Chocolate Mint Minicakes

I don't know why I never thought of these before.  The choco-mint combo is by far my favorite pairing of sweet flavors.  I would always get excited when I would go to Starbucks and find the Peppermint Mocha back.  My friend at work mentioned I should make these.  Actually, he always has good ideas for desserts.  He's the one who inspired me to make the Caramel Macchiatto Minicakes. My original intention was to use mint extract in the frosting, that is until I discovered I was out. (I had an empty bottle in there... who keeps an empty bottle of something for so long?)  It was time for me to get creative...



Cupcakes
Ingredients:

I always forget something! Can you pick it out?

1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. hot coffee

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.







Add remaining ingredients (keep coffee aside). Beat with electric mixture for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of mixing bowl with rubber spatula making sure to incorporate all the ingredients. (It should be thick... so to speak.)

Add coffee slowly while mixing for one more minute until smooth. (I had actually forgotten to take the photo until half way done with scooping batter into cups. Here you can see the nifty scooper my mom bought me.)




Fill cake cups to 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes for regular sized cupcakes or 10-15 minutes for minicakes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (I always write the range of time but whenever I do my minicakes, 10 minutes is usually the perfect amount of time. You may find your oven cooks differently though.)

Before oven time.

After. I love when they turn out so beautifully!

Mint Buttercream Frosting


Ingredients:

Go ahead, eat a couple. I won't tell.

1/2 c. butter-flavored Crisco shortening
(Or regular flavored and 1 tsp. butter flavoring)
1 tsp. vanilla
25 Andes Mints, unwrapped
(They came 25 in a pack. You may want to get 2 packs if you plan on using them for decoration like I did.)
4-6 c. powdered sugar



Cream the shortening and vanilla extract together well. It should resemble the consistency of sour cream when done. Melt Andes Mints in a microwave-container in the microwave. (Be sure that the mints are melted completely. I got a little too eager and mine ended up with chunks of mint in it. Not a bad thing except frosting them with a frosting bag was difficult as the chunks got stuck in the frosting tip.)  Scrape melted goop into shortening mixture. Mix together until even and smooth consistency. Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting thickens. (You may need to add a bit of water followed by some more powdered sugar to get enough frosting for all minicakes.)




End result: Delicious, decadent minicakes. I would write more and try to be witty but I have to work out in the morning and I still gotta clean up this mess. Let me know what you think!