Sometimes you just want a nice thick slice of chocolate cake, without the rest of the 9" round fudgy layers stacked tall, oozing with frosting, tempting you from the kitchen counter!
This scaled down recipe of my favorite moist, fudgy, rich and decadent chocolate cake is virtually fool proof. The batter is made in one bowl, in just minutes, can be baked in the toaster oven and creates the most decadent mini celebrations cake, Valentine's Day cake for two, or portion-controlled indulgence, for when a chocolate craving hits.
This scaled down recipe of my favorite moist, fudgy, rich and decadent chocolate cake is virtually fool proof. The batter is made in one bowl, in just minutes, can be baked in the toaster oven and creates the most decadent mini celebrations cake, Valentine's Day cake for two, or portion-controlled indulgence, for when a chocolate craving hits.
This cake is extra fudgy, packed with flavor and has a soft, moist texture. Paired with a smooth, creamy chocolate frosting. This cake is the ultimate chocolate lover's indulgence, super impressive and soooo easy to make!!!
This recipe couldn't be more simple! It comes together in one bowl!
This recipe couldn't be more simple! It comes together in one bowl!
The batter will be very thin but will rise to give you a nice fluffy, moist cake!
I poured the batter into two large 4-inch, washed tuna cans with the labels removed in place of cake pans!
Ta da!!
You can saw off the domed tops with a knife to help the cake stack more evenly... and then, eat the scraps as your reward for making this amazing dessert ;)
I like to frost this with my favorite, super simple, chocolate buttercream. I could seriously eat this stuff by the spoonful! It is soooo simple to whip together and tastes like a light fluffy mousse-like creme!
I piped on a little boarder with the extra frosting, added some gold sprinkles and topped it off with a fresh strawberry for a pop of color.
Slice, serve and indulge in just one (or two) slices of pure decadence, with my perfectly portioned mini layer cake.
Mini 4" Double Chocolate Layer Cake For Two
Yield: two-layer mini 4" cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 1/3 cup boiling water with 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules OR 1/3 cup hot coffee
- 1/3 cup (26.5g) unsweetened cocoa powder, dutch processed
- 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup (70g) all-purpose flour, weighed or spooned and leveled
- 2/3 cup (127g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (1 sticks/4oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (1/2 lb) powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (sub half and half or milk if necessary)
Flavor Variations
- Flavor extracts: Add 1/4 teaspoon flavor extract of your choice (mint, coconut, almond etc.)
- Mocha: Add 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- Chocolate Orange: Add 1 teaspoon of zest from the fruit and replace 1 tablespoon of the cream with juice from the fruit
- Chocolate Cinnamon: Add 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: Add 6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- Spiked: Replace 1 tablespoon of cream or milk with flavored liquor, such as Chambord, Kahlua, Amaretto or Irish Cream
Directions
Prepare Cake:
Prepare Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 4" round pans, ramekins or cleaned out tuna cans with non-stick coking spray. Dissolve cocoa in the boiling water or coffee and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add sour cream, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. In a steady stream, stir in the cocoa liquid until batter is smooth and thin.
Distribute all of the batter between between the two pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling and frosting.
Prepare Frosting:
With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth, light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, salt, cocoa powder (or melted chocolate) and any flavor variations. Slowly add powdered sugar, on low speed until smooth, followed by the cream. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth. Fill, frost and decorate cake as desired.
