ANDES MINT CAKE

ANDES MINT CAKE

Loved!  Yum!  This is such a moist cake. Was still good days afterwards.  Needs ice cream or a glass of milk with all that mint.  Made for my bday 2016.  Didn't put the mints around the bottom - only on top. Can get the mints in the bulk at WinCo but still pretty spendy.  I halved the green minty cream filling.

Chocolate Cake
1 box devil’s food cake mix
3 eggs
½ cup oil
¾ cup buttermilk or milk
¾ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Green Minty Cream Filling
1 ¼ cup butter, softened
1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
2 tablespoons milk
4–5 cups powdered sugar
Green food dye (optional)
Chocolate Mint Buttercream
1 ¼ cup butter, softened
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
2 tablespoon milk or sour cream
3–4 cups powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache
¾ cup chocolate chips
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Decoration

Andes mints for decoration

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease three 8-inch pans. (You can also use only two pans; see baking time below.) I prefer to line the bottoms of my pans with foil or parchment paper for easy removal.
2.   Sift cake mix into a small bowl; set aside.
3.   In a large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4.   Stir in cake mix.
5.   Pour equal amount of batter into each prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly. Bake for 17–22 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (If you are making only two layers, the cake will need to bake for 20–25 minutes.)
6.   Let cake cool completely.
7.   Green Minty Cream Filling: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add peppermint extract and milk and beat again. Gradually add powdered sugar until the filling reaches the desired consistency.
8.   Chocolate Mint Buttercream: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add cocoa powder, peppermint extract, and milk; beat again. Gradually add powdered sugar until the buttercream reaches the desired consistency.
9.   Chocolate Ganache: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue to microwave in 10-second increments until smooth.
10.  To assemble the cake, place one layer of chocolate cake on a cake stand; frost with the Green Minty Cream Filling. Top with a second layer of cake; frost with the rest of the filling. Top with the last layer of cake; frost the top and sides with Chocolate Mint Buttercream.
11.   Use Andes mint candies to decorate the bottom of the cake.
12.   Pour the Chocolate Ganache carefully over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Finish with chopped Andes mints on top.