Mini Chocolate Cake

Two slices of chocolate layer cake on plates.

5 from 7 votes

Mini Chocolate Cake is a super moist chocolate cake filled with a layer of whipped chocolate ganache and topped with a layer of silky chocolate ganache and piped whipped chocolate ganache. Everyone will love it!

Prep Time25

Cook Time32

Course: Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 637kcal

Author: Natalie

Ingredients

FOR THE MINI CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil canola or vegetable oil can be substituted
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar light or dark, packed
1 large egg room temperature
1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
1/4 cup boiling water
chocolate sprinkles for decoration (optional)

FOR THE GANACHE

10 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped
10 ounces heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of two 6″ straight edge cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the sides with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg, oil, sugars, buttermilk and vanilla extract until combined.
Use a rubber spatula to gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Pour in the hot water and stir until combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before decorating with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan on medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Do not let it get to a boil. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Do not stir. Let stand 3-4 minutes then stir slowly with a metal spoon until the chocolate has melted and is completely combined with the heavy cream. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the chocolate ganache for the drip or glaze on the top of the cake. Set aside.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Let the ganache stand at room temperature until it has cooled completely. Once cooled, the ganache will be thick enough to be spread or piped. To make it even thicker, whip the ganache. To do this, transfer the cooled ganache to the bowl of an electric mixer. Use the whisk attachment to beat the ganache on medium-high for 4-5 minutes until the ganache is a lighter shade and has also lightened in texture.

Assembling and Decorating

Use an offset spatula to spread about 3/4 cup of the whipped ganache over the first layer of the cake. Place the second layer on top. Spoon or drizzle about 1/2 cup of the reserved (non-whipped ganache) over the top layer. This ganache may need to be reheated* to get back to that ganache consistency. Use an offset spatula to spread the ganache. Use an open star tip (such as the Wilton 1M to pipe more whipped ganache on top. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles, if desired!

Notes

To reheat ganache, place bowl on top of a pot of simmering water being careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the hot water so as not to burn the chocolate. Stir the ganache til it has returned to that stirrable consistency (this should not take long at all).

Storage: Store this cake in a cake carrier or another airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, store well covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 more days.

Chocolate: I wouldn't recommend using chocolate chips for the ganache. Use chopped chocolate baking bars for the ganache. It melts more evenly than chocolate chips.

Nutrition