MINT CAKE w/o Peppermint Extract

[Acelestialobject]

I would like to make a mint chocolate cake without peppermint extract. Has anyone tried with fresh mint instead? Or powdered polo mints? 

Any ideas and advices will be helpful :))

[Katie Meadow]

I make mint chocolate brownies by simply adding some  chunks of good quality mint chocolate bar to the melted chocolate.  How much you use in relation to how much regular dark chocolate you use is up to you; a little goes a long way.  I use Theo, but there are other bars out there, and their intensity of mint flavor varies. I'm not sure how to do it if you are only using cocoa.  Of course at the end of the day, with a mint chocolate bar, you may still be getting extract. If you want to use real mint leaves I suppose you could make an infusion in whatever liquid goes in the cake. 

[Alex]

I've never done this with mint, but I suspect it'd work. You can use whole leaves or cut them in half or thirds crosswise. Muddle them, then mix them with sugar. Stir or shake every day or two. I imagine it'd take about a week for the flavor to develop. Remove the mint before using.

 

What do you think, eG bakers?

[Jim D.]

Having made a bonbon with fresh mint (plus lemon)--it's a Peter Greweling recipe--I can attest that fresh mint is very muted (and that's putting it nicely).  And Greweling's recipe calls for leaving the chopped leaves in the ganache!  The result barely resembles what people think of when they think "mint chocolate."  It would take a lot of fresh mint to give adequate flavor.  Do you have the same objection to mint oil?  Both extract and oil come in "natural" form.  

[Acelestialobject]

13 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

If you want to use real mint leaves I suppose you could make an infusion in whatever liquid goes in the cake.

This sounds like a good idea, @Katie Meadow

11 hours ago, Jim D. said:

It would take a lot of fresh mint to give adequate flavor.

This is what I am worried about. 

Edited February 2 by Acelestialobject (log)

[Acelestialobject]

11 hours ago, Jim D. said:

Do you have the same objection to mint oil? 

Its not really an objection just that mint extract isn't available anywhere near me. T_T

[Acelestialobject]

12 hours ago, Jim D. said:

  And Greweling's recipe calls for leaving the chopped leaves in the ganache!

O.O I was gonna try a recipe that uses this same method. Can you describe in detail how the ganache was??? Do you think it would have turned out better with powdered polo mints??

[Acelestialobject]

12 hours ago, Alex said:

I've never done this with mint, but I suspect it'd work. You can use whole leaves or cut them in half or thirds crosswise. Muddle them, then mix them with sugar. Stir or shake every day or two. I imagine it'd take about a week for the flavor to develop. Remove the mint before using.

 

What do you think, eG bakers?

Is this like a homemade extract? Which ingredients have you tried this with?? What dishes did you use it in?? :))

[Jim D.]

3 hours ago, Acelestialobject said:

O.O I was gonna try a recipe that uses this same method. Can you describe in detail how the ganache was??? Do you think it would have turned out better with powdered polo mints??

 

The first time I made this ganache, I followed the recipe exactly, and the mint flavor was almost undetectable (you may recall from my previous post that the ganache also includes lemon, a difficult flavor to compete with).  The following times I have included perhaps four times as much mint.  Another difference is that the recipe calls for white chocolate--not what you are looking for.  I think you really need extract (so you are out of the reach of Amazon?  I think Jeff Bezos needs to be informed of this gap in the company's coverage), so I would recommend @Alex's suggestion.  Another problem with fresh mint is that it can develop an off-taste (think damp lettuce that has been sitting around too long).

[Kerry Beal]

Also as suggested earlier mint oil might be an option to replace the extract. A lot of pharmacies around the world carry peppermint oil which is used for a variety of purposes and a few drops replace a tsp of mint extract. 

[JeanneCake]

if you are able to buy from Amazon, you can look for Amoretti flavorings there - they sell peppermint oil in small quantities (2 oz, 4 oz) and a little goes a long way and it lasts forever.  You might also be able to find Boyajian oils on Amazon, they make lemon, orange, lime and mint and all are excellent.  The  mint oil will give you the best flavor IMHO.

[Alex]

5 hours ago, Acelestialobject said:

Is this like a homemade extract? Which ingredients have you tried this with?? What dishes did you use it in?? :))

 

I think I did it a long time ago with rosemary, for ice cream, but of course rosemary is stronger. I've done it with vanilla bean pods, but that's not an herb. I've also infused mint in simple syrup, for cocktails, but that's very different.

[Acelestialobject]

6 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Also as suggested earlier mint oil might be an option to replace the extract. A lot of pharmacies around the world carry peppermint oil which is used for a variety of purposes and a few drops replace a tsp of mint extract. 

I didn't know pharmacies had them.. O.O Thank you.. I will check it out..

[Acelestialobject]

6 hours ago, Jim D. said:

(you may recall from my previous post that the ganache also includes lemon, a difficult flavor to compete with).  The following times I have included perhaps four times as much mint

Oh did you try the ganache without lemon flavor?? How was the next attempt (the one with 4 times as much mint)? Im thinking of making a mint ganache on a chocolate cake instead of incorporating it in the cake.

6 hours ago, Jim D. said:

you are out of the reach of Amazon?  I think Jeff Bezos needs to be informed of this gap in the company's coverage

Lol not quite but delivery charges are insane here 

[Acelestialobject]

6 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

if you are able to buy from Amazon, you can look for Amoretti flavorings there - they sell peppermint oil in small quantities (2 oz, 4 oz) and a little goes a long way and it lasts forever.  You might also be able to find Boyajian oils on Amazon, they make lemon, orange, lime and mint and all are excellent.  The  mint oil will give you the best flavor IMHO.

Wow thanks a lot... I'll refer to these for my bulk amazon purchases...I didnt know these were good enough.. :))

[Acelestialobject]

5 hours ago, Alex said:

 

I think I did it a long time ago with rosemary, for ice cream, but of course rosemary is stronger. I've done it with vanilla bean pods, but that's not an herb. I've also infused mint in simple syrup, for cocktails, but that's very different.

It is different..but it may work considering the fact that I will be adding it to the ganache