Mint Chocolate Chip Birthday Cake Recipe And Natural Green Food Coloring

This is the cake recipe I used for Boy In The Mid-west's birthday cake.

I used a chlorophyll liquid to tint the frosting. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plant leaves. It has many health benefits and can be found at your local health food store or supplement section at some grocery stores or pharmacies. It took about 2 tablespoons to yield this shade of mint green. The shade may vary among different supplement brands. Liquid chlorophyll will easily stain fabrics, so be careful about splashing it on your clothes.

The mint flavor is in the filling between the layers of cake. I used about 2 cups of the vanilla buttercream that I was using to frost the cake for the middle filling. I flavored it with 2 drops of Young Living Peppermint essentially oil.

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake

1 3/4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup softened butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
5 oz. baking chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat in the butter until well distributed.
Add egg one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add buttermilk and vanilla. Gradually add water and melted baking chocolate while mixing. Stir in chocolate chips.
Prepare 2, 9" round cake pans by lining with wax paper, greasing, and flouring.
Divide batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
Bake in preheated oven at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting Options:
Your favorite frosting recipe, chocolate or vanilla.
The frosting I used was Whole Egg Vanilla Buttercream.

Filling Between Cake Layers:
Option 1
1/4 cup softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 TBS. milk
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Whip butter. Incorporate powdered sugar. Add milk, extract, food coloring, and chocolate chips.

Option 2 (What I did)
Make one recipe of Whole Egg Vanilla Buttercream. Yields about 5 1/2 cups.
Tint with 2 1/2 Tablespoons liquid chlorophyll.

For the filling between the cake layers:
Separate 1 3/4 cups of green vanilla buttercream and add into it-
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
2 drops YL peppermint essential oil

Mix well. Use, when assembling the cake, as the filling between the cake layers.