Danielle's Grasshopper Cake

I've been waiting to make this cake till I had people I could serve it to. I had a lunch get-together today, and it was the perfect occasion. It was a big hit, and I was really happy with the way it came out. I sent a couple of friends home with some cake, and I got a call from my friend's five-year-old daughter saying it was the best cake she'd ever had. (Is that cute or what?)

As is my usual custom, I halved the recipe and made a six-inch cake. I know I've said it before, but I just have to say it again that I love six-inch cakes! I had the perfect amount of ganache and only a little bit of extra buttercream frosting left, so the recipe worked out well that way.

I thought the ganache and frosting had the perfect amount of mint -- not overpowering but definitely noticeable. They both tasted great. Based on Cami's suggestion I used about 1 3/4 sticks of butter in my halved batch of frosting. It definitely didn't need more than that. My buttercream was really runny, though. Maybe I didn't beat it long enough? I don't know. But I added a bunch of powdered sugar to thicken it up, and I thought the added sweetness was an improvement. The frosting still ended up being fairly runny at room temperature, but the consistency was perfect when it was chilled. I actually liked having the cake straight out of the fridge anyway.

I think this was maybe my most successful cake attempt yet from Baked. As far as straight taste, I think the Sweet & Salty Cake wins in my book, but you all know how that turned out... But this one is right up there on taste, and wins out handily on presentation. (I'm still determined to have a rematch with that Sweet & Salty Cake some day. Some day...)


Dang, you know what would've been perfect? If I'd garnished my cake with fresh mint leaves. I wish I'd thought of that this morning.