Grasshopper cake is a chiffon cake with a biscuit crust, flavored with creme mint or mint extract and sometimes creme de cacao. It was likely inspired by a drink called the grasshopper and is popular in the southern United States. Modern recipes may omit green food coloring and use marshmallows instead of gelatin. Grasshoppers were used in some early 20th century versions of grasshopper pie from the Philippines, but modern versions do not contain insects.
Grasshopper cake is usually so named for its green color, although modern recipes may omit coloring the cake green. It was probably invented in the 1950s in the United States and may have been inspired by a drink called the grasshopper that was developed around the same time. It is a chiffon cake usually made with a biscuit crust.
There is an earlier type of grasshopper pie dating back to the early 20th century. Some versions of this cake from the Philippines used real grasshoppers. These insects are eaten in many cultures and can be used in various desserts, where they can be sweetened and baked, providing a crunchy and highly appetizing confection. 1950s grasshopper pie bears little resemblance to manufactured versions that have insects as the main ingredient.
Chiffon cakes in the 1950s were often a combination of whipping cream, gelatin, sugar, egg, and flavoring. In the case of grasshopper tart, the common flavoring used was alcohol in the form of creme mint, and sometimes other alcohols such as creme de cacao. For abstainers, however, a mint flavor could be obtained using mint extracts, although these may still contain a small amount of alcohol. Green food coloring was a frequent addition to give the cake a light green color.
Most often the biscuit crust is made with chocolate wafers, so that the cake has a chocolate and mint flavor. The crust is cooked for a few moments and then cooled. When the chiffon is made, usually over a double boiler, it is chilled and then spread over the crust. The pie tends to be served cold, and many love its refreshing mint flavor.
There can be very big differences between classic grasshopper pie recipes and modern ones. Because gelatin can be a little fiddly to work with, many people now make cake by melting marshmallows and mixing them with milk or whipping cream, and sometimes cream cheese. Green food coloring may be optional, and when not used, the pie may be called “mint pie” instead. Some people may prefer using a graham cracker crust, and other recipes advocate using specific cookies like Oreos.
In the United States, grasshopper pie tends to be more popular in the South, but other parts of the country like it as well. The pie grew in popularity mostly until the 1970s, but is now served less frequently. Many ice cream shops have capitalized on the flavor of this pie by making their own version with mint or chocolate ice cream and a cookie crust. Some ice cream shops are particularly well known for their grasshopper pie variations.
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