This grinch cake is a one layer vanilla cake colored green with Andes mints in the cake. It is topped with green cream cheese frosting and a red heart sprinkle. It is cute enough to make your heart grow 3 sizes!

This Grinch cake is inspired by the classic Grinch Who Stole Christmas movie. It is a holiday tradition to watch the Dr. Suess Grinch movie in our house, so I love bringing the holiday spirit with this easy cake. It looks cute and tastes even better! Maybe Christmas does mean a little bit more than presents. It means delicious desserts!
For more vanilla desserts, try Vanilla Raspberry Cake, No Bake Vanilla Cheesecake, and Strawberry Vanilla Cake.
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Why This Easy Grinch Cake Recipe Works
- Holiday spirit- This cake immediately brings the cozy feeling of the holiday season! It is so cute! It is a favorite recipe for Christmas.
- Delicious cake- The vanilla and Andes mint cake flavor works so well! It is classic flavor upgraded for an even more fun cake!
- Easy cake- This easy Grinch cake recipe is only 1 layer and is very simple to make during your busiest season. No extra cake layers or difficult bakes for your Christmas party this year!
Ingredient Notes for Grinch's Heart Cake
Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter- Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Sour cream- Pull this out 2 hours before baking to get to room temperature.
- Eggs- Pull the large eggs out 2 hours before baking to get to room temperature.
- Powdered sugar- Make sure this is sifted to avoid gritty frosting.
- Cream cheese- Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Andes mints- You can substitute in your preferred mint chocolate treats.
- Jumbo heart sprinkles- Large red hearts like these work great. The smaller size hearts don't stand out enough.
- Food coloring- I recommend a high quality green gel food coloring as cheaper food dyes can require more to make the perfect shade of green batter and end up affecting the taste.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Dairy free- You can use your favorite dairy free options for this recipe!
- Gluten free- I haven't tested this gluten free. Let me know if you do.
- Buttermilk- You can also do 1 cup of milk with 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
Step By Step Instructions - Grinch Cake
Here is how to make and bake the cake layer for the Grinch cake. This recipe requires an electric mixer. A stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer will work.
STEP 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, spray a 9X9 cake pan with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray it again.
STEP 2: Dry ingredients. Mix the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Chop up the Andes mints.
STEP 3: Beat butter, oil, and sugar. Beat the butter oil, and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
STEP 4: Wet ingredients. Mix the sour cream, vanilla extract, and green food dye into the butter mixture. Add the eggs and mix on medium speed until it is smooth.
STEP 5: Combine. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and ½ of the buttermilk. Mix on low until combined. Repeat. Add the final ⅓ of dry ingredients and mix until all combined.
STEP 6: Pour. Take the batter off the mixer and add the chopped Andes mints. Mix them with a rubber spatula before pouring the batter into the prepared pan.
STEP 7: Bake. Bake the cake for 33-36 minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
STEP 8: Cool. Let the cake cool in the hot pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step By Step Instructions - Green Cream Cheese Frosting
Here is how to make the green cream cheese frosting and decorate the Grinch cake.
STEP 1: Sift sugar. Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Set aside.
STEP 2: Beat cream cheese and butter. Use a mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed for 2 minutes.
STEP 3: Mix frosting. Add half of the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Next, add the remaining powdered sugar and mix. Add the vanilla extract, 3 drops of green food coloring, and salt. Beat on high speed until smooth.
STEP 4: Decorate cake. Spread the frosting over the cake in an even layer. Add the heart sprinkles.
Expert Baking Tips
- Properly measure the flour- Make sure the flour is spooned and leveled. If you stick the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will compact the flour. Compacted flour can cause the cake to be dry.
- To easily remove the cake from the pan, make sure to first spray the pan with baking nonstick spray. Then, line bottom with parchment paper and spray it again to make sure that the paper does not stick to the bottom of the cake too much. If you miss any spots with the spray they can stick and tear the cake so be thorough.
- For high altitudes add 2 tablespoon of flour to the cake batter.
- If you want one heart sprinkle per cake piece it can be easier to cut it ahead of time and add the sprinkles after.
FAQ
Yes you can make the cake ahead of time! Once the cake layer is done cooling, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Then, freeze up to 30 days. Pull it out 1 hour before decorating.
Yes you can. An 8X8 pan will make a thicker cake. A 9in round pan will also work, but will be slightly thicker than a 9 in square as well.
Yes it can! This recipe will make roughly 12 Grinch cupcakes.
Recipe Variations
- Mint frosting- You can add chopped mints to the frosting.
- No mint- Replace the Andes mints with regular chopped chocolate.
- Plain vanilla cake- You can skip mixing in the Andes mints if you prefer a plan vanilla cake.
Special Tools
- 9X9 pan: I use metal square pans for baking. I don't recommend glass pans.
- Parchment paper: I use premade sheets of parchment paper vs the roll of parchment paper. It makes baking a lot easier!
- Baking spray: I use the nonstick spray that has flour in it.
- Offset spatula: I use this to easily spread the frosting or fillings.
Storing and Freezing
Store this Grinch cake in an airtight container like a cake carrier. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
You can freeze the Grinch cake in individual slices. Place the cake slices in an airtight container and freeze up to 30 days.
Other Holiday Recipes To Try
Try these cake recipes too!
Make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Grinch Cake
Ingredients
Grinch Cake
- 2 ¾ cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoon Oil canola or vegetable
- 1 cup White granulated sugar
- â…“ cup Sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
- 3 Large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup Buttermilk room temperature
- ¾ cup Andes mints chopped *optional
- Green food dye
Green Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz Cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups Powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Green food dye
- Red heart jumbo sprinkles
Instructions
Grinch Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9X9-inch cake pan with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Chop the andes mints.2 ¾ cups All-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Baking soda, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¾ cup Andes mints
- Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl.½ cup Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoon Oil, 1 cup White granulated sugar
- Add in the sour cream, vanilla, and green food dye (3 drops), mix until combined. Add in the eggs and mix on medium speed until smooth. Make sure to scrape the bowl.â…“ cup Sour cream, 1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract, 3 Large eggs, Green food dye
- Add ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed. Add another ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Then, finish with the rest of the dry ingredients.¾ cup Buttermilk
- Take the batter off the mixer, add in the chopped andes mints. Mix until combined. Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 33-36 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake sit in the hot pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.
Green Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar.3 cups Powdered sugar
- Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed for 2 minutes.4 oz Cream cheese, ¾ cup Unsalted butter
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until just combined. Repeat with the rest of the powdered sugar. Add in the vanilla, green food dye (3 drops), and salt and beat on high speed until smooth.1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon Salt, Green food dye
- Spread the frosting over the cake. Add the heart sprinkles on top.Red heart jumbo sprinkles
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