Chocolate Mint Cake

Michael really enjoys a minty flavor in bars, cookies or cake.  But I don't often find recipes I really like that call for mint.  This recipe happened to be on one of those recipe cards you receive in the mail - where they are trying to hook you into buying them forever.  I usually go through those sample packs and keep ones that sound good and throw out the rest.  Well this Chocolate Mint Cake is one I kept, because it had peppermint in it and also because it looked so easy.

It was really easy and very good...so moist and minty.  It is just a small cake - an 8x8 (or 9x9 will work too) but perfect size for just a few people and not having to eat cake forever.

Hard to take a photo as the chocolate is so glossy

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 - package small chocolate covered mint patties*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.  Stir to mix.  Add brown sugar and cocoa powder and mix well.  Add water, vinegar, oil and extracts. Mix well.

Pour batter into an 8" x 8" pan.* Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Arrange mint patties on top of cake. Return to oven until candies begin to melt  - about 1 minute. Remove from oven.

Spread melted mint patties evenly over cake with a knife. Cool completely. Cut cake and serve.

* NOTES:
* The original recipe says 13 ounce package of small chocolate covered mint patties - well I wasn't paying attention to that and bought a 5 ounce package and it worked really well. I think it would have been overkill on mint using a 13 ounce package.

* The original recipe calls for an ungreased cake pan but I can't imagine not greasing a cake pan so I coated it with cooking spray and it turned out find.