Thin Mints Drip Cake

Thin Mints Drip Cake

Zero hesitation here...

Thin Mints are definitely my favorite Girl Scout cookie! I bought more boxes from my nieces than I even knew what to do with this year. Sort-of-definitely-on-purpose. That always calls for a Thin Mints cake! I'm still a little impressed with myself; I’ll absolutely be making this one again sometime. I loved the way it turned out - look *and*taste! 

Mint cake layers, chocolate ganache + crushed Thin Mint filling, covered with mint frosting and chocolate ganache and topped with whole and crushed Thin Mints – it’s one of the BEST cookies ever in cake form! Thin Mint Drip Cake recipe below! 

FAQs: 

Okay but cake drips make me nervous. Any tips?
  • First off don't worry too much about it! No two drip cakes ever look identical, and they're easier to do than they look at first! 
  • I rarely have problems with this ganache recipe - it's a classic and you can find the same recipe all over the internet. It just works! That said, do make sure that when you're measuring the chocolate and heavy cream you're careful and accurate. Too much/little of either may throw off the consistency of your drip. 
  • I also always recommend a tiny bit of ganache for a test drip. If you try out a test drip, you can add the rest of the ganache with a lot more confidence. Adjust by warming or chilling the ganache slightly if the mixture is too thin or too thick. That test drip has saved me a lot of headaches before! 
"Can you give me some tips for smoothing out the frosting?"

Absolutely can - I actually have an entire post on frosting cakes! I also posted a video tutorial on smoothing cake frosting on YouTube. But I'll cover the highlights here! 

  • First, some equipment will be super helpful when you're frosting. I never frost a cake without a - 

  • (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. That's how I made my first cake scraper! ) 

  • I always recommend making sure your layers are pretty even - a touch of uneven-ness won't kill you, and these layers bake fairly flat. But if they're domed or uneven trim the tops down a bit so they're fairly flat.  

  • I cover this in the recipe card, but I always recommend a frosting 'dam' to keep your filling inside, and a crumb coat to keep crumbs out of that outer final frosting layer.
  • Finally, when you spread on that final frosting coat, I highly recommend chilling or flash freezing your cake first (unless it's super humid where you live - it can cause your cake to 'sweat' or develop condensation). 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! 

(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!) 

Don't forget to pin for later!

Thin Mint Drip Cake pinterest pin
Thin Mints Drip Cake

Thin Mints Drip Cake

Sarah H
One of my most popular drip cakes on Pinterest - here's how to make a delicious Chocolate Mint Thin Mints Drip Cake!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Decorating time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 servings
Calories 755 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Mint Cake layers

  • 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 cup egg whites (about 7 eggs, or use carton egg whites so you don’t waste yolks!)
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 1-2 drops liquid green food coloring (to make a pale mint green)

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package, softened)
  • 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk to achieve a spreadable consistency
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter

Cake Filling & Drip + Decorations

  • 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 2 cups
  • 12 ounces heavy whipping cream 1 1/2 cups
  • 1 ½ sleeves Thin Mint Cookies (total for cake filling and topping - similar cookies available on Amazon if you can't buy them in your area!)

Instructions
 

Mint Cake layers

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with baker's floured cooking spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).
  • Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer until fully combined.
  • Mix bits 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 peppermint extract, oil, and food color, 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 toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. 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 and break.
  • This is a great time to make your frosting!

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

  • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add flavor and salt if needed and beat until well combined.

Chocolate Ganache

  • (You can fill your cake with just frosting, but if you’d like to use ganache make it now! Some of it will need time to chill so you can use it for filling.) Combine 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips with 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream. Microwave on half power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
  • Remove 2/3 cup of ganache to fill the cake and chill until spreadable.

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. With a piping bag, add a small border or ‘dam’ around the outer edge to hold your fillings in. Spread chocolate ganache over the layer. Crush 2-3 Thin Mint cookies and cover the ganache with the crumbs, add a drizzle of (not-chilled) ganache over the top, 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 – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
  • Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 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.
  • Once your cake is covered, place it into the fridge or freezer to set the frosting. (This is a great time to make your ganache if you haven’t already!)

Adding the drip

  • (I usually find a squeeze bottle or piping bag work the best for this drip when you first start working with it. A spoon will work; it just won't give you quite as much control.)
  • When your ganache has cooled to a moderate temperature – it should feel slightly warm and still be fairly liquid – transfer it to a squeeze bottle or piping or small ziplock bag – or get your spoon ready!
  • (I recommend starting with a test drip. If the drip is too thick/slow warm the ganache slightly; if it's too thin give it some more time to cool.) Slowly drizzle ganache around the top edge of the cake, pausing every inch or so to allow the ganache to run down the sides of the cake.
  • Cover the cake top with remaining ganache. If needed, smooth any gaps or bumpy spots with a small offset spatula. Place the cake into the refrigerator to set the drips!

Decorating!

  • Transfer your remaining mint frosting to your large piping bag and use the tip of your choice (I used the large star) to pipe swirls of frosting alternating with Thin Mints around the top border of your cake.
  • Crush several more Thin Mints and add them to the top and around the base of the cake, pressing them slightly into the frosting with the back of a spoon or offset spatula. You can press a few chunks into the frosting further up the sides of the cake as well, if you’d like. And you’re done! Cut in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

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

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (1/16th cake)Calories: 755kcalCarbohydrates: 103gProtein: 9gFat: 38g
Keyword Chocolate Ganache Drip, Mint Chocolate Cake, Thin Mint Drip Cake, Thin Mints Drip Cake
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3 thoughts on “Thin Mints Drip Cake

  1. In the icing recipe, it says about milk, ut there is no measurment for the milk in the list of ingredients. How much milk is needed for the icing?

    1. Ugh, I’m so sorry! The first time I made this frosting I used creme de menthe and left out the milk. I liked the flavor of peppermint extract better though, and used about 2 Tablespoons of milk to get the frosting to a spreadable consistency. When I posted the recipe I forgot to add the milk back in. I’ve fixed the recipe; thank you for asking!!

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