Mint Milano Cake - slice cut

Mint Milano Cake

Pepperidge farm's delicious cookies...in a Mint Milano cake! 

Pepperidge Farm's Mint Milano cookies are still  'fancy' cookies in my head. Probably because my mom used to buy them for the tea parties my sisters and I had growing up. 🙂 Not really sure everyone loves them like I do, but for any shortbread + mint + chocolate fans, these little cookies are a for-sure win. And now I've put them into cake form! 

'Growing up' years are a ways behind me now. The closest thing I've been to resembling a tea party in recent years was a tea party-themed baby shower.

But I still love these little Mint Milano cookies! They're white shortbread wafer cookies filled with mint and chocolate - so that's the way I did the cake!

I added chopped cookies to the cake filling for some additional texture, and topped the cake with frosting swirls and cookie crumbles to decorate! Recipe below! 

Why make a Mint Milano Cake? 

  • If you love the taste of Mint Milano cookies (and what's not to love?) you'll love the rich vanilla, mint, and chocolate combination of this cake! 
  • Simple-to-make cake layers featuring the reverse creaming method for a rich and moist crumb to the cake 
  • Buttermilk in the cake layers for an even richer never-dry texture
  • Cream cheese buttercream vanilla and chocolate frosting - rich and easy without being overly sweet 
  • Marbled frosting and cookie crumbs make this cake simple to assemble and decorate - and heck, if it ends up being a little messy like mine no one will notice (or care even if they did)! 

"What do I need to make a Mint Milano Cake?"

You'll need a few of the classic cake ingredients! Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, egg whites, buttermilk, and vegetable oil - plus a touch of mint extract for the cake layers. 

Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and a bit of milk make the frosting. Save out a bit and mix in some cocoa powder to make the frosting for the filling and decorating! 

After that - all you need is a package of Mint Milano cookies! Pretty simple! 

(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

"Can you give me some tips on frosting?"

Thought you'd never ask 😉 Absolutely! 

I actually have an entire post on frosting cakes! If you're short on reading time though, I'll hit the highlights here. 

  • First, some equipment will be super helpful when you're frosting. I never frost a cake without a - 
    • Cardboard cake circle - or a completely flat plate 
  • (If you don't have any of those cake-specific supplies, you could try using the 'wheel' of your microwave turntable, and cutting down something like a large plastic lid. My first DIY scraper was definitely cut from a food container lid I didn't need anymore!) 
  • First, make sure your layers are even - these bake fairly flat and don't require much trimming, but if they're domed or uneven trim the tops down a bit. 
  • Next, make sure to stack your layers evenly, and use a 'dam' to keep the filling inside. 
  • A crumb-coat is highly recommended to keep crumbs out of that final frosting layer! 
  • Finally, when you apply your final frosting coat, I highly recommend chilling or flash freezing your cake first (unless you live in a very humid area). This really helps firm up the frosting next to the cake and make it easier to smooth! 

And I think that's it! On to the recipe - happy baking! 

Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! 

Mint Milano Cake - pinterest pin

Mint Milano Cake

Light mint cake layers, chocolate and mint filling and frosting - make this delicious cookie-based Mint Milano Cake!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time37 minutes
Decorating time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 27 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cookie Cake, Mint Chocolate Cookie Cake, Mint Milano Cake, Mint Milano Cookie Cake, Tea Party Cookie Cake
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 756kcal
Author: Sarah H

Ingredients

Mint Milano Cake layers

  • 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (or 2 sticks room temperature)
  • 1 cup egg whites (about 7 eggs, or you can use egg whites from a carton to avoid wasting the yolks)
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon mint extract
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
  • 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1-3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup of cocoa powder (save and add later!)

Decorations

  • 1 package Mint Milano cookies (about 10 chopped, 6-7 cut or broken in half; save the rest for the center of the top of the cake)

Instructions

Mint Milano Cake layers

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8 inch round pans with baker's floured spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).
  • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks crumbly.
  • Pour in egg whites, and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk on a low speed. Add in mint extract and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
  • Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
  • Bake for 34-37 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
  • Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming. If you try to trim the layers while they’re still warm, they will crumble apart.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting + filling

  • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt and beat until well combined.
  • Reserve 1 cup of frosting and mix in cocoa powder until combined, adding 1-2 more tablespoons of milk to maintain a spreadable consistency - this will be your cake filling!

Assembly

  • Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting, and spread or pipe chocolate filling over the top of the first layer. Sprinkle a layer of chopped Milano cookies over the filling, and add your next cake layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
  • Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like - a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.

Decorating

  • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part.
  • This part's optional, but I piped small lines of chocolate frosting onto the outside of the cake and smoothed the frosting with my cake scraper for a bit of a textured/marbled look to the outside of the cake.
  • Sprinkle chopped Milano cookies around the base of the cake, and press them into the cake base with your hands or the back of a spoon.
  • Top with frosting swirls and halved cookies, and arrange a few whole cookies on top of a frosting swirl in the center of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with cookie crumbs....and you're done! Step back, admire your work....and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 756kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 39g

Mentioned in post 
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Did you make this Mint Milano cake? 

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