Chocolate Mint Cake

Recipe from JoLynn Larsen via Katherine Perry 

This cake has been made famous by my Mom's neighbor Katherine. It is a hit at any party. When my husband's birthday came around this year, I knew I had to make this for him.  It was a crowd-pleaser as usual. 

 Bake as directed one Betty Crocker triple chocolate cake mix.

Mint filling:
1 8oz. package cream cheese
2 Tbs butter
3-4 c, powdered sugar
a few drops mint extract
green food coloring
Milk to reach desired consistency (I made mine too runny, next time I will make it thicker)

Buttercream icing:
1 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp milk (or cream)
4 c. sifted powdered sugar (approx. 1lb)
3/4 c. cocoa or 3 (1 oz) unsweetened chocolate squares, melted

Ganache:
1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (can use milk chocolate if you don't like the strong flavor of semi-sweet)
1 c. whipping cream

Melt above together. Boil 10 seconds, stirring constantly. Cool in the fridge, outside or on top of a bowl of ice. It will probably take more than an hour. Cool until the consistency resembles a thick pudding such that it will just roll down the sides of the cake and stop. Make sure it isn't too runny or it will roll down the sides and off your platter.

Bake the cake in two 9 inch round cake pans. Cool. With the buttercream icing, pipe an outside rim around the bottom cake layer and fill it with the mint filling. Put the second layer on top and frost with the buttercream icing. Add the ganache as the final touch.