Black Magic Chocolate Grasshopper Cake

This chocolate cake is so good it will melt your face. If you’ve only ever had cakes made from a mix, as I did growing up, this will change your entire opinion of cake, and possibly, of life. It’s more than moist, this side of gooey, and rich as a robber baron. From what I was able to find online, it’s one of those things beloved by Midwestern housewives who regularly attend a Christian church and a lot of PTA meetings. Nothing complicated or fancy, just damn fine cake that keeps the kids off the street. And I support that. I wanted to frost it with minty-ness, because mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream, a classic combination endorsed by me, the Girl Scouts of America, Keibler Elves, Andes Candies, and many other illustrious organizations. We needed cake today, as it was drizzly and transitional. Fall will be here tomorrow, and this dessert should make everyone you know feel warm and loved inside and out. Let them eat cake!

Black Magic Chocolate Grasshopper Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 3/4 cups AP flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong black coffee, cooled
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the peppermint icing:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 drops green food coloring (optional)

For the chocolate glaze:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Method:

For the cake:

Whisk to combine dry ingredients, then add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes in an oiled and floured 13 x 9 cake pan.

For the peppermint icing:

Use a spatula to blend all ingredients thoroughly.

For the chocolate glaze:

Melt all ingredients in the microwave, about three minutes.

It ocurred to me that this would be tremendous for Christmastime, if you made the glaze with white chocolate morsels and tinted it red. But that’s months away. Just something to keep it mind. Stay in school, don’t take drugs, bake this cake!

Tagged as: cake, chocolate, peppermint

About the Author: Jillian Bedell

Jillian grew up in Connecticut, went to university in Boston, college in New Haven, did some post-grad soul searching in New York, exiled herself to Mexico, married her longtime sweetheart, and lived in a house on the ocean. She suspected Maine might be the perfect place to raise a family, so she came back home to New England two years ago. Now a mom to Violet Maeve and living in Rockland, where she hopes to settle for a good, long while, Jillian reads, writes, walks, and practices Nia, when not watching Malcolm photograph sandwiches.