Yep, had to make this one! This Thick Mint Cookie Cake from The Cake Book is a take on that famous thin mint cookie - you know the one I mean.
Thin mint cookies happen to be one of my favorite and I was so excited to see this recipe.
The cake has three layers - a rich chocolate cake, luscious mint filling and then a layer of incredible chocolate ganache.
You can't see it very well, but there is minced fresh mint in the filling. So good.
My ganache isn't as shiny as I'd like for it to have been and that's because I didn't stir, stir, stir until it was shiny.
It's really delicious, though, and I made little truffles with the leftovers (refrigerated chocolate till cool, rolled into balls and dipped in cocoa.) Silky delectable chocolate goodness.
Let's talk about the cake. It's on the verge of being labor intensive, just because of the attention you need to pay to the ganache.
Besides that, it makes a fairly easy (and very tasty) deep chocolate cake, and I'd use that easy-to-make filling as a frosting on any cake you'd throw my way. (Please don't throw cake...)
I wish my photos would've done the cake justice.
The only thing - and I mean only thing - I'd change is to use only half of the filling on the cake. My husband thought it was perfect, though, so whatever you like. I think the trick is to get the filling spread as evenly as possible across the cake.
I cut the pieces very small, mainly because of the amount of rich filling.
You can make this Thick Mint Cookie Cake, taste the filling, and see what you think. You do need to make this though. It's different, delicious, and an impressive dessert.
If you enjoy this cake, you might also enjoy Siren's Chocolate Cake - it's so good and a great cake to make on birthdays or special days!
Don't forget to check out the other Cake Slice Bakers' Group's cakes for this month (links below recipe)!
Thick Mint Cookie Cake
Decadently delicious chocolate cake topped with mint frosting and a layer of silky chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 1 Cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (113g) butter, room temperature
- ¼ Cup (56g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (13g) vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (135g) all-purpose flour
- ½ Cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (6g) sea salt
- ½ Cup (112g) hot water
- For the Ganache:
- 2 Cups (340g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ Cups (300g) heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- For the Peppermint Cream:
- 8 tablespoons (113g) butter, room temperature
- ½ Cup (113g) shortening
- 2 tablespoons (4g) fresh mint, finely minced
- 3 ½ Cups (420g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8g) peppermint extract
- 3 tablespoons (45g) milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° (177°C). Grease a 9" round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and butter and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer on low, stream in the oil. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to blend ingredients well.
- With the mixer on low, add in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add in the vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds more.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture in three batches, mixing each until almost completely blended. Pour in the hot water and whisk to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended. Pour into the prepared cake pan. Tap on the counter several times to settle the cake batter and release any trapped bubbles. Use a spatula to smooth and even out the top of the cake. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes and then turn out of the pan to finish cooling. (Cool completely before frosting.)
- For the Ganache: Add the chocolate, cream and sea salt to the top pan of a double boiler (bottom pan with about 1" of simmering water). Stir frequently until all is combined, melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Remove pan from the heat and let the ganache sit, stirring frequently until cooled, but still fluid. (See notes below.)
- For the Peppermint Cream: Place the butter, shortening, and minced mint in a stand mixer bowl. Mix on medium-low until well blended. Add in the powdered sugar, peppermint extract and milk, and continue blending until whipped, smooth, and creamy. (I started with 1 tsp. peppermint extract, then tasted, then added a little more till it was minty, but not toothpaste minty.)
- Put together the Cake: Place the cake on a cake plate and spread the peppermint cream evenly over the top of the cake, making as smooth as possible (lumps will show up when the ganache is added), following the edges of the cake. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Place a rack over a sheet of aluminum foil with all four edges turned up a little to catch the frosting. Set the cake on top of the rack. Pour the ganache evenly over the cake, using an offset spatula to smooth it and make sure the entire cake is evenly covered. Return to the refrigerator to set at least 30 minutes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
- (Recommend taking out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you serve to guests, so the ganache can soften - it's best that way.)
Notes
The original recipe uses 1 teaspoon sea salt in the cake, but I use salted butter, so decreased it to ¾ teaspoon.
To cool down the cake a little more quickly, I let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then turned out onto a cake plate and put in the refrigerator while I made the other components.
If the ganache thickens too much to pour over the cake, put the fire on lowest low and put the pan on it for about 5 seconds (no more). Remove from fire and stir, stir, stir.
I used the excess ganache as truffles. (Let the ganache cool or put in the refrigerator. Then scoop out a small spoon full, roll into a ball and then roll the ball in cocoa or nuts. Keep refrigerated). You don't want to waste any of that ganache!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving by Rebecca Firth. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!
Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.
The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.
Ginger Lime Tea Cake
Thicc Mint Cookie Cake
Hi! Two questions for you.
1) Can I replace the butter with more olive oil, for a total of 3/4 cup olive oil?
2) Can I replace peppermint essential oil for the extract? If so, how much?
Thank you.
Monika, yes you can substitute olive oil for the butter, but the texture of the cake may be a bit different (but still good). It is recommended to not use the entire 8 tablespoon swap of butter to olive oil, but rather substitute the 8 tablespoons of butter with 6 tablespoons of olive oil (in addition to the 1/4 cup of already stated olive oil).
On the peppermint oil, it's so much stronger than extract that I would start with 1/4 teaspoon, taste and see if you think it needs more. Hope that helps!
That is SO helpful. Thank you so so much! Most people just reply "yes" or "no" or "try it and let me know", but you really helped me.
One more question (sorry). Most places say that 1 cup of flour is 120 grams. Your recipe has it at 135 grams? It is more important to go by your volume measurement or gram?
Thanks!
Hi Monika! The original recipe by Rebecca Firth has 135 grams per cup of flour and I looked back in her book and all the recipes in there have it like that. King Arthur reports it as 120 grams. In this recipe, I'd go by what Rebecca has put because she's apparently tested and retested. I do make a lot of recipes by weight, but this time I did make it by volume, spooning the flour lightly into the cup and leveling off.
Oh, my goodness - this cake was amazing! So decadent! I only did half of the mint cream since I'm one who prefers regular Oreos to Double Stuf - in other words, don't like too much filling. It was perfect for my tastes. Just like with Thin Mint cookies, I had to hide most of it in the freezer so I wouldn't gorge myself at one sitting. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I'm so glad you liked it, April. I'm with you - about half the filling would be perfect for me, too!
Your photos are fabulous!! I totally wanted to make this one and it will probably be my December choice. I love chocolate and mint.
Awww, thanks Karen - you're sweet.
I totally recommend this one. It would be a good holiday selection, definitely!
It reminds me of a bumpy cake but with mint flavoring. Count me in!!
I've never heard of bumpy cake - had to look it up! Yum! This one is amazing. I think you'd like it.