Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream

Deep, dark devil’s food cupcakes with mint buttercream are the perfect treat for those who love the combination of chocolate and mint. These cupcakes, along with sweet Irish soda bread are my favorites for St. Patrick’s Day. Shaved chocolate mint candies are the perfect garnish for these tasty cupcakes.

American buttercream made with crème de menthe makes this an adults-only cupcake, but there is a non-alcoholic version to make it kid-friendly!

Devil’s Food cupcakes

I’ve made thousands of chocolate cupcakes in my lifetime, as I’m sure some of you have as well. You wait with anticipation for that dark chocolatey goodness only to find it falls short of being really chocolatey.

Does this sound familiar? That really takes the wind out of my sails.

If I’m promised a devil’s food cupcake, call me crazy, I want a super chocolatey cupcake. 

After many versions, I’ve finally landed on a solid recipe for a devils food cupcake recipe that doesn’t leave me feeling like it didn’t quite hit the mark.

Chocolate mint cupcakes

For those of us who love the chocolate and mint combination, the best frosting for devil’s food cupcakes would be mint buttercream.

By topping the chocolatey cupcake with mint frosting, it tastes like mint aero cupcakes. That’s a chocolate mint candy bar from the UK that I discovered years ago in Canada. Sometimes I find them in the international aisle at the store.

Mint buttercream frosting

Green crème de menthe frosting tops this devils food cupcake to make these a fantastic sweet for St. Patrick’s day. 

The mint frosting recipe is super simple. It is an American buttercream, so no fussing with egg whites like you would for a Swiss meringue buttercream.

Butter and powdered sugar are beaten together until light and fluffy. This one has the addition of mint in the form of green crème de menthe.

If you would rather make it without the alcohol, there is a note in the recipe for doing just that. A couple of swaps and you have basically the same frosting without the alcohol.

How to Make Chocolate Curls for Garnish

This is a really easy thing to make that looks a bit posh. Get the rectangles of chocolate mint candies and stash them in the fridge. 

Using a vegetable peeler, gently pull the peeler toward you along the longest side of the candy. The lighter you press, the thinner it will be and it will curl a bit easier. If you press harder, the curl will be thicker and not quite as curly.

You want the candy to be cool but not very cold. If it is too cold, it will be brittle and it’ll break into shards, which is also fun. 

After a few candies, you will quickly find your groove and what you like best. You’ll see what I mean when you make them. 

It is very easy to do, it just takes patience. If the candy breaks, just eat it and grab another piece. No one will be the wiser.

Here are a few more of our favorite cupcake recipes:

• Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
• Cream Cheese Cupcakes
• Ginger Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
• Halloween Day of the Dead Chocolate Cupcakes

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Devils Food Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream

Cheryl Bennett

Devil's food cupcakes with American buttercream flavored with crème de menthe for a 21+ treat.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 16 minutes mins

Additional Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 31 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 36 cupcakes

Calories 227 kcal

Equipment

• 2 oz. Scoop
• KitchenAid 7-Speed Digital Hand Mixer 

Ingredients

  

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For the Cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder dark
• 3/4 cup water hot
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate melted and cooled
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 sticks unsalted butter room temp
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs large
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract I prefer Nielsen-Massey

For the Buttercream

• 4 sticks unsalted butter room temp
• 2 lbs powdered sugar 2 boxes
• 1/4 cup green Creme de Menthe
• *pinch kosher salt
• Chocolate mint candies for garnish optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4.  Line cupcake pans with papers.   
• In a medium bowl, whisk cocoa and hot water together until smooth.  
• Let cool slightly, then whisk in sour cream and melted chocolate until combined.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.  
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla.  
• With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined.
• Using a scoop (I used a size 20 scoop) divide batter evenly into cupcake liners. Bake for 16 – 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Let cool completely before frosting.

Mint Buttercream

• Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together on low speed for one minute until combined, then at high for another 3 – 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Transfer into piping bag fitted with star tip & pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish with shaved creme de menthe candy.
  

Notes

To make this recipe kid-friendly, omit the creme de menthe and replace with a drop of green food coloring and a teaspoon of peppermint extract.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 227kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 94mgFiber: 1gSugar: 39g

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The recipe and photos have been updated from the original publish date of 03/13/13