It’s been a while since I’ve tacked a Baked three-layer cake. They’re generally all really great and follow a fairly similar template – three 8″ cakes, the Baked buttercream with some sort of flavoring. This grasshopper cake is no different, but does include an added component of chocolate-mint ganache in between each layer (not complaining).
The chocolate cake is good on its own – moist and über-chocolatey. The buttercream never ever fails me, and because it starts with a base of cooked sugar, flour, milk and cream, which makes it really stable and easy to work with. I love the gentle minty flavor of the buttercream for this cake.
This dessert reminds me of an After Eight candy in cake form. I was surprised that Larry liked it because he’s usually not one for mint, but it’s pretty delicious and not in-your-face minty. I topped my cake with some candied mint leaves, which I could pretty much just eat by the handful.
For the recipe and to see how the other Baked Sunday Mornings bakers fared, head over to Baked Sunday Mornings.
- Grasshopper Cake (Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, p. 57)
I love those candied mint leaves…they make your cake extra beautiful!!! Do you have the recipe for those somewhere? So pretty!
Thanks Rebecca! They’re also super delicious – I had to restrain myself from just shoveling them into my mouth. :)
I didn’t use a recipe, but it’s super simple:
First, I pick out a bunch of pretty mint leaves, and then I get myself three pieces of parchment to make my workflow easy and clean. On the first piece of parchment, I lay all the leaves out, and then I use a pastry brush to swipe both sides of each leaf with a bit of tapioca syrup that I’ve warmed up a bit so it’s more liquid. Corn syrup works fine too.
I put the second sheet of parchment on a sheet pan and sprinkle it with a bit of sugar (I use fine Baker’s sugar), then set each leaf vein-side up on that sheet. I then sprinkle them generously with sugar. Then, I place each leaf vein-side down on the third piece of parchment after first sprinkling a bit of sugar on it (thus the use of a sheet pan, so I don’t have sugar everywhere).
I finish up by sprinkling the tops of the leaves generously with more sugar. I don’t reuse sugar from the second step because it can get moist and clumpy.
Don’t remove any excess sugar at this point – I keep them fairly well covered in sugar. You can let them dry at room temp for 24-48 hours. I speed it up a bit by putting them in the dehydrator at 100 degrees until they’re dry and stiff. Once they’re fully dry, you can gently shake off excess sugar. They don’t keep for very long, so use them up quick!
Thank you so much! I grow mint, so I will give it a try! I have lately become obsessed with candied herbs and fruits/fruit peels. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this!!!
Lovely as always! Funny that you mentioned After Eights– I literally have a box right in front of me on the coffee table. :) Nice touch with the mint leaves!