These cute little 7cm/2.75cm chocolate cakes are perfect for treating yourself rather than sharing them with loved ones. In keeping with the idea of special occasions, which is why I recommend making these!
So allow me to be blunt. It does take longer to decorate individual sized tiny cakes than it would an individual chocolate cake. However, they are more unique. When arranged in a dish, they look fantastic. The mess that comes with chopping a large cake is not your problem.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa , sifted (unsweetened, not dutch processed – Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (Note 2)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1 large egg , at room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk , preferably full fat, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup plain oil , like vegetable, canola, peanut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder , option (Note 3)
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 250g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp milk , preferably full fat
DECORATIONS
- Dark chocolate , finely shaved using a knife (white chocolate is also pretty)
- Raspberries, rosemary sprigs
Instructions:
Step No.01
Set oven temperature to 180°C/350°F (fan-forced at 160°C).
Step No.02
Baking pan: Butter a US standard jelly roll pan measuring 40 x 28.5 x 2.5 cm (15.8 x 11.3 x 1″), and then line it with parchment paper.
CAKE LAYERS:
Step No.01
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa into a basin and whisk dry. Whisk in the salt and sugar after adding them.
Step No.02
Add the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix until moist. Mix by whisking. Coffee should be dissolved in hot water before being added to the batter. Mix by whisking. There will be very little batter!
Step No.03
Pour into the pan, then bake for thirteen minutes.
Step No.04
After 10 minutes of cooling, remove the cake from the paper and place it onto a rack to cool for 30 minutes (keeping it on the paper). After that, let the cake sit uncovered in the refrigerator for at least an hour before slicing it (freshly made cake is too soft).
ASSEMBLING & FROSTING:
Step No.01
Cutting rounds: Use paper to cover the sticky area. Next, turn over onto a chopping board, sticky side down. Remove the paper from the base (Note 4). Next, press out rounds that are 21 x 6cm / 2.4″ (or any other desired size or form).
Step No.02
Pipe icing: Using a dab of frosting to prevent it from slipping, place a piece of cake on a little piece of paper. Using three rounds of frosting per cake, pipe spirals of icing onto the layers. Frost the top and the sides with piping gel. (Having a cake turntable is helpful, but not necessary.)
Step No.03
Smooth frosting: Using a small offset spatula or knife, carefully smooth the frosting, making sure to only touch the surface. Refrain from touching the cake as this may cause crumbs to fall into your icing!
Step No.04
Arrange mounds of chocolate chips as decorations. I also used rosemary and raspberries for the post’s images!
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM:
Step No.01
On high, beat butter for 3 minutes until it becomes frothy and soft. Add 3 batches of icing sugar. Beat it in by accelerating from a slow starting point to a fast one (to dodge a snow storm). Once combined, repeat with additional icing sugar.
Step No.02
After adding all of the icing sugar, beat for three minutes. Then, add the milk, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Repeat the beat, reducing the tempo at first and building it up gradually. After adding the cocoa, beat on high for three minutes to get a really fluffy consistency.
Step No.03
Transfer to a piping bag in order to frost. (I promise that this is the quickest and easiest method. Here, even a ziplock bag will suffice.
Full Recipes: https://www.recipetineats.com/mini-chocolate-cakes/