Mug Shots Go Green!

I am not a fan of mint. Never really have been, and not for any particular reason that I know of. I just don't go looking for things that are mint flavoured. Now I know that March being associated with St. Patrick's day might not conjure up mint to you, but somewhere along the lines someone decided that pale green was the colour of mint and you have to admit that there is a lot of pale green around in the month of March. Not all of it is even related to the "holiday". Where I grew up, Vancouver Island, the pale green was seen in the first shoots coming out of the ground and the colour of the ocean if you could catch it at just the right time. Here in Montreal, while the shoots are still wisely hidden away for warmer days, we still hope for them and think of them fondly. My gardener friends are already fussing over the seedlings that are starting to show signs of life, in the anticipation of getting them into the ground; gardeners really are some of the most optimistic folk out there, looking ahead to warmer days while I make some more tea because I'm freezing. And mint, a plant whose prolific root system makes it practically impossible to kill, is sure to come back as soon as it can. So. Not a big fan of mint, but put some chocolate on it, and I will make an exception.

I know I didn't have to put green food colouring in the icing, but I am paying homage to St. Patrick here. Really, I'd much rather have some 12 year old whiskey, but until they figure out how to make that gluten free (and not taste like bleugh because it isn't what I remember), this will have to do. But what a make shift!! Chocolate cake with just a hint of mint, layered with marshmallow fluff and chocolate chips topped with mint icing and a chocolate glaze.... Who needs a rainbow?

Okay, so quickly here, Marshmallow Fluff  is litterally that. A jar full of non-solidified marshmallows. Inherently gluten and dairy free (though not vegan), this stuff only barely qualifies as food, but consider it emergency, zombie-appocalypse fuel if you need to justify why you have it in your cupboards. You will find it (or at least I have always found it) with all the sundae fixings at your grocery store; while I have zero intentions of following their suggestion of making sandwiches out of it (I'm not kidding) I actually have a number of recipes that use it. Still, a little goes a long way.

The chocolate chips I used this time around (and I'm planning a whole thing in April for GF and DF chocolate and baking so more on that later) were from a company called Enjoy Life, and as you can just barely see, are actually rather small. They are great for sprinkling on things like "ice cream" and they melt really quickly (for fast glazes), and I had about 2 heaping tablespoons left, which was just enough for this. I also had about a quarter of a cup of icing left over from a birthday cake I made for a friend, and just added a couple of drops of green food colouring to it.

I have been made to understand that Grasshopper cake is apparently something that a large number of people grew up with and have fond recollections there of. This is only Grasshopper cake by association, though, so please don't be offended if I have just completely bastardized your childhood memories. Besides, it tastes really good, so I hope that you enjoy = )

Mug Shots: Chocolate Mint cake with mint frosting and marshmallow-chocolate chip fluff

1/4 cup of GF Flour
5 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Cocoa powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons Almond/Rice/Soy milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Dash of mint and salt

2-3 tablespoons Marshmallow fluff
2 heaping tablespoons DF chocolate chips
1 teaspoon dairy free margarine spread
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
Mint frosting, coloured green
　

Whisk first 7 ingredients together in your mug (bowl) till smooth and then microwave till puffed (the top will look a little moist), approximately 2 mins. (Careful! It is very hot.) Allow to cool slightly, then remove from bowl and on a wire rack, allow to cool completely.

When ready to assemble, mix the marshmallow fluff in a bowl with up to 1 teaspoon of water to create a more spreadable/runny consistency and stir in 1 heaping tablespoon of chocolate chips. In a seperate bowl, put the remaining chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, and heat in 15 second intervals, stirring between each stint until the chips are melted. Add the teaspoon of dairy free spread and stir till melted, then add in the corn syrup.

Cut the cake in half, setting the top aside; spread the marshmallow chocolate chip mixture on the bottom half of the cake, place the top on, ice and then drizzle the top with the chocolate glaze.  Mine ended up a little lop sided, but that in no way affected the taste! I think that the assembly process took me maybe 10 minutes tops (and mostly because I didn't have to make the icing), so if you make the cake up before dinner, it will be cool enough to put together right in time for dessert. Even considering how I feel about mint, I will totally be doing this again!