Thin Mints Drip Cake
One of my most popular drip cakes on Pinterest - here's how to make a delicious Chocolate Mint Thin Mints Drip Cake!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 755kcal
Equipment
- 1 10 inch cardboard cake circle (or 8 inch; a larger circle makes moving the cake easier)
- Squeeze bottle (or small piping bag or spoon, to add ganache drip)
- large piping bag + star tip (to pipe a 'dam' to hold filling in & for decorating)
- small offset spatula (or spoon; to smooth ganache & press cookie crumbs into the side of the cake)
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
- ⅛ 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: 755kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g