I never got the chance to be a Girl Scout, but I have been loving their cookies for a lifetime and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. They’ve got an array of amazing flavors, but my favorite are Samoas and Thin Mints. Hands down. So when I was working on a peppermint hot chocolate cake this past Christmas and it came out of the oven tasting just like a Thin Mint, I knew just what I had to do with it. I never made that peppermint hot chocolate cake (maybe this year!), but I am oh so happy with this Thin Mint inspired cake in the meantime!
It all starts with a moist, decadent Mint Chocolate cake. This is essentially my favorite chocolate cake recipe, but with mint extract (I used McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract for this) added to give it the perfect flavor. It’s really easy to go overboard with mint extract, which is why there isn’t a whole lot of it in this cake recipe, but the little bit that’s in there gives such a precise balance of mint and chocolate flavors – the same you’d find in a Thin Mint cookie. It’s a one-bowl cake recipe (yay!), which means you can whip it up in about five minutes and it’s easy for cakers of all skill levels. You really can’t go wrong with this one!
To take this cake recipe beyond, I paired the Mint Chocolate Cake with Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream and layers of crumbled Thin Mints in between. Holy yum. I originally planned on crushing the Thin Mints and adding them straight to the buttercream, but I found that they muddled the color into a weird brownish green hue. So instead, I flavored the buttercream with a touch of mint, added a few drops of Americolor Mint Green, and added chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips. The added crunch of the crushed Thin Mints along with this Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream is to die for.
To get your hands on a box of Thin Mints, you’ve got a few different options. You can use the Girl Scout website to find a booth near you, order directly from a Girl Scout if you know one, or get them on Amazon. I do recommend buying them in person, because you can guarantee you are giving to a great cause (funding the Girl Scout program, which empowers young women and teaches them leadership skills) and they’re a little bit cheaper that way too.
If you don’t have access to Thin Mints at all, you can feel free to try this recipe with a different mint chocolate cookie of your preference, or omit the cookies altogether. The cake and buttercream on their own taste like mint chocolate cake heaven, and it’s guaranteed to satisfy any lover of this flavor combo. Enjoy!
Thin Mint Chocolate Cake
Three 6-inch layers of moist, decadent Mint Chocolate Cake with layers of crumbled Thin Mint cookies and Mint Chocolate Chip buttercream. A mint chocolate lover's dream!
Ingredients
Mint Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
- 1 2/3 Cups (340g) white granulated sugar
- 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch Process)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature DIY recipe in notes below
- 1 Cup (240ml) hot water
Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream
- 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
- 6 Tbsp (89ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- A few drops of green food color gel
- 1/2 Cup (92g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, finely chopped
Chocolate Ganache Drip
- 1/2 Cup (92g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
Additional Fillings and Garnishes
- 8 Thin Mint cookies, crushed into crumbs
- 8 Thin Mint Cookies, whole (for garnish)
Instructions
Make the Mint Chocolate Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle.
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Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot water in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
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Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
Make the Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream
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With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
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Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, mixing on low and scraping down after each addition to make sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt and mix on medium-low for another two minutes until fully incorporated.
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Add a few drops of green food color gel until the desired shade of mint green is reached. Then, gently fold in the chopped chocolate.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
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Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal).
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In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to boil. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When you see that it’s just starting to boil, pour it into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for one minute.
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Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool ganache at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature.
Assembly
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Torte the cooled Mint Chocolate Cake layers and place the first one on top of a cardboard cake circle, ensuring it stays put with a swipe of buttercream between the cake and cardboard. Add a layer of Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream as filling, followed by a layer of crushed Thin Mint cookies. Place the next cake layer on top and repeat the fillings before placing the final cake layer, upside down, on top.
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To create the design pictured, frost the cake with Mint Chocolate Chip buttercream and place it into the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to firm up before adding the chocolate ganache. Once the chocolate ganache has reached room temperature and the cake finish is chilled, drip the cake with it (here is a great tutorial on how to drip cakes). Place back into the refrigerator for at least five minutes before finishing the cake with buttercream piping and more Thin Mint cookies.
Recipe Notes
DIY Buttermilk recipe: For this recipe, add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.
Make ahead tips: the Mint Chocolate Cake can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
The Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer on medium for one minute to bring it back to frosting consistency.
I’m so thrilled with how this Thin Mint Chocolate Cake recipe turned out and hope you love it as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco to show me your take on this cake. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Do you mind sharing what brand extract you used in this recipe?
Hi Amber! I used McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract and loved the flavor: https://amzn.to/37CbAc6
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Would this recipe work for three 8 inch cake tins?
Hi Angel! To make enough batter for three 8 inch cake pans you’ll need to make 1.5 of the recipe (divide each ingredient by 2 and add that number to the original amount). If it’s easier math-wise, you could also just double the recipe and have enough for 4 8-inch cake layers.
Would you mind sharing the brand of peppermint extract you use? I find some to be really off putting and others not so much.
Hi Amber. I totally agree about the mint extract! I used McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract and it was just perfect: https://amzn.to/37CbAc6
Oh. My. GOODNESSSSSSSS! I hope there is a Samoas cake in the works!!!!! I was a Girl Scout up until my senior year of HighSchool!
The Samoas… AKA, Caramel Delights… Were my ULTIMATE FAVE! Thanks for sharing! These were my brothers most favorite and his BDay is coming up!
Hi Polly! A Samoa cake is next on my list for SURE! I love them so much and a cake version would be incredible. Hope I can get a recipe out in time for your brother’s bday!
Please share the recipes in form of videos. It will be easier to make as we will be able to see the consistency of everything.
Thanks for the suggestion! I wish I had the time to make a video for each of my recipes, but realistically, it takes a LOT of time between filming, baking, editing, etc. I’ve got a few essential recipes on my list to film though and already have a video for my Vanilla Cake recipe on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss any new ones: https://www.youtube.com/sugarandsparrow
Would you happen to know the cook time if I wanted to turn this into cupcakes instead?
These would be amazing as cupcakes, Nicole! To make these as cupcakes, use the same oven temp and fill the tins no more than 2/3 full, then bake for about 17 min.
Thank you!!
I made this cake on Saturday for my sons 40th birthday. He said it was the best chocolate cake. The only thing I did wrong was not chopping up the chocolate fine enough and the tip kept getting clogged when I was doing the rosettes. I made my own thin mint cookies. This is the second recipe of yours
I have tried and it was great. Thank you so much!
I am so happy to hear that, Dawn!! I’m glad the recipe was a hit. Sounds like you went all out with making your own Thin Mint cookies and all! Great job!
This made amazing cupcakes! Couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I couldn’t find Girl Scouts selling thin mints near me but used a Wilton 1M to pipe the frosting on and it looked beautiful. I’ll definitely be trying more recipes of yours! Thanks for the great recipe! Posted photos on my Instagram @bakingwithzastrow
I’m so glad you made a cupcake version, Emily! Such a great idea. I saw them on Instagram and they turned out so beautiful! Thanks for tagging me so I could see!