Mint Chocolate Chip Melting Ice Cream Cone Cake
If you love mint chocolate chip ice cream, you will love this cake. Four layers of dark chocolate cake and mint chocolate chip buttercream topped with a cute upside down ice cream cone and chocolate ganache drip. The ‘ice cream’ scoop on top of the cake is a giant cake ball made from the scraps from leveling the cake layers so no cake goes to waste!
Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate Chips: I love baking with Guittard Semisweet Baking Wafers because they melt so smoothly, but you can use regular chocolate chips or whatever you have on hand.
- Coffee: anytime you’re baking something chocolatey adding coffee doesn’t hurt. I often add espresso powder to brownies and for cakes such as this one I add freshly brewed hot coffee. The coffee just enhances the chocolate flavor, the baked cake will not have a coffee flavor. If you don’t have coffee or prefer to to use it you can substitute hot water.
- Cocoa powder: If there’s one ingredient I usually go for a higher quality on its cocoa. My favorite is Guittard Cocoa Rouge. Another good one, slightly cheaper is Ghirardelli Unsweetened cocoa.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have store-bought buttermilk you can easily substitute with milk and lemon juice. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup and then add enough milk until you have 1 cup total. Let sit for about five minutes before adding to your batter.
- Vegetable oil: I almost always go for oil over butter in chocolate layer cakes to make it super moist. You can use vegetable or canola oil.
- Salted butter: I only bake with salted butter. You’ve probably heard to use unsalted because there can be discrepancies in how much salt is in different brands but I have yet to come across a brand of butter that is too salty. I find that when I use unsalted butter I have to add a lot of salt to balance out the sweetness of most of my recipes, especially buttercream. For the mint frosting we want to use room temperature or softened butter. You can leave it out at room temperature about an hour before you need to use it, or microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften.
- Peppermint extract: We’re just using a little extract to get a hint of mint flavor. It’s not overpowering and pairs perfectly with the layers of decadent chocolate cake.
- Powdered sugar: If you are using organic powdered sugar, you will want to sift it first for best results. This will help when smoothing your cake.
- Green food coloring: I prefer to use gel food coloring, such as AmeriColor.
- Ice cream cone: you can usually find ice cream cones near the ice cream aisle in the grocery store. its usually with the hot fudge and other toppings.
My favorite chocolate cake recipe
I’ve been working on and tweaking this chocolate cake recipe for awhile and finally got it just right. I use both chocolate chips and cocoa powder in the batter, which in addition to coffee really brings a strong chocolate flavor. The oil and the buttermilk make this an extremely moist chocolate cake.
Most of the cakes I make are 4-layer, 6” cakes. They’re tall, which I love when I’m decorating and you can get 10-12 servings. If you don’t have 6” pans you can use this same recipe and use three 8” pans, bake times for both sizes are in the recipe.
step by step
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 and grease 4 6-inch cake pans or 3 8-inch cake pans.
Step 2: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the chocolate and allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the batter.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, sugars, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Whisk the eggs, vanilla, oil and buttermilk into the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick. You can switch to a rubber spatula or mixing spoon at this point if it’s too thick to whisk.
Step 4: Return to your bowl of chocolate and coffee and stir until smooth. Gradually pour the coffee mixture into the batter and mix until fully incorporated. Divide batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 33-35 minutes for 6-inch pans or 25-30 minutes for 8-inch pans.
Cake Tips
- Always grease your pans. When using 6” pans I find that a non stick baking spray is enough, when I use 8” pans (or larger) I usually line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternatively if you don’t have baking spray or parchment paper you can rub the pans with butter and dust with cocoa powder.
- Don’t over mix your cake batter! You want to mix just until everything is combined and smooth. For this batter I often just use a whisk and mix by hand. You can also use a stand mixer on low speed, just make sure to not over mix.
- Before placing your layers in the oven, tap them a few times on the counter to get the air bubbles out.
- For this cake you will want to level your cakes, even if they bake relatively flat. Those small scraps we’re taking off the top will be used to create the ‘ice cream cone’ cake ball decoration. Level the layers by gently trimming a small amount off of the top with a long serrated knife.
- I rarely bake and decorate the same day. A day or two before I need to serve the cake I bake the layers and then freeze overnight. See the instructions below for making cake layers in advance in my Peanut Butter Oreo Cake post.
Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream
To make the mint buttercream, add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time.
Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency. Mix in the peppermint extract, green coloring if using and a pinch of salt, to taste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the chopped chocolate chips and mix on low just until combined.
Chocolate Ganache
In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-low heat until it starts simmering. You can also heat in the microwave for 45-60 seconds. Put the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and pour the cream over top. Allow to sit for a minute or two to melt and then whisk until smooth.
Assembling the Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
To make your ‘ice cream scoop’ mix the cake scraps from leveling your cake with a spoonful of buttercream to form a dough-like mixture. Shape into a ball and place in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the cake.
To assemble the cake, place a dab of buttercream on your cake board or plate and then place the first layer of cake on top. Spread a layer of buttercream on top. Stack the next cake layer on top and repeat, ending with the final layer of cake, top side down.
Using an offset spatula add a thin layer of buttercream on the sides of the cake and top of the cake, scraping off any extra with a bench scraper or icing scraper. This is your crumb coat. It’s ok if it looks messy, the goal is to trap the crumbs in this layer so that the final layer of buttercream is crumb-free and smooth. Refrigerate the crumb-coated cake about 15 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Now frost the cake with a thicker layer of buttercream. Smooth with a bench scraper or offset spatula. Chill the cake for 15 minutes to set the buttercream before adding your ganache drip.
Decorating the Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
You can add your ganache drip in a few different ways. Either using a spoon to gently guide your drips around the side of the cake, or by pouring the ganache onto the top of the cake and pushing it to the sides with an offset spatula.
To make the ‘ice cream scoop’ look realistic, you want to place you cake ball while the ganache is still wet. Take the cake ball out of the freezer and drop it into the bowl with the remaining ganache. Turn it around with a fork until it’s completely covered. Place the ganache-covered cake ball on top of the cake. It’s ok if it looks a bit messy, the sprinkles will hide the imperfections.
Place your wooden skewer through the center of the cake ball and into the cake, leaving about 2 inches exposed at the top. If your skewer is too long you might have to trim it. Place your ice cream cone over top of the skewer and press slightly into the cake ball to attach it. Decorate with sprinkles and more mini chocolate chips. Voila, a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone cake! Mint chip lovers, enjoy!
Remember to add some smoothies full of nutrients in your diet while you enjoy your cake recipe. Here is this best blender for nutrient extraction that will make your day a happy and healthy as well.
Looking for more cake recipes? Try my Triple Chocolate Cake or my Peanut Butter Oreo Cake.
Mint Chocolate Chip Melting Ice Cream Cone Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup hot coffee
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 lb salted butter, softened
- 7-8 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 drops green food coloring, optional
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips, chopped
- 1 cup dark or semisweet chocolate (chopped baking chocolate, chocolate wafers or chocolate chips)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 ice cream cone
- 1 wooden skewer
- mini chocolate chips
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and grease (or line with parchment rounds) four 6” cake pans or three 8” pans.
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the chocolate and allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the batter.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, oil and buttermilk. The batter will be thick. You can switch to a rubber spatula or mixing spoon at this point if it’s too thick to whisk.
- Return to your bowl of chocolate and coffee and stir until smooth. Gradually pour the coffee mixture into the batter and mix until fully incorporated. Divide batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 33-35 minutes for 6" pans or 25-30 minutes for 8" pans.
- Allow to cool a few minutes in the pan and then carefully, using oven mitts if the pans are still warm, invert each layer onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and place in the freezer until you’re ready to assemble your cake. I store layers in the freezer for up to a week.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time. *See Notes Below*
- Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency. Add the peppermint extract, green coloring if using and a pinch of salt, to taste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the chopped chocolate chips and mix on low just until combined.
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-low heat until it starts simmering. You can also heat in the microwave for 45-60 seconds.
- Put the chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the cream over top. Allow to sit for a minute or two to melt and then whisk until smooth.
- Remove the cake layers from the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to assemble the cake. I take them out to thaw while I am preparing my buttercream and ganache. You want the layers to be cold, but not completely frozen to decorate.
- Once your cake has thawed enough to safely handle, level the layers by slicing a thin layer of cake from the top with a serrated knife. These cakes bake pretty flat, but you still want to take a little off the top to use for the 'ice cream' cake ball. Mix your cake scraps with a spoonful of buttercream to form a dough-like mixture. Shape into a ball and place in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the cake.
- To assemble the cake, place a dab of buttercream on your cake board or plate and then place the first layer of cake on top. Spread a layer of buttercream on top. Stack the next cake layer on top and repeat, ending with the final layer of cake, top side down.
- Using an offset spatula add a thin layer of buttercream on the sides and top of the cake, scraping off any extra with a bench scraper or icing scraper. This is your crumb coat. It’s ok if it looks messy, the goal is to trap the crumbs in this layer so that the final layer of buttercream is crumb-free and smooth. Refrigerate the crumb-coated cake about 15 minutes or until firm to the touch.
- Now frost the cake with a thicker layer of buttercream. Smooth with a bench scraper or offset spatula. Chill the cake for 15 minutes to set the buttercream before adding your ganache drip. *See Notes below about using an acrylic disk or cake board to frost your outer layer*
- I like to do a test drip, either on the back of the cake or the side of my cake scraper or even just a plate held vertically. You can add more cream if you want thinner drips or allow the ganache to rest a bit to thicken up if you want thicker drips.
- Using a spoon, guide your drips around the sides of the cake and then pour some additional ganache on top of the cake and smooth out with an angled spatula or the backside of a spoon.
- Take your cake ball out of the freezer and drop it into your bowl of ganache, and rotate to completely cover. Using two forks place your ganache-covered cake ball on the center of your cake.
- Place your wooden skewer down through the center of your cake ball and into the cake. You want about 2 inches to be showing, if the skewer is too long you can trim it.
- Dip the top of your ice cream cone in ganache and then place overtop the skewer to stick to the cake ball.
- Decorate with sprinkles and additional mini chocolate chips.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
2 Comments
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so glad you enjoyed it!! thanks for the review!
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Camelia
Made this cake for my brothers birthday and it was AMAZING! Big hit with everyone!