This one layer mint chocolate cake is reminiscent of a thin mint cookie! The recipe comes from Rebecca Firth’s cookbook The Cake Book and is truly a dessert masterpiece complete with rich chocolate cake, mint cream frosting, and glossy dark chocolate ganache to finish it all off.
One reader, Gemma, commented: “This recipe is amazing! The description of being a giant thin mint in the form of cake is so accurate… so minty, so delicious, and so easy! Everyone loved itโthis is a definite remake. Thank you, Sally! โ โ โ โ โ “
You’re going to fall in love with this cake.
But first, let me share the source of this outstanding recipe. Do you follow Rebecca Firth from the blog Displaced Housewife? Rebecca is a best-selling author and flavor genius who imparts her creativity in every single recipe she publishes. She is so much fun to follow because she tells us to “bake like a boss!” Plus, her photography is stunning, her recipes are unique and craveable, and she is truly as sweet as her vanilla chocolate chip cookies.
Rebecca, you’re such a delight!!
The Cake Book!
Rebecca Firth’s latest book is The Cake Book and I am so excited to share one of her recipes. Rebecca says that every occasion is better with cake and I know everyone reading this probably agrees! The Cake Book is filled with 60 fun and unique cake recipes divided into 8 chapters. Every single recipe includes a photo, cup & gram measurements, and thorough instructions. Some recipes I’m eager to try next include Raspberry Jam Coffee Cake, Chocolate Stout Cake with Champagne Buttercream, Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Lemon Olive Oil Chiffon Cake. Read more about The Cake Book here!
Mint Chocolate Cookie Cake Details
Rebecca calls this indulgent dessert her Thicc Mint Cookie Cake. I include the word “chocolate” in the title just in case you come here searching for a chocolate cake. This cake is reminiscent of a thin mint cookie, which is why Cookie is in the title. But, you see, it’s not thin at all… it’s THICCCCCCK! The cake is a 1 layer 9-inch moist chocolate cake topped with peppermint cream frosting and mega glossy dark chocolate ganache. Eat your heart out!
- Flavor: Enjoy dark, rich chocolate cake with peppermint frosting, and dark chocolate ganache on top. If you love mint and chocolate, you’d be a fool to skip this stunner.
- Texture: This special single layer chocolate cake is as moist as my layered chocolate cake. What I love about Rebecca’s recipe, though, is that it’s made with both oil and butter. The combination of fats add plenty of moisture (oil) AND flavor (butter). I also find this cake isn’t as light and sponge-y as the layered chocolate cake, so you’ll enjoy a tighter crumb in each forkful.
- Ease: There’s 3 components to this recipe and you can work on each as others are baking/cooling/setting up. There aren’t any specialty tools required, but a double boiler is handy for the ganache. If you don’t have a double boiler, use a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Assembly and decorating is a breeze, which is something I always appreciate with one layer cakes!
Cake Batter Key Ingredients
Besides some basics like eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, and salt, here are some key ingredients you need for the cake batter.
- Butter: I love that Rebecca’s cake calls for both butter and oil. As mentioned above, you get rich flavor and moisture from both.
- Olive Oil: Use your extra virgin olive oil in this cake. If it’s something you like to cook with, it’s something you want to use in this recipe. If you don’t have olive oil, I’m sure you could use vegetable oil.
- Vanilla Extract: Rebecca is no stranger to vanilla extract and she loves using plenty in her delicious recipes. You need vanilla extract for the cake batter AND the chocolate ganache on top. Make sure you pick up some peppermint extract for the mint cream layer, too.
- Cocoa powder: Rebecca’s recipe calls for dutch process cocoa. I accidentally used natural cocoa the 1st time I made it, then I made it again with dutched. Both cakes were amazing! You could use either in this recipe.
- Hot Water: Hot water is the very last ingredient in the cake batter. Have you made my layered chocolate cake before? That recipe also calls for hot liquid (water or black coffee). Hot liquid enhances cocoa powderโs flavor and also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately.
Below, right: Take a look at the photo below on the right. That’s creamed butter + sugar + olive oil. Make sure you cream the butter and sugar together first, and then mix in the olive oil.
Let me show you the cake batter before and after adding the hot water. On the left below, notice the thick batter. On the right below, the batter has thinned out after adding the hot liquid.
Bake the cake in a 9-inch round cake pan. My #1 tip is to always line your round pans with parchment paper rounds before adding the batter.
If you’re looking for smaller 6-inch cake, this 1 layer 6-inch chocolate cake is a favorite.
Finishing the Mint Chocolate Cookie Cake
This cake wouldn’t be THICK without our layered toppings:
- Peppermint Cream: The thick layer of peppermint frosting reminds me of the filling between oatmeal creme pies, only with a mint flavor. The peppermint cream uses a combination of butter and shortening for flavor and stability. You also need peppermint extract AND real mint for flavor. Save a few mint leaves for garnish, if desired.
- Ganache: Start the chocolate ganache as the cake cools because by the time the cake has cooled, the ganache will be ready too. Rebecca’s ganache uses *slightly* more chocolate than cream, so it’s wonderfully thick. (Thinner chocolate ganache uses a 1:1 ratio.) Use 2 cups of chopped dark chocolate, which is about 3 4-ounce chopped baking chocolate bars (such as Ghirardelli or Bakers brand). A little salt and vanilla add flavor to her ganache. I actually reduced the salt in the ganache the 2nd time I made it because I used intense dark chocolateโsee my recipe note below.
Both toppings yield a lot of volume and don’t be afraid to use it all!
I hope you enjoy this show-stopping cake and if you have a moment, check out Rebecca’s new cookbook. I know many of you love finding new cake recipes!
Print
Mint Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This mint chocolate cookie cake will remind you of a thin mint cookie, only it’s not thin… it’s mega thick! The show stopping cake, complete with peppermint cream and glossy chocolate ganache, comes from Rebecca Firth’s cookbook The Cake Book.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 8 pieces
- 1/4 cup (56g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 1 cup (135g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened dutch-process or natural cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt or fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 cups (340g) dark chocolate, finely chopped* (see note)
- 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or fine sea salt*
- 2 teaspoons (8g) pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
Peppermint Cream
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113g) vegetable shortening, room temperature*
- 2 Tablespoons (4g) fresh mint, finely chopped (plus more for garnish if desired)
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8g) peppermint extract
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) whole milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Grease a 9ร2-inch round cake pan, line with a parchment paper round, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cake seamlessly release from the pan. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakesย video & post.)
- For the cake:ย In the bowl of an electric handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) With the mixer on low, slowly stream in the oil. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended. With the mixer on low, add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each is incorporated before adding in the next. Add the vanilla and run the mixer for 30 more seconds. Take the bowl out of the mixer.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. With a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture in three batches, mixing each until almost blended. Batter will be very thick. Finally, pour in the hot water and whisk to combine. Pour evenly into prepared cake pan. Lightly tap pan on the counter a few times to settle the cake batter and release any trapped air bubbles.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 30-36 minutes (and up to 40 minutes, if needed but begin checking at 30). The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or when the cake springs back if you lightly poke the center with your finger. Remove from the oven and cool cake in the pan set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and place cake directly on the cooling rack to finish cooling. Once cool, you can place the cake on your cake stand or serving plate.
- Make the ganache as the cake cools: Place the chocolate, cream, and salt in a large heat-safe bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. (Or use a double boiler if you have one.) Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Stir frequently until chocolate has melted and ganache is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside at room temperature to cool until thickened. You want it cool enough to not melt the frosting, but still a little fluid. This takes about 60-90 minutes to cool. (NOTE: This yields a lot of ganache and I used about 3/4 of it on top of the cake and then drizzled more on each slice.)
- For the peppermint cream frosting: In the bowl of an electric handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and mint together on medium-low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine. Add confectioners’ sugar, peppermint extract, and milk and continue beating until whipped, smooth and creamy.
- Assemble:ย Spread peppermint cream in a thick layer all over the top of the cooled cake. There’s a lot of frosting, so pile it high. Try to make the edges sharp angles that follow the line of the cake. (You can see it pictured above.) I always use a small icing spatula. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to help set the frosting. Pour ganache slowly on top of cake and use a small offset spatula or a knife to gently spread all over the frosting. Return cake to the refrigerator and chill uncovered for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Feel free to garnish with mint leaves.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Wrap the baked and cooled cake tightly and keep at room temperature for 1 day or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature (if frozen) then continue with step 5. Peppermint frosting can also be made 1 day ahead of time. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Bring frosting to room temperature, and then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so itโs creamy again. Adding a splash of milk will help thin the frosting out, if needed. You can also make the ganache 1 day in advance and cover and refrigerate, but you may need to slightly warm it again over a stove so it’s slightly fluid again. Assembled/frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then bring to room temperature or serve cold. See How to Freeze Cakes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 9-inch Round Cake Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional) |ย Small Icing Spatula | Small Offset Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Chocolate in Ganache: You can use 2 cups of high quality dark chocolate chips or 3 4-ounce chocolate baking bars that you can find in the baking aisle such as Ghirardelli or Bakers brand. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate is fine.
- Salt in Ganache: I used 70% dark chocolate baking bars (found in the baking aisle), so I reduced the salt in Rebecca’s recipe. If using very dark chocolate, you may want to keep the amount at 1/4 teaspoon. If using a sweeter chocolate, feel free to use 1/2 teaspoon as her recipe calls for.
- Shortening: If you do not have shortening, you can replace with the same amount of room temperature unsalted butter for a total of 1 cup (226g) butter in the peppermint frosting.
- Recipe with permission from The Cake Book by Rebecca Firth
Reader Comments and Reviews
My little sisters favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip, so for her birthday I made her this cake, it was a ten out of ten!!!!!!!
Hi, Iโm wondering if this cake should be served cold or at room temp? I made it with Sallyโs peanut butter frosting and itโs been in the fridge since I made it last night.
Hi Emily, it’s great cold or you can let it warm up a bit at room temperature before enjoyingโup to you!
I’ve had my eye on this recipe for awhile now, but my daughter chose this for her birthday cake this year, prompting me to finally bake it. Let me tell you, I’m sorry I waited so long! Absolutely delicious, though I would say this is more along the lines of a giant peppermint patty over a thin mint cookie. I was worried about the fresh mint in the peppermint cream, but you can’t even tell it’s there, other than from the flavor. I wondered if the chocolate cake would be as good as Sally’s, as her chocolate cakes are always the absolute best, but this was delicious also. (I used coffee instead of water and mine was baked in 25 minutes.) In response to comments, I made 3/4 of the ganache recipe, using 1 semi-sweet and 1 dark chocolate bar, and I still ended up with a bit leftover, even though I poured it on thickly. Bottom line: if you love chocolate and mint, make this soon. You won’t be sorry!
Good afternoon Sally, how do I make this recipe for a 15cm diameter by 10cm high form?
Hi Eduarda! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Hi Sally!
I would like to make a two layer cake with this recipe. What do you think?
Thank you for all your great recipes.
Hi Marie-Claude, for a two layer cake, you could try using our two layer triple chocolate cake recipe, with this peppermint cream in the middle of the layers. You could top with ganache, or buttercream, or both! Let us know what you try!
Thank you for your reply!
I will use the chocolate cake recipe that you suggested with the mint buttercream in the middle and top it up with lovely ganache!
Thank you!โจโจโจ
Hi Sally, I made this cake for my son’s birthday this past weekend. What a hit! I really love that your recipes are easy to follow. I encountered a few problems though. The first time, the cake came out way too thin. I believe my cake tin is deeper than what you suggested so it didn’t rise well enough.
Second time around, I doubled the quantities and it was good. The texture was a little bit on the crumbly side. What could I have missed, and how do I correct this next time? I also slashed the sugars by half for the cake, and one cup for the peppermint cream. It still came out pleasantly sweet.
Hi Maggie, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. The resulting texture is likely because of the reduction in sugar.
Made this cake for a bbq we had at home and it was absolutely delicious!! Not everyone likes mint so we had about half left over which I sliced and froze. My husband and I really enjoyed taking out a slice of frozen cake, letting it defrost for 10 minutes and enjoying a treat later in the month! I will make this again! No problems with the recipe at all.
My daughter-in-law would like a chocolate cake for her birthday, but I don’t want to make a multi-layer cake because that will be too much for 6 people. I have made your 6-inch chocolate cake before and it was delicious, but a bit small perhaps.
So can I make this chocolate cake and just leave out the mint frosting, topping the cake with just the ganache?
Hi Jean, you could, but you could also try a layer of another flavor of frosting underneath the ganache, such as peanut butter frosting for example. Enjoy!
It tasted great and I followed the recipe exactly but when I pulled it out the wholle middle completely collapsed.
I’m sorry, Cecil. Do you think it was under-baked at all?
What type of mint for the fresh do you recommend? Spearmint or peppermint?
Hi Jon, we imagine any mint you enjoy would be fineโ we used peppermint.
Can this be made and assembled the day before?
Absolutely! You can refrigerate it overnight, but I recommend letting it sit for a few hours at room temperature before serving.
This recipe is THE best! I made it on a whim because I had an overgrown mint plant that needed to be trimmed, and I thought a mint chocolate cake would be a good recipe to use a lot of mint. I brought this cake with me to work, and I did not leave with any of it! People who Iโve barely interacted with went out of their way to tell me how good it was, and itโs all thanks to your amazing recipe, once again! It tastes like an Andeโs mint and a Thin Mint, but itโs cake! Iโll be making this again (and again) soon!
Can I make the chocolate mint cake as a sheet cake. What would I need to change?
Hi Shawn! For a chocolate sheet cake, we recommend our triple chocolate cake recipe – it’s the right amount of batter. We would use the sour cream version detailed in the recipe notes for a sturdier crumb. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you so much for all your recepies! I live in Finland and I often come here to find delicous cake-recepies ๐
This didn’t work. Cake fell, too much baking powder. Your recipes are usually spot on, but this is a mess.
Hi Patricia! Did you use 1 teaspoon baking powder? That’s what this recipe calls for and shouldn’t be too much. Usually when cakes fall, they’ve been under-baked. An easy fix for next time! Make sure to use a toothpick to test for doneness. Also check to make sure that your baking soda and powder are fresh.
Hi! I have Peppermint essenceโ not extract. How much will I use in the frosting?
Hi AA, weโre unsure how much you would need, as essences can be quite strong. Youโll likely need less. Let us know what you try!
Can I use an 8 inch pan for the cake. I found a 9 inch pan at the store but itโs only 1 inch deep.
Hi Kathy, this cake would be too thick in an 8 inch pan, unfortunately. You could make an 8 inch cake plus a few cupcakes with the excess batter instead!
French person here, and I agree with some comments that this might be a bit too “american” for some of us. I like the idea and my boyfriend loves After eight though, so I did it with some adaptations (70g of sugar in the cake batter, replacing the oil with butter, I added an egg and didn’t put any water ; I reduced the sugar to 250g in the mint butter cream and I just infused dried mint leaves in the milk the day before which provided a strong mint flavour and no texture problem… it was enough and the texture was good ; I reduced the quantity of frosting by 1/3 and I still had some left over). The result was really good, still rich and definitely sugary enough. Thank you for the interesting idea!
Sally
I really want to make this cake. What would be a better alternative to the vegetable shortening? That is not good for anyone. Would butter be a better choice in its place. TY
Hi Judy, You can replace with the same amount of room temperature butter. See the recipe note below the recipe for details.
I am thinking about making this but using cream cheese instead of Crisco to cut the sweet. Should I substitute half a cup equally?
Hi Amy! Cream cheese wouldn’t be a 1:1 swap here. If you don’t have shortening, you can use butter.