| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 14 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Inactive: | 12 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 14 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 16 tablespoons (8 ounces) butter
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup (6 ounces) small-diced peppermint pattie candies
- 1 cup cream
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- Whipped cream, for serving
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cups sifted unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup cream
- A few grains kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- If you’re one of those individuals who always opts for the chocolate-covered Thin Mints when your local Girl Scout representative comes calling, this dessert is for you. The refreshing peppermint counterpoint takes the edge off the intense fudge-like cake.
- To facilitate cutting the Peppermint Patties, I often freeze them first. Use a hot, dry long-bladed knife to cut perfectly clean slices of the cake.
- Serve with whipped cream, cocoa fudge sauce, and a drizzle of mint syrup.
- Cocoa Fudge Sauce, recipe follows, for serving
- Mint Syrup, recipe follows, for serving
- To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Butter a 9 1/2 to 10-inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, and flour the pan, tapping out the excess flour.
- Melt the chocolate with the butter and cream in the top of a double boiler. Reserve.
- In the bowl of a mixer with a whip, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until very thick and light (about 5 minutes). Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg yolks and mix until just blended. Add the flour, salt, and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping the bowl once or twice. Transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl and stir in the Peppermint Pattie pieces. The mixture will be quite thick.
- In a clean mixing bowl, with a clean whip, beat the egg whites to medium soft peaks. Lighten the batter by stirring in about one-third of the egg whites. Fold in the remaining whites and the place batter in the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 45 to 50 minutes. The top of the cake will feel set and very fine hairline cracks will just start to form around the edges. Remove and cool in the pan on a rack.
- To make the ganache topping: Heat the cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan to just under a boil. Add the chopped chocolate and, over very low heat, constantly stirring, cook the mixture until it is completely smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable. This can take several hours. You can make the topping up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate it, and allow it to come to room temperature for several hours before using. You can also hasten the cooling process by placing the melted ganache over an ice bath and gently stirring it till thickened; however, the resulting texture may not be quite as smooth and creamy.
- Place the cooled cake upside down on a cardboard cake circle or a service plate. Remove the sides and bottom of the springform pan. Remove the parchment liner. Using an offset spatula, decoratively spread the ganache over what is now the top of the cake, drawing the ganache all the way out to the edges of the cake. Using the offset spatula, level the edges to give the cake a finished look. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, Cocoa Fudge Sauce and Mint Syrup.
- Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in the sugar and cocoa. Whisk in the cream and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat, whisking often. Allow to simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened somewhat. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and strain though a fine sieve. Cool and serve at room temperature. This can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. It can also be frozen.
- Yield: 2 cups
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down and simmer several minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely. Reserve.
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Have a strainer and a bowl of ice water at the ready. Working quickly, place the mint leaves in the boiling water and blanch until just wilted (about 10 seconds). Immediately strain the mint and place the leaves directly in the ice water to set their color. Strain the mint again, pressing to remove excess liquid.
- Place the mint leaves and half of the reserved syrup in a blender. Puree the mint, stopping several times to scrape down the blender bowl. Add the remaining syrup and blend for 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a clean storage container and allow to sit overnight, covered, at room temperature.
- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solid mint puree. Store the syrup, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks. Shake or stir lightly before using.
- Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 940 |
| Total Fat | 63 g |
| Saturated Fat | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 98 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 81 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 207 mg |
| Sodium | 587 mg |
Reviews
This was the BEST cake I’ve ever made. I was intimidated by the number of steps but even for someone who isn’t a ‘baker’, I knocked his out of the park. This was nothing short of stellar – thank YOU!!!
creamy peanut butter with Semi-Sweet Chocolate
there’s no recipe!?
Wonderful with or without the sauces. Everyone loved it. This is very time consuming to make, but worth every bite. The mint is refreshing but not overpowering.
SABROSO
So tempting. Each bite is very consistent, full of mint and dark chocolate flavor. I must say it’s a very decadent recipe. Be sure to make the peppermint syrup at least the night before, it really makes a difference in the flavor. I made it the morning of the day that I served the cake but the day after it tasted way better with the cake. LOVE this cake!!
awesome
I made this cake for a birthday recently and it came out great! The cake was moist, chocolaty, and delicious. Not too hard to make either, but all the different components, especially the mint syrup, take some time. I wouldn’t recommend skipping it though because it really complements the cake. I used a slightly different ganache recipe because most ganache recipes don’t call for an elaborate cooling process, it worked perfectly. I will definitely be making this again!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday last year and i surprised him at work with it. He is a chef and he works for a famous german chef in Munich Germany. When he and the guys had some of it they where so amazed by it that they actually put it on the menu. I’m gonna make it again for his birthday this year. It’s a great recipe.A peppermint chocolate lover’s dream. Easy, fast and soooo yummy!!!
I made this cake for my birthday and my whole family Thought it was super good! It wasent to hard to make either, I didnt use partchment paper though, just sprayed it with non-stick spray and flour, but I couldn’t get it out of the pan! but we just cut it and put it on plates and then put the sauce on top. The fudge sauce I could of ate it alone! Great for ice cream! instead of freash mint I used Pepperment extract, The stores were all out of mint cuz of the holidays I think. it tasted just fine!