Mint Chocolate Cake

<< The recipe for Mint Chocolate Cake comes from the article Piece of Cake written by Charles Perry in the Los Angeles Times on August 5th, 2009. Perry recounts his appreciation of classic baking techniques and efforts to create cakes that are not only attractive, but delicious. Mint Chocolate Cake is perfect for entertaining and if you serve it during Chanukah, garnish the top with a few foil-wrapped chocolate coins. Place the coins all around the edge of the top, sticking them into the frosting either standing up or lying flat.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature (plus a bit more to grease pans)
2 cups flour, divided (8.5 oz.)
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease the inside of two 9" round cake pans with butter. It is advisable to line bottom of pans with parchment paper - grease the paper as well.

Sprinkle about 2 tsp. flour into each pan and shake around until thoroughly dusted. Turn over pan and shake out excess.

In a small bowl, add the cocoa into the boiling water, stirring until smooth. Set aside until cooled off.

In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl (if using a hand mixer), beat butter until fluffy, for 1-2 minutes. Reduce speed of mixer and add the sugar while the mixer is still running and continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time followed by the vanilla, mixing all ingredients until combined.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt, stirring to blend.

Add one third of the cooled cocoa to the butter mixture and beat until combined, then add one third of the flour minxture. Repeat with the remaining cocoa and flour in two more batches.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Smooth the top surface with a spatula. Bake in centre of oven until surface springs back when touched and cake has started to pull away from the sides of the pan. This will take about 30 minutes.

Transfer cake pans (do not remove cakes) to cooling racks for 10 minutes - then, turn each pan over onto a rack or plate and tap lightly to remove the cakes from the pans. Peel off parchment paper. Invert cakes once again onto plates so that they are right side up. Cool to room temperature before frosting.

Ingredients for Mint Frosting:

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 (1 lb.) boxes confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. salt (heaping)
2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
Cake layers

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes at low speed). Add confectioner's sugar and continue to beat until evenly incorporated. With mixer running, add salt and peppermint extract - mix well. Add 1/4 cup milk and beat until blended. Keep adding additional milk, 1 tbsp. at a time, until frosting has a light, fluffy and spreadable consistency. This yields about 8 cups of frosting.

Assemble Mint Chocolate Cake: put one cake layer, top side down on a serving plate. Cover the top surface of cake with about 2 cups of frosting. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting and frost the sides and top of the cake with remaining frosting.

Mint Chocolate Cake serves: 16

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