Mini Chocolate Cake Recipe

Who doesn’t love a chocolate cake? Whenever I bake a cake or buy one from a bakery, chocolate is always on my mind. Chocolate is my guilty pleasure. It’s like my best friend and is always there for me. Chocolate cake is the ultimate mood lifter. I prefer to make mini chocolate cakes for special occasions like anniversaries, date nights, my beau’s birthday (for the two of us), or just because I am craving chocolate.

Today, I will be discussing a special chocolate cake which is perfect for all the above-mentioned reasons. To be honest, I don’t need a reason to bake chocolate cakes; I just bake them all the time for the love of chocolate. This cake is high on chocolate, moist and soft, exceptionally delicious with chocolate frosting to give a perfect chocolate punch and satisfaction to your taste buds.

Get ready for some guilty pleasures with chocolate!

Mini Chocolate Cake Recipe

Gloria

Try one of my favorite recipes to make a delicious chocolate cake. The 6-inch cake takes almost an hour to get ready and serves 2-3 people. Small size is perfect for special occasions, satisfies your sweet tooth, and gives an enjoyable chocolate taste. You’ll love it.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Cupcake

Cuisine American

Servings 6 slices

Calories 858 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the Cake

• 1 cup All-purpose flour
• ½ cup Cocoa powder
• 1 cup Granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Baking powder
• 1 large Egg
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• ¼ cup Unsalted butter melted
• ⅓ cup Vegetable or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp Melted butter For cake pan

For Frosting

• 3 large Egg whites
• ½ cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ teaspoon Vinegar
• 8 oz. Unsalted butter cubes at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla
• 3 oz. Dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Instructions

 

For the Cake

• Begin by preheating your oven to 350 Fahrenheit. If your oven is old, make sure you check its temperature with a thermometer.
• You will need two 6-inch round pans for this recipe. Prepare the pans by lining the bottom with parchment paper and brush it with melted butter. You can also spray the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.
• Once the oven and baking pans are ready, turn your attention towards other ingredients. Grab a large mixing bowl and add buttermilk, oil, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Use a handheld mixer to mix them well. Make sure you mix them until they combine well and the texture becomes fluffy and forms peaks.
• Grab another medium-sized bowl and mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix the contents and then add sugar and salt. Mix again.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture prepared in step 3 and beat it well. Your goal here is to prepare a smooth batter with fluffy peaks and smooth texture.
• You are now set to start baking. Double-check your oven’s temperature. Add the mixture to the two baking pans equally. If you are not perfect with estimates, use a weighing scale to divide the batter.
• You need to bake the pans for 30-35 minutes. After 30 minutes, check both the pans by inserting a toothpick in them. If the toothpick comes out with a couple of crumbs, you have done an excellent job till now.
• Remove the cakes after checking. Let them cook for 10-20 minutes. When the cake pans get at normal temperature, and you can touch them, remove the cakes. The best way to remove the cakes is to use a butter knife to loosen the sides of the cake. Flip the pans and remove the parchment paper. Be gentle here. Sometimes the parchment paper gets stuck and may destroy the cake’s finish.

For the Frosting

• To prepare the frosting, begin by melting the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of boiling water. Once 90% of the chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the heat and keep on stirring. Once all the chocolate is melted, set it aside to cool.
• Grab another heat-proof bowl, add egg white and sugar in it and set it over the boiling water. Make sure you keep on stirring the sugar in the egg, and the egg white becomes frothy. Make sure that the mixture achieves a temperature of 160-170 Fahrenheit. It may take 8-10 minutes. You can use a thermometer to confirm the temperature.
• Now you need to beat the warm egg mixture with a balloon whisk attachment. You must keep the speed setting to medium/low. Beat well until peaks start to form. Add vinegar while beating. You can also use lemon juice in place of vinegar.
• Once the peaks are formed and stiff, it is time to add butter to the mixture. Go with one cube at a time and let it mix with the egg mixture. Don’t stop stirring until all the cubes have been added.
• After adding the cubes, pour in vanilla extract and beat well until everything gets smooth, shiny, and fluffy. You can increase the speed of your mixture in this step.
• Stop the mixer, pour the melted chocolate (from step 1), and add cocoa powder. Stir it well, and then beat it at high speed until everything gets fluffy, shiny, and smooth.

Assembling and Frosting the Cake

• Arrange your cake stand on the kitchen counter and place one layer of the cake on it very carefully. You can also use a large flat plate for this purpose. Don’t forget to place the parchment paper underneath so that the frosting will not make a mess on your counter.        
• Measure ½ cup of frosting and spread it evenly on the cake layer. You can use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly on the cake.
• Add the second layer on top of the cake.
• You can use the rest of the frosting on top and sides of the cake, or you can just spread it over the top edges. The frosting is best spread through a frosting bag and frosting tip. You can also use chocolate shavings, nutmeg, almonds, walnuts, or chocolate chips for decoration and give a unique taste to your cake.
• Let the cake refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes before serving. Don’t freeze your cake.

Video

Notes

Disclaimer: Video shown in the above recipe might be different from our recipe, we’ve included different recipes for reader’s ease. You could follow any of the recipes that suit your needs better. But, we recommend using the recipe shown in the text form, as we have used this recipe by ourselves.

Keyword Chocolate cake, Mini cake

Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 219 grams

Calories: 858 Kcal

Please note that the nutritional information given above is just an estimate and can change according to variations in the recipe and serving size. It has been prepared using the best available sources at the time of the writing.

Tools and Tips for making Mini Chocolate Cake

The following tools and tips will help you become an expert baker. All you need for baking is the right set of tools, amazing recipes (like the one I shared with you), and some patience, and last but not least, friends and family to eat the baked items.

• Weighing Scale: I use this weighing scale for all my cooking sessions. You can always go with estimates, but you need accurately measured ingredients for perfect tastes. It can measure between 2 grams and 5000 grams and displays the results in ounces, grams, and pounds.
• Mixing Bowls: Nothing beats this set of mixing bowls. It is made of high-quality glass, comes with a 2-year warranty is dishwasher, microwave, freezer, and pre-heated oven safe. You can also use these bowls as heat-proof bowls. Bingo!
• Handheld Mixer: If you don’t have the luxury of a tabletop mixer, nothing beats this handheld mixer. It comes with all the attachments you will need for baking. So get it without any worries and say goodbye to the cruel and long sessions of mixing with hand.
• Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is very important for baking and comes in handy while cooking other recipes. I use this parchment paper, and it never lets me down. It is economical, high-quality, hygienic, and environment-friendly.
• Cake Stand Set: It is very difficult for beginners to manage cakes without cake stands. I always prefer using cake stands while baking. This cake stand set is an excellent option to go with. It includes an 11-inch cake stand (turntable), icing spatulas, and three decorating combs. All the materials used in the making are BPA-free and made from food-grade plastic and stainless steel.
• Frosting Bags and Frosting Tips: To give a perfect bakery-style finish to your cake, you need frosting bags and frosting tips. Sometimes, a properly finished and decorated cake can make up for a not-so-delicious cake. So, be careful with the aesthetics of your cake.
• Making your cake moist and safe is very critical in making it gooey. You can use oil to make your cake extra moist. I have used butter and oil to give the perfect texture to your cake.
• Cocoa powder is also a crucial ingredient in chocolate cakes. If you have a favorite, go with it. Otherwise, Dutch-processed cocoa powder is perfect for giving a deep and dark chocolate flavor.
• Using a weighing scale while measuring ingredients and dividing batter helps give a professional and accurate finish to your cake.
• If you don’t want to spend on pre-cut parchment paper according to the pan’s size, you can cut the parchment paper by placing the baking pan on top of the parchment paper, trace it with a pencil and then cut it with a paper cutter.
• You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge. Honestly, it won’t happen because this cake will make you droll over it and finish it off.

Final Words

Chocolate cakes are an ideal treat and surprise for your loved ones, and this recipe is a perfect option for making mini cakes. Try it next time, and I am sure you are going to love it.