Description
Delicious mini chocolate cakes featuring a moist cocoa-flavored sponge layered with rich chocolate buttercream, perfect for elegant dessert servings or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Layers
- 1 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted (unsweetened, not dutch processed)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carb
- 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 (vegetable, canola, peanut oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder (optional)
Chocolate Buttercream
- 250g / 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 5 tbsp milk, preferably full fat
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Decorations
- Dark chocolate, finely shaved using a knife (white chocolate is also pretty)
- Raspberries
- Rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) to prepare for baking the cake.
- Prepare baking pan: Butter a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5 cm tray (jelly roll pan) and line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Whisk dry ingredients: Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda into a bowl. Add sugar and salt, then whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Mix wet ingredients: Add the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Dissolve instant coffee powder into boiling water, then mix into the batter. The batter will be very thin.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 13 minutes until set and springy to the touch.
- Cool the cake: Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it onto a rack with the parchment paper and cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour before cutting.
- Cut rounds: Cover the sticky surface with paper, flip the cake upside down onto a cutting board (sticky side down), peel off the paper on the base, and cut out 21 rounds of approximately 6 cm diameter each.
- Pipe frosting: Place a cake round on a small piece of paper and secure with a dab of frosting. Pipe coils of chocolate buttercream between three layers per mini cake, then frost the sides and top.
- Smooth frosting: Use a small offset spatula or knife to smooth the frosting carefully, touching only the surface to avoid crumb contamination.
- Decorate the cakes: Garnish with piles of dark chocolate shards, raspberries, and rosemary sprigs for an elegant presentation.
- Make buttercream: Beat softened butter for 3 minutes on high speed until fluffy. Gradually add icing sugar in three parts, starting on low speed and then increasing to prevent dust clouds. Once all sugar is incorporated, beat in cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Prepare for piping: Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag or ziplock bag for easy frosting application.
Notes
- This recipe uses standard unsweetened cocoa powder, but you may use more intense dutch-processed cocoa for a richer flavor and deeper color.
- Baking soda can be replaced with 2 1/4 tsp extra baking powder to ensure even rising, as baking soda acts like an insurance policy for the rise.
- Adding instant coffee powder enhances the chocolate flavor without imparting a coffee taste; it’s optional but recommended for depth.
- Flipping the cake upside down before cutting the rounds helps achieve cleaner, neater cake circles since the sticky surface otherwise clings to the cutter.
- For easier assembly and no scraps, you may cut the cake into 3 equal rectangles and layer with frosting, refrigerate to set, then slice into squares or rectangles. Rewhip frosting before decorating sides if needed.
- After cooling, cakes can be covered with baking paper then cling wrap to store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Assembled cakes should be refrigerated and consume within 5 days for best freshness.
