Chocolate Mint Cake with Fresh Mint Buttercream Frosting

I spent the better part of my day in the kitchen today – but some really yummy things came out of it, and so it was work well worth it! I tried two new recipes – this chocolate mint cake and chicken parmesan casserole (I’ll post that next). They both turned out so, so good!

This spring, I decided to grow some “easy” herbs – basil, rosemary and mint. So far, so good – it’s all still alive! Until today, I hadn’t used any of the mint and so I’ve been searching for something to do with it. My love for Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies made me naturally think of chocolate. I used a chocolate cake recipe that called for boiling water and infused it with fresh mint. I did the same thing with the frosting – instead of milk, I added mint water to help thin it out a bit, plus I added some finely chopped fresh mint. It turned out awesome! The mint added such a fresh taste to the cake. The chocolate cake itself only had a hint of mint flavor, but the flavor was really present in the frosting.

Chocolate Mint Cake

1 1/4 cup water
25 mint leaves
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Fresh Mint Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup water
25 mint leaves
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 box powdered sugar (1 lb)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped unsweetened chocolate (baking squares)
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
Garnish with chopped chocolate and fresh mint leaves

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three cake pans with parchment paper and then butter and flour them. Set aside.
2.) In a small saucepan, add water and mint leaves. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3.) In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine well.
4.) Add eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and mint-infused water. Stir until well combined, but do not over-stir. Some lumps are okay. Batter will be very runny.
5.) Pour batter evenly into the three cake pans. Place in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Insert toothpick to make sure cake is done. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Allow to fully cool before icing the cakes.
6.) In the same small saucepan used before, add 1/2 cup water and 25 mint leaves. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 8 minutes. Set aside.
7.) Using a stand mixer on slowest setting, cream butter and vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar, then add salt. Add 1 or 2 tbsp of the mint-infused water to reach desired consistency. Add the chopped chocolate and fresh mint and mix until well combined.
8.) Once the cakes have cooled, add first layer to a cake plate and add slightly less than a third of the icing. Using an icing spatula, turn cake plate and spread frosting toward the edges until frosting completely covers the layer. Repeat for second layer. On the third and final layer, you should have slightly more than a third of the frosting. Spread as was done on the first and second layers. Garnish with chopped chocolate and mint leaves.