this Mint Chocolate Chip Cake:
- To enhance the chocolate flavor of the cake, you can use strong hot coffee instead of hot water.
- Use good quality chocolate if you can. I use Callebaut, but Lindt will do if it’s easily available to you.
- I used Kelly Green color gel to color the frosting.
- For the ganache, I let mine set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 5-10 secs and stir it until it’s the right consistency.
- The drip technique works best on a chilled cake so that the drips set quickly.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Mint Chip Buttercream:
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
- 1 tsp mint extract
- 3 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped
- green color gel
Ganache:
- 2 oz good quality dark chocolate finely chopped
- 2 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6″ round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour hot water in slowly as not to cook the eggs).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 30-35mins.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Mint Chip Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch — approx. 5-10mins).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth. Add peppermint extract.
- Stop the mixer. Dip a toothpick into the green color gel then dip it into the frosting. Whip until smooth and evenly green. Add more color gel if desired.
- Fold in chopped chocolate.
Ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until ganache is smooth and silky. Set aside to cool completely and thicken slightly before using on cake. See notes.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving dish. Top with about 2/3 cup buttercream. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside with a thin crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula.***
- Top with fresh mint if desired.
Notes
** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
*** You may have some ganache left over. For the ganache, I let mine set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 5-10 secs and stir it until it’s the right consistency.
Chris says
The ganache/frosting combination looks beautiful here. I found the frosting to be way to light and foamy to hold up to filling layers. It kept squishing out from between the layers an the 2nd and 3rd layers were sliding off. It might do better for a flat cake where its not part of the structure of the cake. I also thought it was overly sweet. Next time I will use regular buttercream. However, thanks for the post, my daughter wanted chocolate mint so I hope she likes it!
Olivia says
Hi Chris! The frosting should not be that soft! I wonder if it needed some time in the fridge to firm up. You can check out all my tips and troubleshooting here. The frosting should be firm and easy to work with. Flat Cakes will definitely help with stacking though! If you want to try a not very sweet buttercream, give my German buttercream a try 🙂
I hope your daughter loved it 🙂
Marianne says
Hello,
My cake layers are really thin, do you have any suggestions?
They are about 2cm tall?
Olivia says
Hi Marianne! Did you use 6″ pans? If so, is your baking soda/powder fresh or are you at high elevation?
CAROLYN WALDEN says
Good morning! My daughter is dairy, soy and gluten free and I want to make this for her birthday. Any tips on possibly converting the icing to dairy free? I would need to sub the butter…I typically use Earth Balance but it is a little too greasy.
Also, thoughts on replacing the water in the cake with coffee? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Carolyn! This type of buttercream won’t work well without actual butter, so you could try an American buttercream. You can totally replace the water with coffee! 🙂
Miranda says
Hi! I want to make this recipe for my birthday this year. How many cakes does the chocolates cake recipe make? and also, my pans are 7,5 inches, do I have to adjust anything? thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Miranda! This recipe is for three 6″ pans. Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Lesley says
Just made this for my sons 13th birthday. So yummy. Thanks. The icing is like choc mint icecream.
Olivia says
Hi Lesley! So happy you liked it, thank you!
Sarah says
Tasty but mine looks nothing like her cake 🙁 the ganache definitely shouldn’t be left to cool – it doesn’t flow then. Also takes much longer than two hours.
Hers is exceptionally beautiful tho!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! If the ganache sets too much you can warm it a bit in the microwave. So glad you liked it 🙂
Brasta says
This is amazing! All of your cakes are! You have inspired me with your cakes and I have loved the unique ideas and details for cakes that you have brought to the table! Thank you for helping me love cake again! And… for helping me bring joy to my families bdays!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Brasta! Your comment made my day 🙂
Rocio says
amazing cake!Delicious
Olivia says
Hi Rocio! So happy you liked it 🙂
Raihanah says
I made this cake and it turned out delicious. My first time making swiss meringue buttercream but the recipe was very easy to follow and it turned out perfectly. I’m from the UK so being able to convert from cups to metric was really handy!
Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Raihanah! So happy to hear that it worked out for you and I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Kelly says
Second year in a row my son has asked for this cake for his birthday! It has officially become a tradition. The cake is amazing.
Olivia says
Yay! So happy he loves it 🙂
Tanja says
Hello 🙂 am I reading this right? I can freeze the buttercream as well as the cake? Do I need to assembly the cake or can I defrost the buttercream and use it? I’m turning 50 pretty soon, and mint chocolate is my middlename ( well almost) I just love love love that combination … Thanks for sharing this cake … Love Tanja, Denmark
Olivia says
Hi Tanja! You can freeze each individually or you can freeze the whole frosted cake too. Be sure to bring the buttercream to room temperature completely and rewhip before use. See this post for troubleshooting: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Cj says
Hi! Making this for my husbands birthday this week. Is the mint extract peppermint or spearmint?
I’m nervous to try this as it looks a bit intensive so fingers crossed!
Olivia says
Hi Cj! I use peppermint because that’s what I prefer. Good luck! Be sure to read through my Swiss meringue buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting before you start 🙂 https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Kat says
Hi – I only have two 6.5” round pans but they are 3” tall. Can I follow the recipe as is and cut each cake in half for four layers?
Olivia says
Hi Kat Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html I think it would probably work, but you’d need to increase the baking time. Also, make sure not to fill the pans more than half full as the batter rises a lot.
Kat says
Thank you! It worked well. I also baked them in a water bath since I don’t have the strips. All in all I think bake time was about 45 minutes. I think I might just do a two layer but will decide after it chills. I also substituted cake flour since I had it, gram for gram. The cakes look and feel wonderful (and flat topped!).
Olivia says
Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂
Anne Gillies says
Hi Olivia
I love the sound of this cake and the reviews are amazing. I am going to attempt to make it for my daughter’s 19th birthday next week. She loves mint choc chip in any form!
We have to travel through to Aberdeen with the cake and I want to make it in advance. I thought I would make the cake and frost it this weekend and then freeze it. Planning to make the ganache next week. Would I pour it over the cake before it defrosts? Can I then store the cake in the fridge overnight with the ganache on it? Sorry for all the questions but I really want to get this right.
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Anne! I think you’ve got a great plan! How long is your drive? I’ve had ganache crack on me in the fridge (and definitely freezer). Can you pour the ganache on right before you go, on a cold (or frozen) cake? That would minimize the risk of cracking I think. A frozen cake would travel very well and if your drive is a good few hours I would recommend frozen vs refrigerated.
PS – my father-in-law and his wife live in Aberdeen!
ANNE GILLIES says
Thanks for the suggestion Olivia. What a small world. My daughter is studying Law at Aberdeen University.
I’m going to take the cake out of the freezer first thing in the morning. I will be able to put the ganache on about an hour later. Does the ganache set quickly if the cake is frozen? It will be evening before we are eating it so will it defrost completely in that time?
Olivia says
Hi Anne! The ganache will set quite quickly on a frozen cake and yes, I think it should be defrosted by that time as long as you keep it at room temp (not in the fridge) after taking it out of the freezer 🙂
Robyn says
Hello! I’m planning on making this, but I only have two 8” pans. How would I alter the recipe to adjust for that?
Olivia says
Hi Robyn! As long as the pans are 2″ tall you can use the recipe as is. Baking time may need to be adjusted slightly.
Brasta says
Hi, in have now looked a lot of your recipes and your 6 in cake pans look thicker than mine. My cake pans were 6in ones that are 2in thick. Yours looks they could be 3inches thcik?
Olivia says
Hi Brasta! Mine are 2″ tall and most of my cakes bake right to the top.
Lucía Spell says
Hi Olivia! Can you please send me a link or let me know which mint extract do you use? If I can purchase it on Amazon, that will be even better! I´m from Guatemala and ordering from Amazon is just so much easier than trying to order from a store directly in the US. Thank you for your help!
Olivia says
Hi Lucia! I just used something like this: https://amzn.to/2Lrrtdt If you wanted to try something fancier, I just saw this and think it would be delicious too! https://amzn.to/2NlM7hz
Jenn B says
So my ganache didn’t turn out as it should – any tips? The first batch I made ended up burning because it wasn’t runny enough to actually pour and drip. The second batch I ended up doing in a double boiler and still was very thick, I found another place that said 1:2 chocolate to cream for pourable ganache so I tried that and it worked better, but was still pretty thick. I was terrified of overheating it again and having it burn and break though. How do you get yours so beautiful?!
Olivia says
Hi Jenn! For a pourable ganache the ratio is 1:1 chocolate to cream but by weight. Did you weigh your ingredients? The ganache should actually be too thin to pour right away once it’s made and needs time to thicken.
Brie says
Amazing thank you! I’m curious I made this a day ahead, is it safe to put the fresh mint on now (day before) or will it wilt and be better to be put on the day of?
Olivia says
Hi Brie! I would place it on day-of so that it doesn’t wilt, but it will probably be fine either way 🙂
Jen says
This recipe was phenomenal! I doubled the recipe and made (3) 8 inch cakes. I cut each layer in half making a six layer cake. It was absolutely delicious, and I definitely recommend the tip of using coffee instead of water as it really brings out the chocolate flavor
Olivia says
Hi Jen! So glad you love it, thanks for the feedback!
Sharon E Ross says
Made this for my friends birthday dinner last night. I always love trying new cakes with this crowd and with 12 birthdays between the adults and children I’m never without a chance to bake another cake. I’ve lusted after trying a cake from your site for a while and last night this cake did not fail my hopeful expectations. I used regular mini chips inside since my toddler was sleeping and I didn’t want to chop up larger blocks of chocolate. While this worked, it didn’t give the full ‘mint CHIP’ experience. I’ll have to do it up again. ;D Mint to chocolate ratio was great! EVERYONE loved the cake. Thanks again.
Olivia says
Hi Sharon! Thanks for the great feedback! So glad everyone loved the cake 🙂
Carolyn says
Hi Olivia, I made this cake for my sister’s birthday, and it was amazingt! The chocolate cake was wasn’t too sweet, and the mint buttercream was the perfect balance of sweetness and mint. It was my first time doing a drip ganache, so it was a bit uneven, but nothing extra buttercream and Sweetapolita sprinkles cound’t fix! Lol. I’ve made a few of your cakes, and they have all been fantastic. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Carolyn! Thanks for the great feedback! So happy you liked this cake and some of my other recipes 🙂
Kay says
Looking forward to making this cake for St Patrick’s Day get together. I do have a question about the darling chocolate. Is it bittersweet or semi-sweet or maybe what percentage of cocoa in the chocolate. Thanks so much.
Olivia says
Hi Kay! Mine is more on the semi-sweet side, but bittersweet will work too! It doesn’t say the percentage, but I’d guess about 65% or so.