Chocolate Mint Cupcake Trees

Just in time for the holidays, I whipped up a delicious batch of Chocolate Mint Cupcakes.  I made these for a Recreation and Wellness event at BGSU.  They are full of gluten and dairy and a few other things my youngest cannot eat, so I am glad to not have them sitting around the house!

SPOILER ALERT:  GLUTEN/DAIRY FREE CUPCAKES COMING NEXT WEEK!!!

Chocolate Mint Cupcake 

 I used my go to chocolate cake recipe and added mint.  I think this would be equally good if you chopped Andes Mints in place of the mint extract. I would use about 2/3rds cup.  I think it might actually be a little bit better.  If somebody trys it this way, let me know how it turns out! 

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Adapted from: The Barefoot Contessa at Home

  Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extracts
• 1/4 tsp mint extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee ( I used decaf) 

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla and mint. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Fill lined cupcake pans 1/2 full.  Bake for approximately 18-22 minutes




The Frosting


1 scant cup shortening
2 sticks unsalted butter -at room temperature 
2 pounds powdered sugar (approximately)
1/4 c heavy whipping cream (more or less depending upon the texture you are looking for)
1/8 tsp-1/4 tsp mint extract


Cream shortening and butter.  Mix in powdered sugar.  Add milk until you reach the consistency you are looking for.  Mix in mint extract.

This made enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes with about 1 cup left over.

To Decorate


I generously piped on the frosting with a 1 M  Wilton tip.  I added white sugar beads and white fondant stars.  The kids and I had a GREAT time decorating these! They especially liked cutting out the fondant stars.