After Eights are a Christmas Classic. This Easy After Eight Loaf Cake is rich, smooth and tasty. With added mint chocolate buttercream, it always looks fantastic and tastes amazing.
*This post may contain affiliate links to products I find useful when making this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*
I love After Eights. I love all mint chocolate but After Eights are just super special.
I’m a big believer in the theory that if you really love something, you should probably add it to cake (I mean, sweet things. Don’t put random stuff on cake!!) and this Mint Loaf Cake is even better because it’s topped with creamy, sweet After Eight Buttercream.
It’s so yummy and follows my favourite easy loaf cake recipe, so it’s exceptionally easy.
A Recipe for Mint Chocolate Loaf Cake is also a bit more grown-up than some other Christmas treats, so the adults actually get to enjoy some for a change.
Ingredients for Mint Chocolate Loaf Cake
I love this Recipe for Dark Chocolate Mint Cake. It’s super simple and always tastes amazing.
To make an Easy After Eight Cake all you need is:
- Mint Extract (affiliate link)
- Dark Chocolate
- Caster Sugar
- Butter or Margarine
- Eggs
- Self Raising Flour
- Unsalted Butter (If you can, butter is much better than margarine for buttercream)
- Icing Sugar
- Box of After Eights (store-own version works too, as would most other mint chocolates)
Are There After Eights in This Mint Chocolate Cake Recipe?
No. I don’t use actual After Eights in my After Eight Cake. It’s technically just a Mint Chocolate Cake.
To be completely honest, this is basically just because I like to use After Eights in the buttercream and save some to decorate.
So if I also wanted to use them in the cake recipe then I’d need to use two boxes.
Making the cake with mint extract and dark chocolate still creates a gorgeous flavour, if anything the texture is better, and you can use a standard box of After Eights without needing to buy extra.
If you want to make this Easy Mint Choc Cake with After Eights, skip the mint extract and swap the same weight of dark chocolate with melted After Eights.
If you are making this Mint Loaf Cake Recipe with mint extract, as I do, remember extract is a much stronger flavour.
I recommend starting with a teaspoon mixed into your melted dark chocolate. Once it’s cooled slightly, taste it and stir in a little more if you think you need a stronger flavour.
You can also taste the cake mixture and add more later on.
How to Make After Eight Buttercream
Unlike the cake my After Eight Buttercream is made with After Eights.
They are super sticky, so the perfect addition to creamy chocolate buttercream.
To make my After Eight Buttercream I first carefully melt my After Eights over a Bain-Marie, stirring well and then leaving them to one side to cool.
Cooling is important, if you pour in hot melted chocolate the mixture will seize and you’ll end up with very grainy buttercream.
Then I beat room temperature butter (unsalted, and not margarine) with a wooden spoon (you can use an electric whisk) until it’s softened before beating in the icing sugar and cocoa.
Finally, I carefully fold through the cooled melted After Eights until the mixture is even.
If your Mint Chocolate Buttercream is too stiff to pipe, you can stir through a little milk, just 1 teaspoon at a time until it’s right.
If it’s too runny, stir in more icing sugar.
Making Mint Buttercream with Mint Extract
If you prefer you can make your buttercream with mint extract, or another kind of mint chocolate, either saving your After Eights to decorate or skipping them altogether.
You’ll still have a gorgeous Dark Chocolate and Mint Loaf Cake without having to use up your supply of Christmas After Eights.
Again, make sure you melt your dark chocolate, stir in the mint extract and leave it to cool before adding to your buttercream. Use the same weight dark chocolate as you would After Eights.
Can You Melt After Eights?
Yes. I melt After Eights for this After Eight Chocolate Cake and I’m pleased to say that they melt surprisingly well.
But they can be a bit more temperamental. I melt dark chocolate in a pan directly over the heat, but with white chocolate, and After Eights, I find it better to use a Bain-Marie to melt them more gradually.
As they melt the chocolate and mint filling come together for a mint chocolate mixture with a strong flavour and sticky texture.
What Do You Need to Make This After Eight Loaf Cake Recipe?
This Recipe for After Eight Loaf Cake is super simple, here’s everything that you’ll need (these are affiliate links)
- 2lb/large Loaf Tin
- Reusable Baking Paper (not essential but always handy)
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Electric Whisk (you can mix by hand, but it will be easier)
- Small Pan to melt chocolate and heat water to melt the After Eights
After Eight Loaf Cake
Ingredients
For the Mint Chocolate Loaf Cake:
- 75 g Dark Chocolate (Broken into small chunks)
- 1 Teaspoon Mint Extract
- 170 g Margarine (Or Butter, at room temperature)
- 170 g Caster Sugar
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 140 g Self-Raising Flour
- 30 g Cocoa
For the After Eight Buttercream:
- 150 g After Eights
- 50 g Butter (at room temperature)
- 280 g Icing Sugar
- 20 g Cocoa
To Decorate:
- 100 g After Eights (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Carefully melt the Dark Chocolate in the microwave in 10-second bursts, in a small pan over a low heat, or over a bain-marie, stir in the mint extract and leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (fan-assisted) and grease or line a loaf tin.
- Whisk together the butter and sugar (this takes around 1 minute with an electric whisk).
- Whisk in the eggs, one at a time.
- Whisk in the flour and cocoa until the mixture is smooth (2 minutes with an electric whisk).
- Pour in the melted chocolate and mint and fold through carefully.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes (check after 35 minutes), checking with a skewer to see if the middle is cooked.
- Leave to cool fully in the tin, before tipping out onto a wire rack.
To Make the Buttercream:
- Melt the After Eights carefully in the microwave or over a bain-marie, stir well and leave to cool.
- Beat the butter until it has softened.
- Add the icing sugar and cocoa and beat until the mixture is smooth.
- Fold through the After Eights until even.
- If the buttercream is too stiff, add a teaspoon of milk. If it’s too runny, add a little more icing sugar, or leave to stiffen in the fridge for 1 hour.
- When the cake is cooled, spread or pipe on the buttercream and decorate with After Eights.
Notes
- After Eight’s melt well, but it can be tricky, so I find it easier to use a Bain-marie instead of melting in a pan as I would dark chocolate.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
