These Mint Chocolate Cupcakes are incredibly moist and chocolatey with a mint chocolate ganache filled center that are topped with a creamy mint chocolate frosting! If you're a big fan of mint chocolate chip ice cream, then you will definitely LOVE these cupcakes!
Table of Contents
Overview: Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
These mint chocolate cupcakes are a mash up of my Devil's Food Cupcakes and Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes recipes, and are really, REALLY good!
For this recipe, I used half unsweetened cocoa powder and half dutch process, with a little bit of espresso powder, which gives them a deep, rich chocolatey taste while the added buttermilk and vegetable oil makes them incredibly soft and moist.
Each center is filled with a mint chocolate ganache that, when chilled, gives these cupcakes a really nice creamy texture!
To top them off, we have a refreshing mint chocolate buttercream frosting that includes a teaspoon of peppermint extract, a subtle green color using liquid food coloring, and crushed chocolate wafers.
And for a little bit of garnish, you can add on an Andes mint!
These mint chocolate cupcakes are very good served at room temperature, but they're even better when chilled!
I hope you love them as much as I do! And if you make them, tag me over on Instagram (@beyond.the.butter and #beyondthebutter) or Facebook (@beyondthebutter)!
Key Ingredients
Buttermilk and Vegetable Oil. Both give these chocolate cupcakes their super moist texture.
Unsweetened and Dutch Process Cocoa Powders. A 50/50 combination that gives the cupcakes a rich chocolate flavor.
Espresso Powder. Gives the chocolate cupcakes and even more robust flavor. It's an optional ingredient, however, so feel free to leave it out if you don't care for it.
Andes Mints. Melted down with a little bit of heavy cream, they give these cupcakes their mint chocolate ganache filled centers. So good!
Peppermint Extract. Gives the mint chocolate oreo frosting the perfect mint flavor. Do not use regular mint extract for this recipe.
The remaining ingredients needed for the mint chocolate cupcakes are all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking soda, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, and hot water.
The remaining ingredients needed for the mint chocolate buttercream frosting are chocolate wafers, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, green food coloring, and heavy whipping cream.
Substitutions
Buttermilk. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can use whole milk.
For a closer thickness to buttermilk, you can also use whole milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add the lemon juice into the measuring cup first, then fill the remaining cup with the whole milk.
Another substitute is powdered buttermilk, like Sanco Pantry. And you can even try sour cream or Greek yogurt in its place.
Cocoa Powder. You can sub out the 50/50 cocoa powder mix for just unsweetened cocoa powder or, for a little more intense, bittersweet chocolate flavor, use only dutch processed.
Andes Mints. If you don't have Andes mints on hand for the mint chocolate ganache center, you can use regular dark chocolate along with the heavy cream. Then add in ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract.
You can also omit the mint chocolate ganache center entirely and instead just add ½ teaspoon.
Chocolate Wafers. I used Nabsico's Famous Chocolate Wafers, but you can use Oreos as a substitute. Use the entire Oreo, cream center and all!
I did not test this recipe using any alternative flours, sugars, or dairy substitutes.
Helpful Baking Tools
Mint Chocolate Cupcakes FAQs
Approximately 12-14 cupcakes.
Fill each liner ⅔ full.
Buttermilk is preferred, but you can also use whole milk. For a thicker consistency closer to buttermilk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice to a 1 cup measuring cup, then fill the remaining cup with whole milk. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the cupcake batter. You can also use sour cream or Greek yogurt.
For the cupcakes you can easily mix together using a mixing bowl, whisk, and spatula. For the frosting you will need either your hand mixer or stand mixer.
No, it's best to only use peppermint with this recipe. Mint extract is the flavoring of what you'd expect in a mint iced tea.
This recipe makes enough to cover each chocolate cupcake—using the Wilton 1M decorating tip—with a thick, 1 ½ inches to 2 inches of frosting. If you prefer much less frosting and/or don't plan to pipe it on, you can half this recipe.
You can a) leave out the ganache part entirely b) just add regular melted chocolate and heavy cream together or c) add a ¼ teaspoon of mint extract to the melted chocolate, heavy cream mixture.
These are best kept stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. You can either bring them to room temperature before enjoying or—my favorite—eat them chilled! A word to the wise, if enjoying chilled, the Andes Mint garnish will be stuck in the frosting and be a little hard at first. I recommend enjoying that part last.
I used the bottom of the Wilton 1M tip to core out the center, then pushed out the cake with a toothpick. Keep the centers because you'll put them back once done adding the ganache.
Yes!
I used McCormick's green food coloring. It came in an individual bottle.
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Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Author:
Ingredients
chocolate cupcakes
- ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¼ cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Hot Water
- ½ teaspoon Espresso Powder, optional
mint chocolate ganache
- 4 oz Andes Mints , 24 mints (plus an extra for garnish)
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
mint chocolate Oreo buttercream frosting
- ¼ cup Crushed Chocolate Wafers, about 5-7 wafers
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 3 cup Sifted Powdered Sugar
- 3-4 drops Green Food Coloring
- 2 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- 5-6 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
chocolate cupcakes
- Adjust your oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Set to the side.
- Using a small mixing bowl and a whisk, blend together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, dutch process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set to the side.
- In a separate medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
- In a small bowl, stir in the espresso powder (optional) to the hot water, then add to the wet mixture.
- Add in the whisked dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the cupcake batter.
- Evenly divide the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners, filling each one approximately ⅔ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes at 350ºF or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The cupcakes should have a slight dome to the top and will bake right to the edge of the liners. This recipe will yield between 12-14 cupcakes.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tin for 5-10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before adding the ganache centers and frosting.
mint chocolate ganache
- In a small heat proof bowl add the Andes mint chocolates. Set to the side.
- Heat the heavy whipping cream in the microwave for 1 minute, 15 seconds at full power.
- Pour the heated whipping cream over top of the chocolate and lightly cover with aluminum foil. Let sit for 2 minutes.
- Remove cover and whisk slowly until smooth. If not fully melted, place it back into the microwave for 15 seconds, the whisk again. For assembling the cupcakes, see the last section below.
mint chocolate buttercream frosting
- Crush the chocolate wafers either in a small food chopper or in a ziploc bag and wooden spoon (or similiar). Set to the side.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy (1-2 minutes).
- Add in the sifted powdered sugar and peppermint extract and mix together on low speed.
- As the frosting starts to come together, add in the heavy whipping cream, continuing to mix on low speed until well blended. Add in the green food coloring then the crushed chocolate wafers, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- If you're frosting is too thick, add in a tablespoon of heavy cream until your desired consistency is achieved. Likewise, if you prefer a thinner frosting, add in a tablespoon of powdered sugar until your desired consistency is achieved.
assembling the cupcakes
- Using the bottom of a large decorating tip (like the Wilton 1M), core out the center of each cupcake. Carefully remove each cake core from the decorating tip with a toothpick and set to the side. You'll place these back over the ganache.
- Place the mint chocolate ganache into a small piping bag (no decorating tip is needed). Snip the end off the piping bag and fill each cupcake center, then recap with the cake.
- Fit a larger size piping bag with the Wilton 1M piping tip (no coupler attachment is needed) and fill with the mint chocolate buttercream frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, then garnish with an Andes mint. Refrigerate the cupcakes in a well sealed container. Remove 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Mint chocolate cupcakes will last in the refrigerator in a well sealed container for up to 4 days.
Diane says
Hi, I read Dutch process cocoa powder is usually paired with baking powder because it is neutral. Can you confirm this recipe uses baking soda? Thank you!
Jennifer says
That's correct. It usually is, but sometimes not—it really depends on the recipe. For these cupcakes, I used a 50/50 mix of both unsweetened cocoa powder and dutch process, so I included both baking powder and baking soda. You can just use unsweetened cocoa powder if you'd like though.
Mary says
Do you chill the Gamache before filling the cupcakes? I'm worried it'll be absorbed into the cake instead of a filling.
Jennifer says
I've done it both ways, actually! Either is okay to do, I just wouldn't let the ganache chill for too long in the refrigerator or it will become too thick to pipe in. My preference is to do the piping (both the ganache and the frosting), then chill them in the fridge (which then chills the ganache. If you're worried though about it absorbing into the cupcakes, you can most certainly chill the ganache first.
Melissa says
If a use instant espresso powder, do I still need the hot water?
Jennifer says
Yes, you should still add it.
HC says
How could this be made eggless?
Jennifer says
I'm sorry I don't know as I didn't test them with any alternative egg substitutes.
Brittany says
My favorite cupcakes thus far! I only added half a teaspoon of the peppermint extract. It was the perfect amount as I didn't want to have any overwhelming flavor of peppermint as there would already be a large amount in the ganache. I made these for a friends birthday! I know she will LOVE them! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Jennifer says
You're welcome! And happy birthday to your friend...I hope she loves them!