This decadent small chocolate cake is easy to make and perfect for two or a small group! It’s ultra-moist, rich, and made from a tried and true chocolate cake recipe. Frosted with a classic dark chocolate buttercream.
I admit it.
I cannot and should not finish a big multi-layer cake by myself. And my freezer does not have the space to hold leftovers.
Especially these days, while in quarantine during the pandemic, I understand that there aren’t many reasons to prepare a really big cake to share with 8 different people. I still do so sometimes to practice my baking and for photography, but not as often as I did a few years ago. As a result, over the past year, I’ve found myself gravitating towards the idea of small-batch desserts and I thought I’d share a favorite with you today.
Also, with Valentines Day coming up in a little under a month here, this cake fits perfectly into the season! It’s a great chocolate cake for two. I had my boyfriend taste test this one, with full understanding that if he liked it, I would make it again on February 14th while we drink Tiki Cocktails (our annual V-day cocktail tradition).
Small Dark Chocolate Cake
So, what’s the deal with this dark chocolate cake?
- It’s only 6″, which will get you between 4-6 slices. Perfect if you don’t need to feed a lot of mouths or have a lot of leftovers.
- I’ve discovered that 6″ single-layer cake recipes are hard to come by, so I’m excited to add to the internet repertoire with this one! 😉
- It’s my favorite chocolate cake recipe that is super moist and will stay moist. Even my mom who doesn’t love cake likes this cake!
- It’s made with dark cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special Dark is my go-to dark cocoa powder), which is deeper in flavor. How ~mysterious~ and ~romantic~ right?
The recipe for the cake itself is also very similar to the recipe used for these dark chocolate peppermint cupcakes or these stuffed peanut butter cupcakes.
Equipment and Ingredients Needed
Here are the things you will need for this small chocolate cake recipe!
For equipment, you will need
- One 6″ round cake pan (for larger pans such as 9″, double the recipe). I’d recommend one with 2″ walls.
- Optional: parchment cake pan liners. These have been a game changer for me since I’ve started using them and I’d highly recommend. You can also get 100 of them for less than $7 (at least at the time I’m writing this), so the profit margins on these things must be insane.
For ingredients, you will need
- Dry Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda & baking powder
- Sea salt
- Chocolate Paste Ingredients
- Dark cocoa powder (regular cocoa powder works just as well if you can’t find dark)
- Hot water (preferably boiling or close-to boiling)
- Wet Ingredients
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar
- A neutral oil, such as vegetable oil or avocado oil (I love using avocado oil for some healthier fats)
- One large egg–make sure it is at room temperature
- Buttermilk–make sure this is at room temperature as well (warm it for 10-15 seconds in the microwave if needed).
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate Frosting Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Sea salt
- Powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- More dark cocoa powder
- Heavy whipping cream (to make the frosting nice and fluffy)
- Vanilla extract
What Do You Mean By Chocolate Paste?
You may have seen “chocolate paste ingredients” as a bullet in the ingredients section and wondered what in the world I was talking about. To answer that–in this recipe, we mix cocoa powder with boiling water to ‘bloom’ it. When you add a hot liquid to cocoa powder, it will dissolve the cocoa to release the flavor particles inside. This leads to a richer, more intense chocolate flavor in this cake.
Given the ratio of cocoa powder to water in this recipe, you end up with a nice dark chocolate paste. It smells really good but will be careful–it tastes really bitter haha.
Tips & Ideas for Chocolate Cake
Don’t over-mix the batter: make sure to fold the flour into the wet ingredients only until it is just combined. The final batter will be quite runny, so don’t be alarmed by that!
Add some espresso powder: add half a teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter to bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
Bake until just done: Start checking in on the cake around 24 minutes just to make sure you don’t overbake it. You can test by gently tapping the top, which will spring back once done. Or, do the ‘toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean’ test.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, rating, or take a picture of your mini cake and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your lovely chocolate cakes!
Singer Layer Small Dark Chocolate Cake (Perfect for Two)
Equipment
- 6" round cake pan (see notes for larger pan sizes)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Chocolate Paste
- ⅓ cup dark cocoa powder
- ¼ cup hot water
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable or avocado oil
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream or whole milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a 6" baking pan by greasing with oil, or using a round cake pan parchment liner. Then, grab three bowls–one small, one medium, and one large.
- In the small bowl, add the cocoa powder and pour the hot water over it. Use a fork to stir it into a thick chocolate paste. Let it cool slightly until it just warm to the touch.
- In the medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until they are mixed together.
- In the large bowl, whisk the two types of sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla together until smooth (approximately 1 minute of whisking). Then, whisk in the buttermilk and cooled chocolate paste until they are well blended. Lastly, add the flour mixture and gently fold it in until the flour is just combined. The batter will seem runny and that is normal.
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. You can test if the cake is ready by gently tapping the top, which should spring back once done. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, before removing and setting on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, start by whipping the butter and salt together in a mixer until combined. Then add the remaining ingredients. Continue to beat on medium-high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (2-4 minutes, depending on your mixer).
- Make sure the cake is completely cool before frosting. You can use either an offset spatula to spread an even layer across the top, or pipe rosettes using a star tip (I used Wilton's M1 tip). Garnish with freeze dried raspberries if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a larger, 9″ cake, double the recipe.
- Buttermilk substitutions: combine equal parts Greek yogurt and milk. Or, add ½ tsp of lemon juice to a glass of milk and let it curdle for 10 minutes.
My God this cake is amazing! So moist and decadent. I iced it with a simple ganache and my family couldn’t stop raving. Thank you for this recipe.