Nick's Chocolate Andes Mint Cake

Tip: Start frosting first then make cake. 

Andes Ganache

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

8 oz Andes chips

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Bring cream to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate. Add corn syrup and let stand three minutes. Whisk gently until smooth; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until mixture reaches spreadable consistency.

Chocolate Cake

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (Hershey's)

2 teaspoons instant expresso or instant coffee

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to center and heat at 350 degrees. Generously grease two 8x11-inch cake pans with shortening and dust with flour.

2. Beat butter in bowl with electric mixer until smooth and shiny (30 sec.). Gradually sprinkle in sugar, beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3-5 minutes. Add 1 egg at a time, beating a full minute between each egg.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt cocoa, and instant expresso in medium bowl. Combine milk and vanilla in measuring cup. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed by 1/3 of milk mixture. Repeat process twice more until batter is fully blended.

4. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake cakes until they feel firm and toothpick comes out clean, 23-30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack. Invert and cool completely. 

5. Assemble cake when frosting is fully cooled and thick.