Fall officially arrives in a couple of days and we've definitely been making the transition from summer to our more typical routine. The school year started almost two weeks ago and it's kind of momentous for us because our "little" guy started middle school!! It's time to celebrate - time for cake!
It's become a little bit of a tradition for me to make a back-to-school cake; last year, I made Baked Alaska. This year, I tried this mint chocolate chip cake you see here. Frankly, it's just fun to have an excuse to celebrate and a reason to try one of the cake recipes I've bookmarked.
This was a recipe I bookmarked from America's Test Kitchen. I scaled things down and made this 6-inch, two-layer, version. It was an interesting experience because I have hardly any familiarity with making a white cake, which this one is. I felt a little uncertain along the way but gave it my best shot since mint chocolate chip really sounded like a cake my son would enjoy.
Aside from the chocolate chips settling to the bottom of my cake layers instead of being nicely interspersed throughout the cake, I think this endeavor worked out pretty well. The cake was moist and fluffy, with a cool mint flavor from peppermint extract. The frosting is chocolaty, smooth, and rich. Studded with more mini chocolate chips on the outside, you have plenty of chocolate represented here, which is how we like our cakes! Mostly importantly, my newly "minted" middle schooler thought it was "really good" and we all enjoyed digging into it.
It's nice to stop and enjoy simple things like a piece of cake with my family. These are crazy times and on a micro level, the last couple of weeks have been very busy, as we try to navigate the new structures of middle school. My son just returned from a night of sleep-away camp with his fellow 6th graders and it felt so good to be back together at the dining table again (even if he was only gone for a day and a half). There are certainly changes happening and things yet to figure out but change is usually good and so far, so good (I say, with fingers-crossed). Here's to a smooth school year ahead!
