Today is my oldest son’s 10th birthday!
I’ve been someone’s mama for a decade. A DECADE. I can’t exactly decide how to feel about this. I’m so thrilled with the young man he’s becoming. In some ways these years have dragged on and on and in others the years have seemed to disappear when I wasn’t looking. Wasn’t it only a few weeks ago I was frantically rocking his colicky newborn self? Days ago I was kissing his boo-boos? Hours ago I walked him into his very first day of Montessori school? This boy is intense. He’s wildly intelligent. And so very able. Capable. Unstoppable. He’s my life’s work, this boy. Along with his three younger siblings, he has made me Mama.
When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday he answered firmly, “Chocolate. With chocolate frosting.” When I suggested adding peppermint I got, “Dude. Yes!”
I guess that’s an affirmative.
Like my dear boy, this cake is intense. It’s not for the faint of heart. Cake eaters wanting something run-of-the-mill need not apply.
Dark chocolate.
Not too sweet.
Perfectly pepperminty.
Frosting like fudge.
This cake. This cake!
This cake would be amazing for any occasion, really. It’s easy enough to make for any day, yet sophisticated enough for even the most formal holiday bash (and this would be a perfect Christmas cake.)
The mint in this cake comes from a few drops of doTERRA peppermint essential oil. It’s perfect in the cake itself, and makes the frosting extra amazing. Unlike peppermint extract, peppermint essential oil is pure mint, not diluted in alcohol, so there’s none of the icky alcohol flavor that comes with using an extract in an uncooked frosting.
In honor of my boy’s 10th birthday, I’m giving away a bottle of dōTERRA peppermint essential oil ($27.33 value).
There are 5 easy steps to enter the giveaway:
1. Go here and peruse around and learn a bit more about essential oils.
2. Go here and take a peek at my very favorite book for learning how to use dōTERRA essential oils.
3. Come back here and leave a comment. Do you have a specific health concern you’d like to address with the help of dōTERRA essential oils? Which dōTERRA essential oil do you love to cook with most? What specific questions do you have about dōTERRA essential oils?
4. Share, Pin, Tweet, or email this post. Please and thank you.
5. Use the gadget below to enter.
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 drops doTERRA peppermint essential oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 pastured eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups organic coconut flour
- 1 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups organic whole milk
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add peppermint essential oil and vanilla extract. Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
- In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients, making sure there are as few lumps as possible.
- Turn mixer to medium, then add dry ingredients alternating with milk to create a silky batter. Once all ingredients are added, turn mixer to high and beat until totally smooth (5 minutes).
- Butter and line two round cake pans with parchment paper. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing cakes from pans. Cool completely before frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4-5 cups organic powdered cane sugar
- 1/4-3/4 cup organic whole milk
- 3-6 drops doTERRA peppermint essential oil
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add cocoa powder and beat until smooth. Add 4 cups sugar gradually- 1/2 cup at a time. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Adjust sugar and milk ratio until you reach your desired sweetness and consistency. Once you like the frosting, add in the peppermint essential oil- start with 3 drops and taste it to determine how minty you want it.
Mmmmm….. that looks delicious. Any chance it would work with a dairy substitute for the butter and milk?
Yes! I bet coconut oil would work just as well as butter. You could use coconut or almond milk. I’ve used canned coconut milk (chilled) to make frosting before.
I am new to oils and am still trying to decide what would be useful to have around the house. I went to a DoTerra party recently where I got free orange and my friend gave me a sample of melaleuca I think. I used the Mel in a carrier oil (Olive) and used it to help my son fight off congestion. That combined with a humidifier I think did the trick – it only lasted 2 days. I would love to make this peppermint chocolate cake. I am currently trying to fight off cycstic acne (battling it for last 3 years since I gave birth to my son) and I think it has to do with leaky gut. Thanks for a chance to win!
Janneke- you’d love the Breathe blend for congestion. It opens you right up! I thought you might want to read this post too: http://www.heavyonwholesome.com/moisturizing-acne-spray/
The cake looks delicious! With cold/flu season in full swing I’m concerned about giving my kids medicine if its not necessary. Are there essential oils that can help prevent and treat illness?
Melissa- Absolutely! I love to cook with essential oils and use them for household things like cleaning and spritzing, but my most favorite way to use essential oils is for healthcare. We use essential oils for everything from preventing illness to treating rashes, congestion, headaches, digestive issues, anxiety, sleep problems, infections, etc. We use doTERRA for pretty much everything! Our most recent big win was treating strep throat with oils!
I entered by commenting and liking and I hope to win for a friend.
Leaving another comment.
This sounds delicious! I would love to find something to help with that occasional bloating and “pain in the gut” I get. I saw that peppermint oil is a digestive aid! Also, is there an oil to boost energy? That would be helpful in keeping up with my boys!!
Jenice- Yes, peppermint is awesome for digestion, among other things. I also really like the doTERRA DigestZen blend for all sorts of digestive issues. And, grains are a big culprit in that bloating gut pain, especially the gluten in wheat. Peppermint is an awesome oil for getting alert. I often rub some on my neck midday to get over my slump- I also diffuse it often to help a certain homeschooled boy to focus.
I like to mix peppermint with wild orange or lemon.
I’m intrigued with cooking with essential oils. I’m hoping to use birthday funds to get a kit. I’ve used Breathe and OnGuard (and need more to get through the winter) and Wild Orange is delish in some water. I’m entering for myself and for the family to get a chance to taste this deliciousness.
Is there an oil that would help with hives? Had a weird occurrence and had to turn to benedryl since I had no other alternatives aside from the Redmond Clay First Aid ointment which did not do the trick for the reaction to who knows…possibly a bug/spider bite.
Alyson, yes! OnGuard and Breathe are THE main thing we use around here during winter. LOVE those blends! As far as hives, I would use lavender or melaleuca. My second son has been stung by a bee twice (!) recently, and both times a drop of lavender oil right afterward did the trick! No pain at all. I reapplied later for swelling and he was totally fine. Spiders….EW! I dilute peppermint oil in water in a spray bottle and spritz it around our windows and doors. Spiders don’t like peppermint.
Thin mints have always been my favorite Girl Scout Cookie! And peppermint oil is one of my staples!! Thanks!
ME! Yes, sadly me. We are out of work and I am almost out
Sara Shay recently posted…More Than a Holiday – A Comprehensive Family Christmas Devotional
I sure wish I liked mint flavor – hubby loves it!
I would love to win the peppermint ess. oil!
Once in a while I have stomach upset & it seems
like the peppermint oil would help!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Liked on Facebook and would love to try the peppermint oil!Thank you!
I would use the oil for my family. I love DIY remedies, and peppermint oil has gotten rid of headaches for my daughter and I love to use in my homemade shampoo! Haven’t used it for cooking yet, but I’d sure like to.
Wow! The cake looks yummy! Can’t wait to try it.
I am just starting to delve into essential oils and would love to try this one!
This cake looks fantastic – definitely going to try it. Happy to have found your blog.
I would a blend that is meant for back pain for my DH
Tallia- your hubby needs Deep Blue. It is my go-to for all kinds of pain- I use it almost every day rather than over the counter pain relievers. My son loves it for growing pains and my hubby uses it for soreness from running. You can see it here: https://www.iact1.com/doterra/ShoppingCart/Shop.cfm?pid=1212005084022407833
I would love to win this as a stocking stuffer for my mom!
I would love an oil that helps with congestion. I am always congested.
I used to love Thin Mints… I would love to make this cake just missing the essential ingredient.
Looks good. I’ve had a bag of coconut flour in the kitchen for a year now=time to use it. FYI: Why does f888ace8877666bo666k have to be mandatory? Many people do not do it????????
I’m trying to enter the contest for the Peppermint EO. I am filling out the gadget to enter. If I won, I would probably keep this for myself, though I might be nice & share some with my extended family too.
I suffer from headaches, and have heard that Peppermint EO is a good one for headaches. I have never cooked with essential oils; I didn’t even realize you could.
I’ve used Young Loving EOs, but would like to try doterra
Hello, i would love to try the peppermint oil. I have been wanting to try essential oils for awhile now, but never seem to have enough money to buy it. thanks!
Oh also I’d love an EO that helped with my daughter’s eczema. Anything to fix that… :/
I have a post coming on that very topic! I’ve just this week cleared my daughter’s eczema using lavender, myrrh and geranium oils.
I’d just love to feel a bit more perky!
This cake looks amazing!
I love peppermint essential oil! I used to use it for my
migraines. I’ve never used doTERRA oils before, though. What makes them
stand out? I can’t remember the brand I had before, unfortunately.
What EO would you recommend for calming? Im a pretty “go, go, go” type of person
and it takes a lot for me to just relax, I’d love to find something that will help me unwind.
The thing that makes doTERRA stand out is that they are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade. Here’s a good explanation of what that means here:
http://www.mydoterra.com/wholesomeoils/companyCPTGEssentialOils
As far as calming- Serenity Calming Blend, hands down. It’s a blend of lavender, sweet marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla. It smells heavenly! I love to use it during chaotic times of day and at night before bed- I even put a drop on my children.
Thank you! I’ll fix it!