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Vegan Mint Chocolate Cake with Simple Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Joanne Molinaro
5 from 1 vote
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Servings 8 slices

Ingredients
  

Mint Chocolate Cakes

  • 2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour (370 g)
  • 2 cups sugar (400 g)
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt optional
  • 1 1/8 cup cocoa powder (120 g)
  • 2 shots espresso (see Note)
  • 1/2 banana, mashed
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 3/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup sifted cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup melted chocolate (at room temperature)
  • 2 tbsp plant milk (at room temperature)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Mint Chocolate Cakes

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F.
  • Spray 2 7-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line them with parchment paper. (Watch the video for how I do this.)
  • Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk and set aside.
  • To a small saucepot, add cocoa powder, vegetable oil, water, peppermint extract, espresso, vanilla extract, and banana. Stir together over medium-low heat until the cocoa powder has completely dissolved.
  • Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients. Using a whisk, mix together all ingredients until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated.
  • Divide cake batter equally into the two cake pans (use a scale--it's not as intuitive as you think!).
  • Bake in the oven for ~38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 5 to 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife or offset spatula around the edges to loose the cakes before flipping the cake pans over and gently dislodging the cakes.
  • Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before frosting them. You can also wrap them up and place them in the fridge overnight (this will actually make it much easier to frost them).

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl.
  • Add 1/2 of the butter, melted chocolate and vanilla extract and mix using handmixer until the mixture becomes creamy. If the frosting is too thick, additional butter (1 tablespoon at a time) and plant milk until you reach desired consistency.
  • Wait until the cakes have completely cooled before attempting to frost them. I generally do not like too much frosting, but if you like frosting, double the frosting recipe.

Notes

If you don't have espresso handy, you can substitute in 2 teaspoons of instant coffee powder, but add 1/4 cup (for a full 2 cups) of water to the recipe.
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