Mint Chocolate Cake, aka Creme de Menthe Cake or Grasshopper Cake, is a super moist, delicious cake with swirls of mint and white cake, flecks of chocolate, creamy hot fudge, and fluffy mint Cool Whip frosting topped with Andes mints. Festive dessert for the holiday season, St. Patrick's Day, or special occasions.
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This mint chocolate cake recipe is a spin on a retro creme de menthe cake recipe my mom shared with me.
Maybe you've seen it? It's white cake flavored with creme de menthe and topped with hot fudge sauce and creme de menthe Cool Whip. It's easy, simple, and delicious.
And yet I messed around with it anyway.
Revamped Creme de Menthe Cake
Milk, sour cream, and vanilla give the boxed cake mix moisture and homemade flavor. Chopped chocolate adds rich chocolate flavor and a peppermint bonbon ice cream vibe to the cake batter.
The pretty marble effect looks like you did something ~fancy~ but is so easy to do. Just mix creme de menthe syrup into half of the cake batter and swirl the two together.
The hot fudge and creme de menthe Cool Whip layers stayed the same because they're so simple and goshdarn delicious.
This revamped chocolate mint cake recipe is perfect for your holiday dessert table or whenever mint chocolate cravings come to call.
Try these easy cake mix recipes next!
- Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Sauce
- Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake
- Strawberry Brownies
- Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Why You're Going to Love This
- Impressive dessert that's really easy to make
- Super moist cake filled with tons of chocolate
- Delicious flavors mint chip lovers will adore
- Perfect dessert for Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day or anytime
Ingredients
White cake mix. This easy recipe starts with a handy box of white cake mix for a pretty white and green marbled effect. Don't follow the recipe on the box. If you have a homemade white cake recipe you love, by all means, use it.
Milk. Using milk instead of water is an easy way to make cake mix taste better.
Vegetable oil. Oil adds moisture and helps create a tender texture, especially in a boxed mix.
Sour cream. Adding sour cream to white mix helps keep it from becoming dry.
Egg whites. Egg whites keeps the cake batter white.
Shaved chocolate or finely chopped chocolate. Finely chopped or shaved chocolate will stay suspended in the batter. Chocolate chips -- even mini chocolate chips -- will sink. Shave one 4 oz. bar of good quality chocolate, like Ghirardelli, with a vegetable peeler or finely chop it with a knife or food processor. Use ¾ cup for the batter and any remaining for topping.
Creme de menthe syrup. I used creme de menthe syrup, which I found in the ice cream toppings section of the store. You might also find it with coffee syrups. You can also use creme de menthe liqueur.
Hot fudge. If the hot fudge is too thick to spread over the cake, warm it up just a little bit in the microwave for a few seconds. You don't want it to be hot, it needs to be thick enough that it will stay on top of the cake and not run down the sides.
Cool Whip. Truwhip is a great alternative to Cool Whip. Whipped cream should also work just fine.
How to Make Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 and spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray.
Place cake mix, milk, sour cream, oil, egg whites, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Gently mix in ¾ cup of the shaved chocolate.
Place ½ of the batter in a medium bowl. Fold in creme de menthe syrup and green food coloring, if desired.
Drop alternating scoops of white and green batter into the pan. Use a knife to cut through the batter in s-shapes to swirl the batter together.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
Spread the hot fudge sauce in an even layer on top of the cake. If the fudge layer is very soft, place the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Combine Cool Whip and 2 tablespoons creme de menthe syrup together in a large bowl. Spread the mint frosting over the hot fudge layer.
Chill the cake for 2-4 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle the top of the cake with chopped Andes chocolate mints and any remaining shaved or chopped chocolate. If you still have a stash of Thin Mints in the freezer, they would also be a delicious topping!
Storage & Freezing
Store leftover mint chocolate cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To freeze, place the cake or cake pieces (without the chopped Andes and chocolate topping) in the freezer until firm. Cover in a double layer of plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe container or wrap in a double layer of foil. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Make it Even Easier!
To make this cake even faster and easier, skip the swirl.
Just add the ¼ cup creme de menthe syrup and green food coloring to the entire cake batter, stir in the chopped chocolate, and bake and frost as directed.
Success Tips
- If the fudge layer is too soft to easily spread the Cool Whip layer, put the cake in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Use room temperature hot fudge sauce, not warm. If it's been in the refrigerator, warm it just enough so you can easily spread it without it oozing down the sides of the cake.
- Shave the chocolate with a vegetable peeler or finely chop it with a knife or food processor.
FAQs
Creme de menthe syrup adds mint color, a little sweetness, and pretty green color to the cake and frosting.
Yes. For less mint flavor, adjust the amount of creme de menthe down. To boost the mint flavor even more, add a little peppermint extract.
Yes and no. You can easily make creme de menthe cake with or without alcohol. For an alcoholic version, use creme de menthe liqueur in the cake batter and Cool Whip frosting. For a non-alcoholic creme de menthe cake, use creme de menthe syrup.
Stuff I Use
I used Reese Creme de Menthe Syrup in this recipe. It adds lovely green color and just the right amount of mint flavor to the cake and frosting.
An offset spatula is the best way to spread the hot fudge and Cool Whip layers over the cake.
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Mint Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix, 15.25 oz.
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ cup oil
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces good quality chocolate bar, shaved or finely chopped, divided
- 6 tablespoons creme de menthe syrup, divided
- 4-6 drops green food coloring, optional
- 16 ounces hot fudge sauce
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- ⅓ cup chopped Andes mints
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan with nonstick spray. Place cake mix, milk, sour cream, oil, egg whites, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in ¾ cup of the shaved chocolate.
- Place ½ of the batter (2 cups) in a medium bowl and add 4 tablespoons creme de menthe syrup and 4-6 drops of green food coloring. Gently fold until completely combined.
- Using measuring cups, alternate dropping scoops of the white and green batter into the cake pan. With a knife or thin spatula, cut through the batter in s-shapes to create swirls.
- Bake the cake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire baking rack until completely cool, about 2 hours.
- Evenly spread the hot fudge sauce on top of the cooled cake. If the fudge layer is very soft, chill cake in the freezer on a level surface for about 10 minutes before frosting with Cool Whip.
- Fold the Cool Whip and 2 tablespoons of creme de menthe syrup together until combined. Dollop the mint Cool Whip over the hot fudge layer and evenly spread it on top of the cake. Chill the cake for 2-4 hours. Before serving, sprinkle the top with Andes mints and any of the remaining chopped chocolate.
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