Light and airy textured cupcake infused with fresh mint and mini chocolate chips, then frosted with dark chocolate ganache and fresh mint buttercream.
Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Fresh mint is such a deliciously subtle flavor in a cake and it pairs beautifully with dark chocolate. You may wonder how mint could be a subtle flavor, but fresh mint really gives you a hint of that mint flavor. The texture of this cake is light and airy because it just uses egg whites, with sour cream and butter as the fat ingredients.
The techniques used in baking this cupcake are a little more complicated. Don’t let this intimidate you! These cupcakes are worth the extra effort!! You will want to keep the cake batter light and airy to get the most rise during the baking process. The recipe instructions will walk you through this technique. Take a moment to read through the entire recipe before you start baking. A couple of the baking steps needs to be done ahead of time to let the mint infuse into your granulated sugar and also the heavy cream you will use to make buttercream.
I hope you enjoy this extra cupcake recipe. Mint and chocolate chips really caught my eye when CakebyCourtney.com posted this cake recipe in early March. I just had to make cupcakes with this recipe! I think you will want to whip up a batch of these right away too. Plus, the cupcakes look amazing with the beautiful green and white and chocolate brown colors swirled together in deliciousness!
Equipment needed for Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:
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- Muffin Tins and Cupcake Liners
- OR Cake Cups and a Baking Sheet: Baking cups found at mymindseye.com. (They do not sponsor my blog, but I LOVE these baking cups for cupcakes.) Place these cups on a baking sheet and bake the cake batter directly in these cups, instead of using cupcake liners. It uses a little bit more batter than my cupcake liners, which I really like, because it gives me more cake to pair with the filling and buttercream. I love serving these cake cups with a mini spoon and the cute designs on the sides make the cupcake look extra special!
- Cake Decorating Bag and Wilton 1M cake decorating tip
- Small Off-Set Spatula or Butter Knife
Ingredients in the Fresh Mint Cake Batter:
Here’s some important ingredients to take note of…
Fresh mint to infuse granulated sugar: It is easy to make on your infused granulated sugar on your own! Fresh mint can be purchased the produce section of your grocery store. It’s important to use fresh mint and not dried mint.
Unsalted butter: This is a room temperature ingredient. The butter provides some fat needed to keep this cupcake moist.
Egg whites: This is a room temperature ingredient. Just using egg whites keeps the texture of this cake very light and airy. However, the lack of fat from the egg yolks can create a dry cupcake very easily. Be cautious and careful on your bake time and allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin tin for only 5 minutes so they don’t continue to bake in the pan.
Cake flour: Cake flour is important for this recipe, instead of using all-purpose flour. Cake flour has less protein and forms less gluten making the cake crumb light instead of dense and chewy.
Buttermilk (or substitute half sour cream + half milk): This is a room temperature ingredient. I personally prefer the substitute over buttermilk. For this substitution, I use sour cream, instead of yogurt since I am using sour cream as a main ingredient also.
Sour cream: A room temperature ingredient that provides fat for moisture.
Mini chocolate chips: The size will matter for these cupcakes. The cake crumb is delicate enough that regular sized chocolate chips would be too large and overpowering. The chocolate chips will need to be tossed in 2 teaspoons flour before folding into the cake batter. This will ensure that the chocolate chips don’t sink to the bottom.
Ingredients for the Fresh Mint Buttercream:
Fresh mint leaves: Fresh mint leaves instead of dried are essential.
Heavy whipping cream: My preferred choice of heavy cream is 40%. For this recipe, I am infusing more cream than will be needed for the buttercream recipe. A little of the cream cooks down while simmering, plus for decorating cupcakes, I like use a little extra heavy cream so the buttercream is less dense and squeezes through the cake decorating bag easier.
Unsalted butter: Butter for the frosting recipe will be slightly cold, taken out of the refrigerator for only a few minutes. Use unsalted so you have control over how much salt is added to your recipe.
Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar): The technique for powdered sugar is to measure, preferably by weight, then sift before adding all the measured powdered sugar to the buttercream.
Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Ganache:
Dark chocolate chips or bar: Good quality chocolate chips or chocolate bar will really upscale your ganache.
Heavy whipping cream: Again, my preferred choice of heavy cream is 40%.
Instructions for Making Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:
Fresh Mint Cake Batter:
- Combine chopped fresh mint and granulated sugar in a bowl. Massage the mint into the sugar with your fingers for a few minutes until they look well combined. It’s really about pressing the mint into the sugar.
- Cover the bowl (airtight) and set aside for at least an hour up to a few days. The longer it sits, the more infused it will become.
- When ready for use, strain with a mesh strainer to remove the larger leaves. I used a wire whisk to help the sugar pass through the strainer easier. It’s ok to still have some mint connected with the sugar.
- Preheat your oven to 325° F (162.8° C). Prepare muffin tins and cupcake liners (or cake cups and baking sheet. You can fit 24 cake cups on a baking sheet.)
- In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: cake flour, baking powder, salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- In a bowl or glass measuring cup, combine wet ingredients: buttermilk (or substitute of 120g sour cream + 120g milk), but not the additional 120g sour cream. The 120g sour cream is reserved for final folding step.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and the mint-infused granulated sugar at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes or until the butter is fluffy and lighter in color.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one-at-a-time, scraping down bowl between each addition. Beat on medium speed. It’s important to add eggs one-at-a-time so the butter doesn’t separate.
- Add vanilla and beat until all is well incorporated. Now is the point you can beat your ingredients well. As soon as you start adding dry ingredients, you will want to mix on low and as little as possible.
- Now use the cake technique of alternating dry and wet ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 dry ingredients, then ½ buttermilk. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Add another 1/3 dry ingredients and the remaining buttermilk. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Add remaining dry ingredients. Only mix until just incorporated and scrape bowl. Mix again for another 20-30 seconds.
- Fold in the 120g sour cream, followed by the mini chocolate chips (that have been tossed with flour).
- Scoop batter into each cupcake liner until just less than ¾ full.
- Bake 325° F (162.8° C) for 18-24 minutes. Do not overcook, this recipe dries out easily. Test with the finger touch by lightly touching the cake, if it bounces back, it is done. It will continue to cook slightly when removed from the oven, so light crumbs on the toothpick test if perfect.
- Remove from muffin tin after cooling for 5 minutes, but no longer or the cake will dry out.
Fresh Mint Buttercream:
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream and mint leaves on medium-low heat until it simmers. Turn off heat and allow cream to cool to room temperature. You can do this the day before and cool in refrigerator.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy—about 2 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar to the bowl. Gradually begin to mix into the butter mixture.
- Add ¼ cup mint infused cream (reserve remaining for later) and a pinch of salt. Beat until incorporated. Scrape down side of bowl.
- Mix buttercream on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl.
- Add reserved cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed for a fluffier, less dense, texture needed for squeezing buttercream through a decorating bag. Mix on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes.
- Beat buttercream by hand, pressing the air out, before filling your cake decorating bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip.
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- Heat the cream and the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. Stir.
- Continue to heat cream and chocolate for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is smooth. About 2-3 minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble cupcakes.
Assemble Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:
- Once cupcakes are completely cool. Spread dark chocolate ganache on top of cupcakes using a small offset spatula or butter knife.
- Fill cake decorating bag, fitted with a Wilton 1M tip, with fresh mint buttercream. Start on top outside edge of cupcake and swirl around the entire edge, then continue to swirl into the center until the buttercream resembles a soft serve ice cream cone.
- Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips immediately, while chocolate chips will still stick to the buttercream.
- Garnish with small mint leaf, if desired.
This flavor pairing, fresh mint and dark chocolate, is truly amazing! Try it today!
–Kim
Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (adapted from cakebycourtney.com)
Equipment
- Muffin Tins and Cupcake Liners
- Or Cake Cups and a Baking Sheet
- Cake Decorating Bag and Wilton 1M Tip
- Small Off-Set Spatula or Butter Knife
Ingredients
Fresh Mint Cake Batter:
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 2 TBS (6g) fresh mint, chopped
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4.2g) vanilla extract
- 3 cups (345g) cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon (10g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 1 cup (240g) buttermilk (or 120g sour cream + 120g milk) room temperature
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (tossed in 2 teaspoons flour)
Fresh Mint Buttercream:
- 12-16 fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup (115.5g) heavy cream
- 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly cold
- 6 cups (750g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
- Pinch of salt
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ cup (85g) dark chocolate chips or bar
- ¼ cup (57.75g) heavy whipping cream
Extra décor:
- Mini Chocolate Chips
- Small Fresh Mint Leaves
Instructions
Fresh Mint Cake Batter:
- Combine chopped fresh mint and granulated sugar in a bowl. Massage the mint into the sugar with your fingers for a few minutes until they look well combined. Cover the bowl (airtight) and set aside for at least an hour up to a few days. When ready for use, strain with a mesh strainer to remove the larger leaves.
- Preheat your oven to 325° F (162.8° C). Prepare muffin tins and cupcake liners (or cake cups and baking sheet).
- In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: cake flour, baking powder, salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- In a bowl or glass measuring cup, combine wet ingredients: buttermilk (or substitute of 120g sour cream + 120g milk), but not the additional 120g sour cream (reserve for final folding step).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and the mint-infused granulated sugar at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes or until the butter is fluffy and lighter in color.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one-at-a-time, scraping down bowl between each addition. Beat on medium speed.
- Add vanilla and beat until all is well incorporated and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Now use the cake batter technique of alternating dry and wet ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 dry ingredients, then ½ buttermilk. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Add another 1/3 dry ingredients and the remaining buttermilk. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Add remaining dry ingredients. Only mix until just incorporated and scrape bowl. Mix again for another 20-30 seconds.
- Fold in the 120g sour cream, followed by the mini chocolate chips.
- Scoop batter into each cupcake liner until almost ¾ full.
- Bake 325° F (162.8° C) for 18-24 minutes. Do not overcook—dries out easily.
- Remove from muffin tin after cooling for 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely on wire rack.
Fresh Mint Buttercream:
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream and mint leaves on medium-low heat until it simmers. Turn off heat and allow cream to cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy—about 2 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar to the bowl. Gradually begin to mix into the butter mixture.
- Add ¼ cup mint infused cream (reserve remaining for later) and a pinch of salt. Beat until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Mix buttercream on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl.
- Add reserved cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed for a fluffier, less dense, texture needed for squeezing buttercream through a decorating bag. Mix on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes.
- Beat buttercream by hand, pressing the air out, before filling your cake decorating bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip.
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- Heat the cream and the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. Stir.
- Continue to heat cream and chocolate for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is smooth. About 2-3 minutes.
Assemble Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:
- Once cupcakes are completely cool, spread dark chocolate ganache on top of cupcakes using a small offset spatula or butter knife.
- Fill cake decorating bag, fitted with a Wilton 1M tip, with fresh mint buttercream. Start on top outside edge of cupcake and swirl around the entire edge, then continue to swirl into the center until the buttercream resembles a soft serve ice cream cone.
- Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips immediately, while chocolate chips will still stick to the buttercream.
- Garnish with small mint leaf, if desired.
