Mint Aero Drip Cake!
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A four-layer chocolate mint sponge, with mint buttercream frosting, chocolate drip, and Mint Aero… the perfect Mint Aero drip cake!
Mint Aero drip cake!
So I adore aero chocolates. Mint Aero, probably, a little more so than regular Aero, but that’s because I have eaten so much of the mint one recently that I can’t resist a little more. I must say though, this recipe would work wonderfully with the normal Aero, or even the orange Aero if you can be lucky enough to find it! *I never can!*
I decided to make this cake a showstopper of sorts and go all out. Therefore, yes, the recipe is quite a lot of stuff. Technically, it does use well over a kilo of sugar, but if you think about it, that is for a FOUR LAYER cake with buttercream inside, and outside, and on top. To get what I have achieved in the images, you do need all the ingredients.
However, if you wanted to make a smaller version, check out my notest section below on the recipe! I am lucky enough to have a bunch of lovely taste testers to eat all of my treats after I have taken my share, and this sort of cake always goes down well – definitely one of my favourites.
Sponge
For the cake itself, I decided to use a basic chocolate sponge and add peppermint extract to get increased chocolate and mint flavour – you can leave the cake as plain chocolate if you prefer though,. or even add in vanilla extract if that is what you prefer.
Tins
I tend to bake my larger cakes into two deep 8″ tins and baking in the oven for a longer time as it keeps the cake moist and much easier to manage. This is slightly different to the original recipe that was posted (a 400g mixture, baked into three tins – notes below!) but I just love this method of baking cakes.
Handy equipment!
Using a cake decorating turntable does also make things easier as you can turn it and smooth it at the same time, but that’s my personal choice! I’m all about making things easier for myself. Using a large metal scraper also makes things so much easier – so these two pieces of equipment will help you!
Buttercream
I adore a drip cake, and oh my days they always get a good reaction on social media and with my taste testers alike. I just love the look of them! For this cake, I used a mint buttercream frosting slathered in the middle of the cake sponges, as well as going all over the outside for a beautiful look.
Ganache drip
Because the buttercream is quite sweet, I use a dark and milk chocolate drip – first found in my Mini Egg drip cake. I much prefer the almost bitterness of dark chocolate though balanced with the sweetness of the milk chocolate as it cancels out some of the sweetness to my perfect level; almost how salt in caramel does.
I melt my ganache in the microwave in a jug on as little heat as possible, stirring really well every 15 seconds so it doesn’t overheat – using a small piping bag makes doing the drip much easier! Topping this with swirls of buttercream frosting using my favourite piping tip as always because it’s just beautiful.
Recipe updated April 2022
The original cake recipe was 400g stork, 400g light brown sugar, 340g self-raising flour, 60g cocoa powder, 8 medium eggs, 2 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp peppermint extract. This was beaten together and split between 3 8″ tins, baked for 30 minutes. I used the same buttercream recipe, and a dark chocolate drip made with 150g dark chocolate and 1-2tsps sunflower oil.
More Mint Aero recipes
If you want to try something else Mint Aero themed and delicious, why not try my no-bake Mint Aero cheesecake, and Mint Aero rocky road have ALWAYS been popular, but I know all you Mint Aero lovers will adore this recipe as well.
Mint Aero Drip Cake!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 500 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 500 g light brown soft sugar
- 9 medium eggs
- 400 g self-raising flour
- 100 g cocoa powder
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
Mint Buttercream Frosting
- 500 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 1000 g icing sugar
- 1/2-1 tsp green food colouring
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
Decoration
- 75 g dark chocolate
- 75 g milk chocolate
- 150 ml double cream
- Mint Aero bubbles
Instructions
Cake
- Heat the oven to 180ºc/160ºfan and line two deep 8"/20cm cake tins with baking parchment – leave to the side.
- In a large bowl, beat together the room temperature unsalted butter and light brown soft sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the self-raising flour, cocoa powder, eggs and mint extract and beat again briefly until combined.
- Divide the mixture between the two tins and smooth it over – bake for 50-55 minutes until the cakes spring back when pressed and a skewer should also come out clean.
- Once baked, leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove and leave to cool fully on a wire rack.
Buttercream
- In a stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter with an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until it is smooth and loose and then beat in the icing sugar 1/3 at a time until its fully combined.
- Add in the green food colouring a little at a time till you get your desired colour, and the mint extract.
- Beat the buttercream for 4-5 minutes on a medium speed so it starts to get fluffier and lighter. – if its a bit stiff, add in 1tbsp of boiling water at a time until you get a smooth consistency, if required.
Assembly
- Once the cakes are cooled, split each cake into two layers.
- Put the first layer on the serving plate spread some of the buttercream onto the top of the first layer, add the second cake on top, repeat, and then top again with some of buttercream and then add the final sponge layer.
- Cover the sides of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream for a crumb coat. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, add another layer of butercream around the top and sides of the cake, and smooth around witht a large metal scraper. Chill again for 30 minutes.
- Add the dark chocolate and milk chocolate to a jug, and pour over the double cream. Melt on a low heat, stirring often, until smooth.
- Gently pour/pipe the ganache around the edge of the cake to cause the drips, and pour the rest onto the top and spread evenly and leave to set briefly.
- Once the chocolate has set, with any leftover frosting, pipe some little rosettes onto the top and COVER IN MINT AERO BUBBLES! Enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe I recommend:
- All of the decorations are completely optional – but I love this style of cake! To make a smaller version of the cake, use:
- Half of the cake mixture, baked into one tin, and split.
- Also, use 1/2 of the decoration recipe!
- This cake will last for 3 days at room temperature.
ENJOY!
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J x
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
This looks amazing – I can smell the minty goodness through the screen. I want to give this a go but would you recommend using a 1/3 of this recipe and splitting into 2 7 inch tins. If not I can stick to the 8inch…more cake!
Thank you! When I am making this into 7″ (but still three layers) I use 4/5 of the recipe – but if you only want two layers, I think half might work?! I’m not 100% sure, but I think 1/3 would probably be too little! x
Is it possible to make the aero mint chocolate in advance and freeze for 2 weeks before use
Hiya! Do you mean the cake part?
Is there a way of making this dairy free?
Technically yes. As long as you use a dairy free baking spread in the sponges, it should be fine. Most cocoa powders are dairy free but you would have to check that. The only thing is dairy free baking spread isn’t the best for stiff buttercream, so it might be too sloppy to put on the sides of the cake, but its worth a try.
I am making a gluten free version of this for my twins 8th birthday. My daughter has coeliac disease. Fingers crossed it tastes ok. It certainly smells nice!
I’d like to make this for my son’s space themed birthday party. Any ideas on modifying the decoration to make it look like an Alien? All I can come up with is putting white marshmallows on sticks with a dab of chocolate to make googley eyes! Help!
Hiya! How alien like do you want it to be? You could try decorations on top, or try using rice Krispy cake mixtures to make aliens and covering them in chocolate for example? It’s worth having a google to find better stuff as my ideas are lacking haha!
How can I convert this recipe into a two layer cake ?
Details in the tips and ideas section on the post x
Hi, can you just confirm that it is 8 eggs in this cake? It seems a lot of eggs, that’s all 😉
It’s not for the amount of cake you’re making 👍 you do definitely need 8 medium eggs.
Made this cake for a family celebration, it looked and tasted amazing everyone loved it. Thank you.
Can I use milk chocolate and sunflower oil for the drip? Or is there a specific reason why is dark chocolate?
Milk chocolate is a lot thinner and won’t have the same affect. Ratios for ganache with cream or oil change with different chocolates like milk and white. I’d recommend using dark, or use half the amount of oil (but it might still be thinner)
I stupidly misread your ingredients for the sponges for how much peppermint to use. Instead of 2 tsps I read 2 tbsp 🙁
Don’t know 100% what it tastes like yet as I have only had cake cut offs. Fingers crossed it doesn’t taste like toothpaste tomorrow for the Macmillan Coffee Morning. Looks inviting still though…..so hopefully people will still buy some 🙂
I WON! Your cake / recipe went down a storm at work. I have won an afternoon tea for two whilst raising funds for Macmillan. Thank you xx
That’s amazing! Well done!! x
Hi Jane,
So excited to try this cake for my partners birthday as he is a mint aero addict! Just wanted to check with the smaller version how many sponges would that make or is it 3 still but smaller tins?
Thanks
I’d use two 8″ tins rather than three x
I’m making this cake right now, the cake is cooling, quick question. What does the sunflower oil do to the dark chocolate?
It thins it out to make it drip easier – and keeps it softer so when cutting it doesn’t break.
Hi Jane,
I’m making this for my sisters birthday. Do you think I could take the lazy option and buy a cake mix like Betty Crocker Devils Food Cake and just add mint extract to it? And then make your mint buttercream frosting? Thanks
I’ve never tried it but I don’t see why not!
I am making this right now. It’s in the fridge after a crumb coat. The cake mix tasted lovely and the buttercream is out of this world. I can’t wait to finish it, just so I can eat it! It’s going to be amazing. Thanks for the recipe xx
Oh my god, I swear I can smell how lovely and chocolatey and minty this is!
Hi I dont have 20cm cake tins I only have 22cm cake tins will this still be ok to make the cake