When I was growing up, our small town had an AMAZING little restaurant called the Old Ice Cream Shoppe. It was in an old house that had been remodeled into a small-ish restaurant, with little wire tables and chairs, cute local decor on the walls and counter where you’d place your order for food or ice cream. It was located just about two blocks from the elementary school, and stayed open late during the summers which made it the perfect spot for a treat after a baseball game, an ice-cream cone on a hot day, or a teenage hangout once we were able to drive.
I can still picture the menu – it was one of those old slat boards with individual, pegged letters that spelled out each menu item. They had hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, fried mushrooms, big, thick-cut french fries – chicken strips, onion rings…and it was some of the food that my childhood was made of.
They had a pretty-good sized ice cream counter with several choices – my favorites being bubble-gum, butter brickle, and mint chocolate chip. There are days that I would do just about anything for a mint-chocolate chip milkshake from the Old Ice Cream Shoppe, and it breaks my heart that they’ve gone out of business.
Now, I know you can go to pretty much any ice cream shop around and get a mint-chocolate chip shake, and heck, you can make them at home pretty easily, too. But there’s just something about those styrofoam cups and old-fashioned shake machines that just seemed to make them taste better.
I think that’s why I’ve been drawn to this recipe since the moment I saw it. The pale green color, flecks of chocolate and minty buttercream just speak to me. I know that mint-chocolate chip will always take me back to my childhood, so perhaps there’s just something comforting about these familiar flavors.
The cake recipe is from the amazing Ina Garten, and the buttercream is the result of several batches of trial and error. It couldn’t be too buttery, too minty or too dense – it had to be fluffy and light with tons of chocolate. It really does taste like ice cream.
Any chocolate cake recipe will do, so feel free to use your favorite. If you DO use this recipe, make sure you use deep cake pans – at least 2 inches deep because it will rise a lot. If you don’t have 2-inch deep pans, you can use 9-inch pans instead and it should be fine.
Hope you enjoy this one! And if you haven’t yet, make sure you stop by at my Facebook page and follow along…you can also find me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest if Facebook isn’t your thing.
Thanks for coming by today! ♥erin
- 1 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cups good cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter at cool room temperature
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 6 ounces chocolate chips, chopped in food processor to fine chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper, and spray the parchment with cooking spray as well.
- Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
- With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle-scraper attachment, beat butter until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, cream and peppermint extract. Beat on low speed until completely incorporated.
- Turn mixer up to medium, and beat frosting until light and fluffy.
- Add food coloring and mix to combine.
- Once desired color is achieved, add chocolate bits, and stir to combine.
- Frost as desired.
- Enjoy!
Any suggestions if you wanted to leave out the coffee?
You can substitute hot water, but I would suggest leaving the coffee in there. The coffee does NOT make the cake taste like coffee, it just enhances the chocolate flavor. If it’s the caffeine you’re worried about, you can always use decaf. 🙂
A cup of instant coffee works fine. I’m not a coffee drinker either! I wonder how Earl Grey would taste in a cake? LOL
Great post. This will come in handy for anyone who likes mint chocolate chip ice cream including my husband.
Now this is amazing! 😀 and sooo easy too! 😀
THIS is the one I”m most anxious to try. YUM!!
I have 5 mint chocolate chip addicts around here and one has a birthday coming up. I can’t tell you how excited I am to make this for him. Thank you!
This is a family FAVORITE!!!!
So are the following, which I have tried on your site:
LOVE
the mini peach cobblers
Yummy Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
Chocolate muffins
My family LOVES the cherry cordial cupcakes
One hour cinnamon rolls
Easy Cheese Danish
Chocolate & Coconut Cream Cupcakes
OMG!!! Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Chocolate Marble Cheese cake is YUMMY too!!!
WAS THIS THE GUN TOTING THUG THAT GOT SHOT?
Is there a subsituate for buttermilk please?? Not sure if I can buy it where I am
Yes, for “homemade” buttermilk, fill measuring cup to 1-cup mark with milk. Remove 2 Tablespoons of milk, and add two tablespoons of white vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
What can I substitute for heavy cream?
You can use half and half, or even milk, but the frosting will have a slightly different consistency. 🙂
my daughter absolutely loves mint chocolate chip ice cream! I must attempt this for her! love this!
This cake is amazing! Turned out beautifully. So yummy. It will definitely have a prominent place in my repertoire.
Made this today for a neighbor’s birthday. I halved the frosting recipe and added a chocolate ganache on top. It looked so beautiful! The cake turned out extremely moist, chocolaty, and was scrumptious. I loved the idea of a mint frosting. However, I did not like how mine tasted. i think it may be the extract I am using, as everything I have added it too I have not liked (cookies, ice cream). Maybe I just need a higher quality extract.
Mint extract can be tricky!
Be careful that you use peppermint and not spearmint! BTDT!
I see a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake in my future!!
What kind of chocolate should I use for the frosting? dark chocolate? I’m going to make this today for my friend’s birthday!
I’m thinking about using the gluten-free flour in this recipe for the one who loves mint chocolate chip and has a slight gluten allergy. Have you tried this?
Made this for a birthday today. It was a great recipe. From a frosting fanatic(me)- the frosting was exactly as you said it would be. It is beautiful, had an old fashioned look and feel and you chose a great chocolate cake recipe to compliment the perfection that was the mint chip icing.
This cake is pretty fantastic, but I would definitely recommend making it a day ahead of when you plan to serve it, as it gets way better after sitting for a while.