Recipe Tuesday :: Minty Chocolate Cupcakes

Mom's birthday was back in February and I always like to give her a choice of flavor for her birthday cupcakes.  She loves chocolate, so that's always the base, but the coordinating flavors change.  This year it was chocolate and mint.

I searched the Pinterest boards and found a few different Chocolate Mint cupcakes.  There were ones that were themed around Thin Mint cookies or Junior Mints or Andes Mints or even Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream.  But I really didn't like any of the recipes.  There seemed to be too much or too little mint, the cake was just a box cake hack or the frosting was all buttercream.  So I took it into my own hands to make an actual recipe.  I started with my basic chocolate cake and added a touch of mint extract.  Mom isn't a fan of peppermint and you can get just mint extract, which is more subtle and spearmint like.

The secret ingredient to chocolate cake...Espresso Powder.

Espresso Powder + Hot Water = Strong Black Coffee

Then I used that cherry frosting recipe from the last post, which is a cream cheese frosting base and then added mint flavor and green food coloring.  Ta da!  Mint cream cheese frosting that is delicious and flavorful.  The finishing touch, mini chocolate chips.  Yum!

Minty Chocolate Cupcakes

For the Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee, cooled to room temperature
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line pan with cupcake liners.
2)  In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together dry ingredients:  flour, cocoa, sugars, baking soda,
     baking powder and salt.
3)  Add the eggs and start the mixer.  Add in the buttermilk, coffee, oil, vanilla and mint and beat for
     2 minutes or until well blended, scraping down bowl.  Batter will be thin.
4)  Pour batter into cupcake liners to 3/4 full.
5)  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6)  Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.


For the Frosting:
8 oz (1 brick) REGULAR cream cheese, brought to room temperature
1 1/2 stick butter, brought to room temperature
3 to 5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp mint extract (or to taste)
green food coloring

1)  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes until creamy.
2)  Add mint extract and mix well.
3)  Gradually add in confectioner's sugar, mixing well and scraping sides of bowl between each
     addition.
4)  Beat on high for 2 to 5 minutes until frosting is creamy and stiff enough to stand up.
5)  Fill piping bag and swirl frosting on top of cupcakes.  Top with mini chocolate chips.