Love and Olive Oil

Dark Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Andes Mint Creme de Menthe Cupcakes

Happy St. Patrick’s day to you! I’ve had these on my mind for quite some time now, I’ve been plotting and scheming and planning my creme de menthe tactics, and this green-loving holiday seemed like the perfect time to make them. I’m warning you, if you are in the least bit hungry or craving anything even remotely sweet right now, don’t read any further unless you have the time to run to your kitchen and bake these right now. There is no avoiding it, you won’t be able to resist these.

I’ve had a cupcake realization – coconut milk just might be the best thing ever. While many of my cupcakes call for soymilk, including the original Rich Chocolate Cupcakes these are based on, I substituted coconut milk in this time. The result is a moist and fluffy cake, with an incredible depth of flavor. Rich and slightly nutty, but not in any way coconutty (great for those of us who aren’t particularly fond of the white stuff contaminating our truffles), there is something about the coconut milk that brings out the best in any chocolate flavor. And for these, I splurged and got some of the Special Dark cocoa powder, which explains why my cupcakes came out of the oven almost a midnight black.

The frosting is a rich and minty swirl of green mint and dark chocolate mint buttercreams, topped with an andes mint (my favorite – and the inspiration for these cupcakes). The flavor comes from Creme de Menthe flavor oil (can be purchased in an itty bitty jar here: http://www.bakeitpretty.com/item_321/Candy-Flavoring.htm), but that little jar goes a long way. A few drops of it in the frosting was more than enough minty flavor for a dozen cupcake swirls.

After eating one of these last night, Taylor and I soon realized that had it not been 9:30 at night, and had we not had a reasonable sense of self control, we just might have eaten the entire dozen right then and there. They are that good. In fact, here we are at 9:28 am on St. Patrick’s day morning, and I just might have to sneak one of these for breakfast.

Dark Chocolate Andes Mint Creme de Menthe Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cupcakes with Buttercream Swirl

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk or coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Frosting:

  • 1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons soymilk, divided
  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
  • 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted
  • creme de menthe flavoring
  • green food coloring
  • 6 Andes mints, halved on the diagonal

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no lumps remain (or very few remain).
  3. Pour into liners, filling each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
  4. For frosting, cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 tablespoon soymilk and mix to combine. Remove half of butter mixture to another bowl and set aside. Add 4 drops of creme de menthe extract and a few drops of green food coloring to remaining butter mixture, along with 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar. Beat until combined. Add remaining sugar 1/4 cup at a time and mix until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Spoon frosting into one half of a piping bag, set aside.
  5. Move remaining half of butter mixture back into the mixing bowl. Slowly add melted chocolate, and beat until fluffy and incorporated, 3-5 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add 3 drops creme de menthe flavoring, and more soymilk if needed. Beat until fluffy. Spoon into other half of piping bag, and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top with halved mints and enjoy!
All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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47 Comments

  1. I know this post is forever old, so I’m not even sure you’ll see it, but do you recommend coconut milk beverage, or canned coconut milk? Or could I just do a soymilk/vinegar mixture?

    • I’ve always used canned coconut milk, full fat ideally. Soymilk should work here as well although I’ve never tried it personally (vinegar not necessary unless you’re trying to replace buttermilk).

  2. Is there a reason that there are no eggs in your cupcake recipes? I am new to following you and thought it was just this recipe or an error, but it appears most or all are made without eggs. I see you make macarons so I know it’s not an issue with eggs. I am just curious. Eggs help in the rising of cakes and cupcakes.

    • It’s intentional, and I think you’ll find that the eggless cupcakes are actually quite good – very tender. The cupcake bases are entirely vegan. Not that I am a vegan or have issues putting eggs in cupcakes, but I found for a while that I preferred the flavor/texture of the eggless cakes. :)

  3. These look wonderful! I’ve been looking for the a cupcake recipe for my sister’s wedding, (instead of having a cake made, they are having 10 or 12 family members and friends make their own cakes or cupcakes.) This one is perfect because they are going to Ireland on their honeymoon, it just fits! :)

  4. The cupcake turned out WONDERFUL, but I had some issues with the frosting. It was way too sweet, and the butter level was crazy high. Great job on the cupcake recipe though. They turned out absolutely perfect.

  5. Hi, these cup cakes look amazing. I would really love to give it a try but i don’t know where to get the creme de menthing flavour, yhe only thing i found was pepper mint flavour. Please can you tell me where i can buy the creme de menthing flavour?
    thank you!
    SAIRA

  6. I’ve actually never baked anything from scratch before these cupcakes and although they did not turn out as expected, they were delicious. I was drawn to this recipe because it seemed possible. I’ve never seen a baking recipe that ever seemed possible for me to do before. It all had to do with the coconut milk instead of eggs. I have an unreasonable fear of eggs. I don’t like them and I don’t like cooking with them, so most cakes and pies are not an option… until now! However, I do have a question. My cupcakes sank in the middle just like the picture of that first batch you did. My cupcakes were trying to be doughnuts so I filled them with chocolate chips and they really were delicious, but I would rather them look like cupcakes. Any ideas on how to fix this. I checked them at 18 mins and that’s when they fell. Is it possible that I just needed to cook them longer and leave them alone? Is it the amount of flour? My husband swears it’s the coconut milk and that eggs would fix it all, but I don’t want to believe that. Please help my poor little, wanna-be doughnut, super-delicious anyway cupcakes!

    • There are lots of reasons why your cupcakes could have sunk. Check your oven, make sure the temperature is accurate. The recipes are written for low-altitude, if you’re higher than a 3,000 ft or so you will have to make changes. Don’t overmix the batter. Don’t overfill your cupcake tins. Don’t open the oven during the cooking process. After you’ve checked all those things, and they still sink, try either decreasing the leavening just a bit, or adding another tablespoon or two of flour. The lack of eggs does make the cupcake a bit more fragile – but with some tweaking they should turn out just fine. :) Good luck!

  7. I was quite dubious about making these cupcakes at first. A cupcake with no butter or eggs sounded a bit unappetizing. But my, my, was I pleasantly surprised! These are light and wonderfully moist. It doesn’t take 5 minutes to get them into the oven. My cupcakes cracked a little on the top but no one will notice with the beautiful swirl of buttercream. My hips will wish I had never stumbled upon this recipe but my taste buds can’t get enough. Thanks for showing me not to judge a cupcake by it’s ingredients!

  8. Hi there….I’ve tried your Lemony Strawberry cupcakes before and they are amazing. Just made your Dark Chocolate Creme deMenthe Cupcakes and can’t imagine what could have possibly gone wrong. They actually did not even bake, only the tops firmed up slightly, it was one gooey mess. So disappointing. If you have any ideas on what could have happened to cause the problem with the chocolate ones, please let me know. Thank you.

  9. WOW! These look absolutely delicious. Chocolate and mint, my favorite combination. I cannot wait to make these. Thanks for the great recipe.

  10. Those look absolutely fantastic, too good to eat – thanks for sharing!

  11. Thank you your blog is very interesting. I cook all kinds of recipes but i write about what i know best: Italian cooking.
    Visit me at http://www.italianrecipesblog.com
    Thank you
    Tommaso

  12. Hi Jessi –

    There’s so little soymilk in there it doesn’t affect the taste at all. :) But yes, you can easily substitute milk or heavy cream in it’s place with no ill-effects.

  13. How is the soymilk in the frosting? I’ve never really heard of people using soymilk for that before :) sounds interesting. Does it lend a different flavor? If I can’t get my hands on soymilk, is whipping cream or something else an acceptable substitute?

  14. Such a beautiful creation!

  15. I had problems with the buttercream in this recipe. Something was off. I usually use cultured unsalted butter but used regular unsalted. The buttercream tasted salty and I wonder if the proportions are off. I had to add lots more sugar and mint. Thanks for sharing.

  16. I made these this weekend and they turned out wonderful. My swirled frosting wasn’t quite as perfect as yours, however. I had trouble spooning it into the bag side by side and ended up making a huge mess, but all in all they turned out very pretty and tasted delicious.

  17. Hi Sarah! the Andes mints come in a green-wrapped box. Usually on the top shelf in the supermarket candy aisle. :)

  18. hey.. i was wondering where you bought those chocolates from.. the ones you used to top the cupcakes? i ate them when i was younger but i can’t seem to find them anymore. I’d really appreciate it if you could get back to me. p.s. your cupcakes look delicious!

  19. I absolutely love your blog! I’m really looking forward to using a lot of your recipes. Strange question though, where do you find your cupcake liners? They are incredibly adorable.

  20. Lindsay! I thought of you when I stumbled on this blog: http://www.cakespy.com/2009/03/sweet-art-tutorial-on-how-to-make-fake.html Harumph! The nerve of some people lol! Keep the fantastic work and blogs! =)

  21. These look amazing! Your photgraphy is stunning.

  22. These look so amazingly delicious. My boyfriend is obsessed with chocolate and mint, and he would go nuts over these cupcakes. Not only are these cupcakes gorgeous, but every component sounds so delicious. Wow, I so have to bake these!

  23. These cupcakes are beautiful. I’m bookmarking this recipe…I’ve gotta try ’em; they simply sound fantastic!

  24. I’d never thought of using coconut milk in my chocolate cakes. Fabulous idea!

  25. Hi Sue!

    I never use anything but unsalted butter. :) I figure if something needs salt, I’d like to add it myself thank you!

    Let me know how they turn out!

  26. I think I’m going to try these this weekend. Do you recommend salted or unsalted butter for the frosting? I would assume unsalted but I might be wrong.

  27. looks so yummy :)

  28. dark chocolate and mint?? yum! i LOVE dark chocolate!

  29. Hi guys, this is Christie from Coco Bean. I just ran across your blog and realized that our story is alot like yours. My boyfriend Ian and I just started this blog and well… we named it after my cat. I loved the tidbit about your cat in the bio you posted! Anyways, your cupcakes are beautiful. In Montreal we celebrate St. Patty’s day on the Sunday after because this city throws the craziest st. patty’s parade.

  30. delicioussss! i love the combination of chocolate and mint. so good.

  31. Wow those look amazing!

  32. Whoops! My bad. :x I substituted coconut milk for the soymilk/vinegar mixture I used to use in this recipe. Changed the ingredients but not the instructions. Sorry about that! All fixed now! :)

  33. I’m confused about the instructions. Vinegar? That’s not on the ingredient list! I don’t get it!

  34. lovely piping :)

  35. Great idea on using coconut milk, I bet the flavor it adds is outstanding. The cupcakes themselves are so cute, gorgeous and festive.

  36. Seriously impressive!

  37. OMG Yum!

  38. Oh don’t worry – Taylor has never been a fan of mint and he gobbled it down faster than I did. :) The frosting, with only a few drops of the flavor, isn’t overpowering at all. I also find the creme de menthe flavor to be less intense than straight mint or peppermint extract as well. :)

  39. That sounds delicious and the pictures are lovely! Now if only hubby was on board with mint. I don’t want to risk eating them entirely by my self.

  40. These look like amazing festive cupcakes! I must try!

  41. oops, I get it, dark chocolate and green, looked a bit red in photo.

  42. A work of art, almost too pretty to eat, ALMOST.
    What made the icing red (and green)?

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