Description
Delight in these moist and fluffy mini chocolate cakes layered with rich chocolate buttercream and garnished with dark chocolate shards, raspberries, and rosemary. Perfectly sized for individual servings, these cakes combine the deep flavor of cocoa with a touch of coffee to enhance the chocolate taste, baked to perfection in a jelly roll pan.
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
Decorations
- Dark chocolate, finely shaved using a knife (white chocolate also acceptable)
- Raspberries
- Rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C fan-forced to ensure an even bake.
- Prepare Baking Pan: Butter a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5 cm (15.8 x 11.3 x 1 inch) jelly roll pan, then line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into a bowl. Add sugar and salt, then whisk thoroughly to combine all dry ingredients evenly.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mix. Whisk to combine until smooth. Dissolve coffee powder in boiling water, then whisk it into the batter; note the batter will be very thin.
- Bake Cake Layer: Pour the thin batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes until set.
- Cool and Chill: Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then lift using paper overhang onto a rack and cool completely for 30 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour to firm up for cutting.
- Cut Cake Rounds: Place a piece of paper over the sticky surface, flip the cake upside down onto a cutting board (sticky side down), peel off the base paper, then cut 21 rounds of 6 cm (2.4 inches) diameter using a cutter.
- Pipe Frosting: Place a cake round on a small piece of paper with a dab of frosting to stabilize. Use a piping bag to pipe coils of frosting between layers, stacking three rounds per mini cake. Pipe additional frosting around sides and on top.
- Smooth Frosting: Using a small offset spatula or knife, carefully smooth the frosting surface without touching the cake directly to avoid crumb incorporation.
- Decorate Cakes: Garnish with piles of finely shaved dark chocolate shards, raspberries, and rosemary sprigs for an elegant finish.
- Make Chocolate Buttercream: Beat softened butter for 3 minutes on high speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in icing sugar in three additions, starting on low speed to avoid dust clouds, then raise speed as incorporated.
- Incorporate Cocoa and Milk: Add cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla extract to the buttercream. Beat starting on low speed, gradually increasing, then beat on high for 3 minutes until light and airy.
- Prepare for Piping: Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag (even a ziplock bag works) for easy application to the cakes.
Notes
- Cocoa: Use standard unsweetened cocoa powder; Dutch processed cocoa can be used for deeper color and flavor.
- Baking Soda: Can be replaced with 2 1/4 teaspoons extra baking powder if baking soda is unavailable.
- Coffee: Enhances chocolate flavor subtly; optional and not detected in the final taste.
- Flipping Cake: Flipping the cake upside down before cutting ensures neat rounds since the surface is sticky.
- Square or Rectangle Cakes: For easier assembly, cut cake into rectangles, layer with frosting, chill to set, then cut into squares or rectangles.
- Storage: Cakes keep fresh for 5 days refrigerated, or freeze up to 3 months. Always cool completely before covering and refrigerating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
