Creme de Menthe Cake

piece of mint chocolate cake on a white plate

5 from 1 vote

Creme de Menthe Cake or Grasshopper Cake is a moist, delicious chocolate mint 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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 428kcal

Author: Cara Lanz

Ingredients

4 ounce chocolate bar, good-quality like Ghirardelli or ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
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
6 tablespoons creme de menthe syrup, divided
4-6 drops green food coloring, optional
16 ounces hot fudge sauce, room temperature
8 ounces Cool Whip
⅓ cup chopped Andes mints, for topping

Instructions

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan with nonstick spray.
Shave the chocolate. Hold the chocolate bar over a plate at a 45-degree angle. Pull a vegetable along the thin side of the chocolate bar in short strokes to create jagged shards of chocolate.
Make the cake batter. 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 or mini chocolate chips.
Divide and flavor the batter. 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.
Swirl the batters. Using measuring cups, alternate dropping scoops of 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. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire baking rack until completely cool, about 2 hours.
Spread with hot fudge. Evenly spread hot fudge sauce over 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.
Frost the cake. Fold 2 tablespoons of creme de menthe syrup into the Cool Whip until combined. Dollop the mint Cool Whip over the hot fudge layer, then spread it evenly. Chill the cake for 2-4 hours.
Serve. Before serving, sprinkle the top with Andes mints and any of the remaining chopped chocolate.

Video

Notes

Shortcut options.
- Skip the swirl. Mix the crème de menthe syrup and food coloring into the entire batch of batter.
- Use mini chocolate chips. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of cake mix to prevent sinking. Line the baking pan with parchment so the ones on the bottom won't burn.
Use room temperature fudge sauce. Warm slightly, if needed so it spreads smoothly.
Chill fudge layer if needed. If the fudge layer is too soft to spread the Cool Whip easily, briefly freeze the cake.
Chocolate shavings. You can also finely chop the chocolate with a knife or food processor.

Nutrition