Mint-Chocolate Crunch Cake

Here's one I made up just to have something different using what I had in the pantry, and it turned out really well. The crunch comes from chopped pistachios.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 8-10
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

•  milk chocolate cake mix
• 3  eggs
• 1 1⁄8 cups water
• 1⁄3 cup  oil
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons  mint extract

• FROSTING

• 1⁄4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup shortening, room temperature
• 3⁄4 lb powdered sugar
• 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder
• 1  teaspoon  mint extract
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  tablespoon milk
• 1 1⁄2 cups pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 330F degrees. (or if you prefer, according to box directions).
2. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
3. Mix dry cake mix with eggs, water, oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons mint extract until smooth.
4. Divide mixture evenly between 2 cake pans and bake 25-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Allow cakes to cool slightly (about 10 minutes) before removing from pans onto wire racks to cool completely (about 1 hour).
6. For frosting:.
7. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer and a bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter and shortening until smooth.
8. Add extracts and beat until combined.
9. Sift together in a separate bowl, the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
10. Slowly, add sugar mixture to cream cheese mixture until all of it is incorporated.
11. Add milk if mixture is too dry, and beat until smooth.
12. Once cakes are completely cooled, frost the bottom layer and sprinkle half (3/4 cup) of chopped pistachios on top.
13. Place second cake layer and frost the top and sides of the whole cake.
14. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup pistachios on top and serve.