Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with 8-inch parchment circles. Spray again.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Start heating the water on the stove until steaming. In a separate bowl, mix oil, vanilla, buttermilk, and eggs together. Slowly whisk in the hot water.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix until just combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly among the three cake pans. Bake for 24-27 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs or clean.

Let the cakes sit in the hot pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Let the butter sit on the counter for 30 minutes to get slightly cold. Sift the powdered sugar. Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Discard any dust from chopping the chocolate.

Using a mixer, beat the butter on high for 3 minutes. It will be super fluffy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. It will be very thick.

Add in the mint extract, vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream. Beat on low until combined. Then, beat on high for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl halfway through. It should be very fluffy.

Add in 2 drops of green and beat the frosting on high until combined. Add in one drop of blue and beat on high. Scrape the bowl and beat until it is all combined. To make the color not as brightly green, add a very very small drop of brown.

Take off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold the chocolate chip bits into the frosting.

Place the cake layers in the freezer for 15 minutes to get cold. If the cakes have a dome, use a serrated knife to make the cakes even. While the cakes are in the freezer, chop 40 of the Andes mints. It will equal to 1 cup.

Place a small amount of frosting on the board you are decorating on. This will lock the cake in place.

Place the 1st layer of cake down. Use 1 cup of frosting and use an offset spatula to smooth it evenly on the cake. Place frosting in a piping and cut off the tip. Pipe a border around the edges of the cake. Sprinkle half of the chopped mints on top of the frosting.

Place the second layer of cake down and repeat. Place the last layer of cake upside down (the bottom of the cake is facing up). This will give the flattest layer possible for the top of the cake.

Frost the cake. If the cake is getting crumbs into the frosting, frost the cake in a light layer and freeze for 15 minutes. Then, frost the rest of the cake.

To get the swirl look, use an offset spatula and a turntable. Lightly press on the cake with the spatula and spin it. The goal is to make it swirl and go up as you spin the cake.

Top the cake with extra chopped Andes mints. *optional