Recipe Book

Mint Chocolate Cake (Grasshopper Cake)

Desserts 55 min

Adapted from Dinner, then Dessert (Sabrina Snyder)

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 cup 400 g sugar
  • 1 3/4 cup 220 g flour
  • 1 cup 85 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (bikarbonat)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup 240 ml whole milk
  • 1/2 cup 120 ml vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp 15 ml vanilla extract
  • 1 cup 240 ml hot coffee (or boiling water)

Mint frosting

  • 4 cup 480 g powdered sugar (florsocker)
  • 1 cup 227 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 tsp mint extract
  • 3-4 drops green food colouring
  • 2-3 tbsp ~40 ml milk

Method

  1. Cake
  2. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter both 23cm (9") pans and dust with cocoa powder instead of flour, so there's no white residue on the finished cake.
  3. In a stand mixer on low, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to the dry mixture on low, then medium speed, mixing only until it comes together.
  5. Add the hot coffee by hand with a spatula — the batter is thin at this stage and the mixer will throw it out of the bowl. Stir just until incorporated.
  6. Divide evenly between the two pans. Bake 30–35 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  7. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. The layers must be at room temperature before frosting or the buttercream will slump.
  8. Mint frosting
  9. Beat the powdered sugar, butter, and mint extract in a stand mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
  10. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time, stopping as soon as the frosting spreads easily with a spatula — the amount needed varies with butter temperature.
  11. Add the green food colouring one drop at a time on medium speed until you reach the shade you want.

Notes