This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This mini chocolate cake is a small cake that serves two made in a round 6 inch cake pan. The recipe makes 4 small slices of cake, which is perfect for two people! The ganache glaze on top is so easy to make and is so pretty garnished with fresh fruit. Small chocolate cake for two people is the best way to celebrate.
6 Inch Chocolate Cake Recipe
The last time I made this mini chocolate cake for two, we ate it in the car on the way to dinner. And if I remember correctly, we had burgers and fries.
Itโs not that this cake is โlightโ or โnot too sweetโ or whatever it is that people say about dessert to make them feel less badly about eating it. Itโs a solid, rich chocolate cake.
The cake has a crumb that is one notch closer to pound cake than boxed cake mix, which I love. The ganache on top is my obsession. I almost never remember to put butter on the counter to soften for cake frosting, and a 2-minute chocolate ganache solves that problem.
If youโre looking for a more standard frosting, try my Chocolate Buttercream recipe.
Why youโll love this Small Cake Recipe
The best way to celebrate anything is with chocolate, am I right or am I right? I have made this mini chocolate cake for Valentineโs Day, birthdays, anniversaries, job promotions, positive pregnancy test results, and application acceptance celebrationsโall of the happy events in my life (and the lives of the people I love). It makes 4 small slices of cake using this 6-inch cake pan, but the cake is still big enough to hold plenty of candles on top! You will love how simple this recipe is, because itโs always easier to make a small cake than a big cake. Youโll be hooked after one bite of the rich, chocolate-y flavor.
Small Cake Recipe Ingredients
- Flour. All-purpose, bleached regular flour is what I used to develop this mini chocolate cake recipe. Do not use cake flour, sifted flour, whole wheat or pastry flour for this recipe. If you make changes such as this, the results will not be the same.
- Cocoa Powder. All-natural, unsweet cocoa powder from the box is what we need, which is not the same as hot cocoa mix.
- Baking Soda. This cake only calls for baking soda for its rise and lift; it does not require baking powder. The two are not interchangeable, by the way.
- Oil. The best cake recipes use oil as the base, instead of butter. This is because oil is fully liquid at room temperature, making for a soft, tender cake crumb. This allows you to refrigerate the cake before serving without any hardening, as well. Any type of neutral, flavorless oil works here: canola oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil, or even safflower oil. Do not use unrefined coconut oil that smells of coconut, because it will alter the whole flavor of your cake.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar is what we need for this cake, not brown sugar or powdered sugar.
- Sour Cream. Weโre using sour cream for its rich, full flavor, also for the acidity to react with the baking soda and make the cake rise. Sour cream is 40% and it cannot be substituted with anything else. Do not use yogurt, buttermilk, whole milk or even low fat sour cream, if you want perfect results.
- Egg. While a lot of my small batch recipes call for part of an egg, we need the whole egg for this mini chocolate cake recipe.
- Vanilla Extract. The best flavor is found in real, pure vanilla extract. My preference is for one made with Bourbon.
- Coffee. This cake will not taste like coffee, though if youโre looking for that, try my Mocha Cupcakes. The coffee here provides moisture and a flavor boost for the chocolate.
- Chocolate. We need chopped semisweet chocolate to melt for the chocolate ganache for this mini chocolate cake. I reach for a baking bar or my favorite bar of chocolate to chop up.
- Heavy Cream. We will melt the chocolate into a small amount of heavy cream.
- Optional: A small amount of light (clear) corn syrup makes the ganache super shiny, but it is entirely optional. I like to use fresh fruit for decorating.
How to Make a Mini Chocolate Cake
Iโm going to help you out with all of your Valentineโs Day dessert for two needs, but first: youโre going to need a 6โณ cake pan to make this mini chocolate cake. Theyโre adorable. And once you buy one, you can make all of my small cake recipes. (Plus, I even use it to make aย small batch of fudge, too!).
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit, and have your pan ready. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper, and lightly spray the sides with a non-flavored cooking spray.
Whisk the dry ingredients together: the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda; set aside.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, sour cream, egg, vanilla and coffee. Itโs not necessary to use an electric mixer, whisking by hand is totally fine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until no streaks of flour remain.
Pour the mini chocolate cake batter into the prepared pan, slide into the oven and bake for 29-32 minutes. Use a toothpick to ensure the cake is done before removing it from the oven.
While the cake cools, make the chocolate ganache frosting: in a double boiler, or bowl fitted over a pan of simmering water, combine the chopped chocolate, cream, and corn syrup (if using). Stir over medium heat until melted and smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and cream in the microwave in 25-second pulses on LOW power. Stir between each pulse.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake on a cake stand, garnish with fresh fruit, and serve.
Small Cake Recipe Variations
If youโre looking for something even fancier, can I suggest my chocolate mousse cake?
If youโre looking for the vanilla version of this cake, try my mini vanilla cake. It includes a tutorial for making buttercream roses, too!
Our Favorite Small Cake Toppings
This cake has a shiny ganache topping with pomegranate arils that look like jewels on top, and I love this look. However, you can also use
- my basic vanilla buttercream and sprinkles
- my basic chocolate buttercream if you donโt like ganache
- my marshmallow frosting would be so fun and delicious
- highly suggest you grab the orange chocolate buttercream from my chocolate orange cake for a fun twist
- try my chocolate whipped cream for something light and fluffy
- my brown sugar cream cheese frosting would give this cake fancy vibes
- if you love peanut butter, double my peanut butter frosting recipe for this cake!
- For a chocolate covered strawberry take, try my strawberry cream cheese frosting
Small Chocolate Cake
A small chocolate cake that serves just two people.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup neutral oil (like canola or grapeseed)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon warm coffee
For the ganache:
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- splash of light corn syrup (to keep the frosting smooth, optional)
- pomegranate arils, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Line a 6" round cake pan (with 2" sides) with parchment paper on the bottom, and lightly grease the sides with oil.
- Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, sour cream, egg, vanilla and coffee.
- Combine the two bowls, mixing just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake for 29-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. If you under-bake the cake, it will slightly sink, so check it! It will also start to pull away from the sides when it's done.
- Remove the cake from the pan by carefully tilting it into one hand, peel off the parchment from the bottom, and then place it on a small cake stand.
- In a double boiler, or bowl fitted over a pan of simmering water, combine the chopped chocolate, cream, and corn syrup (if using). Stir over medium heat until melted and smooth. *Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and cream in the microwave in 25-second pulses on LOW power. Stir between each pulse.
- Pour the chocolate over the cake, and garnish with pomegranate arils.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 626Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 6gSugar: 52gProtein: 7g
It will be good if you could post the ingredients in grams. It will give more accurate measurements โ Thank You for the wonderful recipes
Hi Monika! I agree! This is an older recipe and I am working on converting all of my older recipes into metric. Most newer recipes have this already :)
I live in northern Spain and they only sell creme fraiche here.. could I use that instead of the sour cream? It is full fat.
Yes you can :) Yum!
Since the ganache uses such a small amount of heavy cream (and the containers are so BIG!) can I substitute it with something else? Thx! Canโt wait to try!
Did you see the section โour favorite cake toppings.โ There are other recommended frostings. But, if you want to make the ganache but donโt want to buy a pint of heavy cream, you could use full-fat coconut cream?
I will make this tomorrow, but I just want to take this space to comment that I have made your little Texas sheet cake many times and everyone loves it. I hope this is as good. I plan to eat it all myself.
Can I use a sweetener like Splenda in place of the sugar for your chocolate cake? If so, would the ratio 1-1? Thank you.
I didnโt test the recipe with artificial sugar, Iโm sorry. This isnโt that kind of blog.
I donโt drink or make coffee, but I have espresso powder. Think I could substitute that for the coffee?
Cake looks good, just was wondering if you have made this with gluten free flour? I want to try for Easter dessert for 4.
I havenโt tried that, Iโm sorry. Sometimes you can scan the comments and other people have done that and reported that it works. Best of luck :)
Just put this in the oven for the second time. I combined your chocolate mousse recipe with this one, but cutting into layers, brushed lightly with maraschino liqueur and using the chocolate mousse in the middle along with a layer of raspberries. Then topped it off with the ganache and more fresh raspberries. It was very pretty and SO delicious. Canโt wait for the next one.
I made this cake last night and it is delicious! And just the right size!