ShortCakeBakes

Tender chocolate cake filled with a bittersweet chocolate ganache, mint creme filling, and then frosted with a Hammonds Mint Chocolate candy bar frosting.
The chocolate cake and chocolate ganache are made the night before the cake is stacked.
Start by making the chocolate cake

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉ and line two 8 inch cake pans with pam and parchment.
In a bowl, sift together dry ingredients, set aside.
In mixer, beat butter on high until creamy and smooth.
Add in brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on high for 2 minutes.
Add eggs to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
Take bowl full of dry ingredients, and buttermilk and add it alternately to the butter mixture.
Start by adding ⅓ of the flour mix, then half of the milk, then another third, then more of the milk, and finish with the last ⅓ of the flour.



Pour the batter into the 8 inch cake pans and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is set in the center.
Pull the cake layers out of the oven and put them directly into the freezer on top of a hot pad and let them harden up and freeze overnight.


Prepare the ganache and let it set in the fridge overnight to harden.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

Instructions

Bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat, remove it from the heat and add the chocolate.
Let it sit for 3 minutes and then mix until it is smooth, then add in the butter and whisk until it is completely melted into the chocolate.
Let sit for a few hours or overnight until it sets up completely.
Once the ganache has set it will be firm.
To get the ganache to a workable consistency it needs to be warmed up.
This can be achieved by either mixing it in the mixer or microwaving it for 30 second increments and stir the warm outer layer in with the cold to make a ganache that is easier to pipe.

Cake Assembly

Instructions

Take the chocolate cake out of the freezer and halve the two layers creating four layers.
Warm the ganache to a pipeable consistency.
Prepare the gooey mint filling according to the recipe below.
Starting with the first cake layer spread the ganache onto the cake and then create a dam by piping a circle of ganache on the outer rim of the cake.
Fill this with ½ cup of gooey mint filling and spread it out smooth.
Put the next cake layer on top and continue until all of the cake layers until the cake is completely stacked.
Take the remaining ganache and smooth it onto the outside of the cake.
Once the cake is frosted with the ganache put it into the freezer to harden while the mint chip chocolate frosting is made.
Frost the outside of the cake with the mint chip frosting, set the cake in the fridge while preparing the dark chocolate ganache drip.
After the drip has set up let it harden in the fridge and then finish the cake with vanilla buttercream swirls on top.

Gooey Mint Filling

Ingredients

Instructions

Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk into the mixing bowl of the mixer.
Add in the peppermint extract and the powdered sugar and mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Mint Chip Chocolate Frosting


Ingredients

Instructions

In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter until it is smooth and coating the bowl.
Add in powdered sugar and mix it into the butter.
It will just be powder at this point.
Take the heavy cream and slowly add it into the mixing bowl adding more if needed until the frosting starts to come together.
Whip the frosting on high until it is smooth.
Melt mint chips in the microwave for 1 minute and then stir them until they are smooth and completely melted.
While the mixer is going slowly pour the melted chips into frosting, turn up the speed and whip the frosting for a few minutes to ensure the chips are incorporated smoothly.
Last add in the salt, taste the frosting and if you prefer a stronger mint flavor then add in the peppermint extract.

Process 1 Hammonds Dark mint creme candy bar in the food processor.
Add it into the frosting mixture and whip for 2 minutes until smooth.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Drip

Ingredients

Instructions

Put the chocolate and cream into a microwaveable bowl.
Microwave for 1 minute and then stir to make sure that all of the chocolate is melted.
Set aside to let cool.
Once it has cooled and thickened slightly put it into a piping bag and cut off the tip.
hold the bag on the edge of the cake and slowly press and let the chocolate drip down the cake, move along quickly spacing drips about 2 cm apart.
Let the drip harden and then apply the buttercream.

Vanilla buttercream

Ingredients

Instructions

Beat butter until light and fluffy add in powdered sugar and continue to mix.
Add in heavy cream by 2 Tablespoons until the frosting reaches desired consistency.
Add in vanilla and then mix the frosting on high for 1 minute to make it smooth.
Put into a piping bag and pip rosettes on the top of the cake to finish it.