Small Chocolate Layer Cake

 

Small Chocolate Layer Cake. Why should only larger groups and gatherings get to enjoy delicious chocolate cakes?  This chocolate cake recipe which I am sharing today is for a much smaller chocolate layer cake, designed for the smaller family and will give you six beautifully generous slices.

What you have here is a small, yet indulgent chocolate layer cake, rich dense and moist, slathered and filled with a creamy, decadent chocolate buttercream frosting.  This is a chocolate cake lover's dream with layers that melt in the mouth and a frosting that is as rich and smooth as silk! 

I do apologize for any inconsistencies in the photography!  It was a cake I baked for my brother in law's birthday on Sunday and some of the photos (whole cake) were taken here before I brought it over, and some at my sister's and then some here, this morning of the one piece I brought home to enjoy afterwards. 

Altogether though I do hope that they give you a good indication of just how delicious this chocolate cake really is!  So much so that my father, who really doesn't like chocolate cake, requested a second piece after eating the first!

 

I adapted the recipe from one that I found on a page called Beyond Frosting.  It looked really good and my sister had asked me to make a small cake, not a large one.  I thought about cutting one of my favorite recipes in half, but then didn't want to take the chance as it was for a special occasion and I wasn't sure if it didn't work out I would have a chance to do another.  So I went for something which was tried and true.

Everyone enjoyed it. It was quite simply a lovely cake (despite my poor photographs!)!!  My brother-in-law enjoyed a nice big piece and was in chocolate cake heaven!  We all enjoyed it and I brought a piece home that I will be sharing with my father later today as he is coming for supper.

If you are looking for a small chocolate layer cake recipe, you really cannot go wrong with this one!  I highly recommend it! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SMALL CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Some pretty simple baking cupboard ingredients. There is nothing too out of the ordinary required here, except for two six-inch layer cake tins.

For the cake:

• 3/4 cups (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil (I use light olive oil)
• 2 large free range eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups  (150g) all purpose plain flour
• 1/4 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup (160ml) hot coffee

For the frosting:

• 1 cup (220g) butter, softened slightly
• 1/2 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 cups (293g) icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 - 2 TBS heavy whipping cream or milk

 

Butter in the cake is replaced by oil, making for a lovely moist cake. I use light olive oil.  No sour cream? No worries, you can use plain Greek or natural yogurt in it's place.

Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not chocolate drink mix. The two are not the same thing.  Chocolate drink mix has dry milk powder and sugar added to it.

You will not taste the coffee in the finished cake, but coffee is the magic ingredient that helps to intensify the flavor of the chocolate, giving this cake a lovely deep and delicious chocolate taste.

 

HOW TO MAKE THIS SMALL CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

This is really not a difficult cake to make.  You will  need two six-inch layer cake tins. Alternately the cake can be baked in one 8-inch cake tin (square or round), but the  baking time will need to be adjusted slightly. 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter two six-inch layer tins and line the bottoms with baking parchment. Set aside.

Whisk the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together in a bowl with an electric whisk, until well incorporated together and light in color. Beat in the sour cream.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda and salt together. Add this to the creamed mixture alternating with the hot coffee, making two wet and three dry additions, and scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula in between additions.

Divide the batter equally between the baking tins.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven until the cake tests done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.

 

Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack and peeling the paper off. Leave to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter with an electric whisk until light, fluffy and spreadable.

Sift the cocoa powder onto the butter and beat in along with the vanilla.

Add the icing sugar and 1 TBS of cream/milk. Beat until smooth and creamy, adding the remaining cream/milk if necessary. (I needed both.)

 

Level off the cakes with a serrated knife. Place a dollop of icing on your cake plate or board. Set one cake layer, bottom side up on top. Spread with a layer of frosting. Set the other cake layer over top, again bottom side up.

Spread with the remaining frosting, covering the sides and top of the cake. Decorate as desired. ( I chose simply to sprinkle some cake sprinkles on top, but you can also pipe extra frosting on top in little dollops as well. See photos on original recipe.)

 

TIPS ON STORING THIS CAKE

You can keep the frosted cake, tightly covered,  on the counter at room temperature for up to two days.  You can freeze the layers, unfrosted and properly wrapped for up to six months.  Simply thaw and frost as desired.

You can keep it in the refrigerator for three to four days, tightly covered, but do bring to room temperature before serving.

This cake is best served at room temperature.

 

This is a wonderful little cake. It is dense and delicious and nice and chocolatey. So delicious that my father who says he doesn't like chocolate cake requested a second piece after he ate his first!  High accolade indeed!

If you are a smaller group of people and you don't want to be eating chocolate cake for days, this is the perfect cake to bake!  Enjoy!

 

Do you enjoy chocolate cakes?  I know that they are the favorite cakes of a lot of people.  Here are some really delicious ones that we have baked and enjoyed in The English Kitchen.

BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE -  This is my all-time favorite chocolate cake recipe.  A four generations old, double layer cake that is rich and delicious.  Moist and tender, it is generously filled and frosted with a rich and creamy chocolate buttercream frosting.  This is a really fabulous chocolate cake.

CREOLE CHOCOLATE CAKE -  This is my second all-time favorite chocolate cake. It might even be tied in first place with the other.  This rich and dense cake is loaded with chocolate flavor. Moist from the use of sour cream in the batter. Filled with a rich date and nut filling and a layer of whipped cream before frosting with a sour cream ganache!  This is rich and decadent and incredibly delicious!

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Small Chocolate Layer Cake

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Deliciously moist, dense and fudgy with a fabulously rich chocolate buttercream frosting. This is the perfect cake to feed a small group for any special occasion.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3/4 cups (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil (I use light olive oil)
• 2 large free range eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) all purpose plain flour
• 1/4 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup (160ml) hot coffee

For the frosting:

• 1 cup (220g) butter, softened slightly
• 1/2 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 cups (293g) icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 - 2 TBS heavy whipping cream or milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter two six-inch layer tins and line the bottoms with baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together in a bowl with an electric whisk, until well incorporated together and light in color. Beat in the sour cream.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda and salt together. Add this to the creamed mixture alternating with the hot coffee, making two wet and three dry additions, and scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula in between additions.
4. Divide the batter equally between the baking tins.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven until the cake tests done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.
6. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack and peeling the paper off. Leave to cool completely.
7. To make the frosting, beat the butter with an electric whisk until light, fluffy and spreadable.
8. Sift the cocoa powder onto the butter and beat in along with the vanilla.
9. Add the icing sugar and 1 TBS of cream/milk. Beat until smooth and creamy, adding the remaining cream/milk if necessary. (I needed both.)
10. Level off the cakes with a serrated knife. Place a dollop of icing on your cake plate or board. Set one cake layer, bottom side up on top. Spread with a layer of frosting. Set the other cake layer over top, again bottom side up.
11. Spread with the remaining frosting, covering the sides and top of the cake. Decorate as desired.

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