No-Mixer Mint Chocolate Cake: The Cake That Cake Haters Make

I’m not a big cake person. It’s so often dry, the frosting too sweet or out of proportion with the cake. Give me a pie over cake any day. But sometimes, my babies want cake. And I have a strict no store-bought cake policy, so sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.My oldest son, Jack, was very specific in his request for a mint chocolate layer cake for his 11th birthday earlier this week. So I went with my old standby as the base. This cake is the cake I make when I’m forced to make cake. It’s one of the only cakes I actually enjoy eating, and better still, it doesn’t require a mixer to make. Ok, so the frosting I used for this particular version requires a mixer, because Jack wanted whipped frosting rather than the denser no-mixer icing* I usually make for this (recipe for that included at the bottom). The typical icing almost makes this more like a yummy bar than a traditional cake. It’s a really great option to travel with or pack in lunches or for a picnic because it’s not messy like the whipped frosting Jack wanted for this.

It’s also really versatile. If you just want a small cake, cut the recipe in half and bake in one small round cake pan. You can keep or omit the chocolate. You can add in almond extract or lemon. You can frost it, you can ice it, you can top it with your favorite glaze or nut butter. You can fill it with softened ice cream rather than frosting. The sky’s the limit.

And I feel like I need to touch upon this because if there’s one gift I have that I wish I could bestow upon everyone in the world, it’s not feeling guilt about food. Food is for nourishment, of both body and soul. It’s for enjoyment, both for how it can fuel your body, and how it can please your palate. I love spinach and chocolate lava cake for two completely different reasons, but still love them both, just the same.

And to be sure, this cake is not health food. It’s cake. It’s got lots of butter and sugar and gluten. It’s an occasional indulgence that we enjoy in moderation. It’s food for the soul, which has its rightful place. For us, treats are a joyful part of life that in no way deter us from our normal healthy lifestyle. Think of it this way: If you and I are sitting together having a nice meal, and I choose to have dessert at the end, while you abstain, we will both still weigh the same the following day as we did the night before. So me? I’d rather eat the dessert. The occasional treat makes no difference whatsoever to your bottom line. It’s when the treats become much more frequent and start replacing nutrient-rich foods that your health goals might suffer or fall behind. It’s the everyday choices we make that add up, not the intermittent treat. Eat your cake (or pie, or chocolate, or whatever treat it is that gets your flag up the pole) without guilt! I promise you, you will be a happier person.

*If you’re wanting to make the browned butter cake with browned butter icing version I made in my stories, simply omit the cacao powder from the cake batter and bake the cake in a 9×13 baking dish. For the frosting, in a large saucepan, brown 1 1/2 sticks of butter, then stir in 3 cups of powdered sugar + 1/2 cup milk of your choice (I do whole milk or heavy cream, but full-fat coconut milk would work too) + 2 tsp vanilla extract + a pinch of sea salt. Pour over baked cake. This is more of an icing than a frosting, in that it will harden up more than frosting will, but that keeps the cake extra moist and delicious.

Print Recipe

No-Mixer Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

This is the cake base I use when I need a really easy, moist cake and don't want to screw around with the mixer. The batter comes together in one saucepan in just a few minutes, then it's time to bake! I've used all kinds of different frostings and icings for the topping, but since my oldest son, Jack, requested mint chocolate chip for his birthday this year, I went with that for this recipe. 

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp unsweetened raw cacao powder
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 cups cane sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 2 sticks butter
• 3ish cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cacao powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• pinch sea salt
• splash heavy cream or milk
• 2 dark chocolate + mint bars chopped

Instructions

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease + flour two round 8" cake pans.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the 2 sticks of butter until browned. Turn off heat and whisk in the sugar, water and sour cream until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt, then whisk in with the wet ingredients in the saucepan until smooth.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans , then bake about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from the cake pans.

For the frosting:

• Beat butter with a handheld mixer or stand mixer, then beat in powdered sugar and cacao. Beat in vanilla, peppermint, sea salt, then cream if needed to smooth out the texture.
• Mix half the chopped chocolate into the frosting.

To put it all together:

• Put one cake layer on your serving plate and spread with half the frosting. Top with the second layer, then spread the rest of the frosting on top. Top with remaining chopped chocolate.