Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Mini chocolate cakes Recipe
We make mini chocolate muffins as a result of they’re lovely, there’s a superb ratio of frosting to cake, and also you get the entire thing to your self! With 3 layers of chocolate cake smothered in fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting, these are the right big day dessert.
These lovely mini chocolate muffins are a petite 7cm/2.75cm measurement that’s made for not sharing with household and mates. Proper within the spirit of particular events that I’m suggesting you make these for! 😂
So, let me converse frankly. Particular person portion mini muffins do take extra time to embellish than a single chocolate cake. However they’re extra particular. They appear so nice lined up on a platter. You don’t should cope with the mess of chopping a large cake.
And there’s a excessive ratio of frosting to cake. These mini muffins name for half a batch of chocolate cake however a FULL batch of frosting! Not simply because I’m being grasping, however just because mini muffins have extra floor space to cowl.
So, to your subsequent big day, there’s no must spend $12 for a single mini cake from that posh patisserie down the street, solely to be upset with how dry the sponge is and the way meh the frosting is as a result of it’s not made with actual butter for price chopping causes. Let’s make our personal!
(PS This recipe makes 7 mini muffins which is $84 value for round $13 of elements).
We’re utilizing my basic chocolate cake batter right here. It’s the right cake to make use of for mini muffins as a result of it’s moist and stays moist (small muffins dry out quicker than massive ones) with the bonus that it’s a actually fast and straightforward batter.
Chocolate cake layers
Right here’s what you want for the chocolate cake batter:
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Flour – Simply plain / all-purpose flour. The cake gained’t be as mushy utilizing self-raising flour.
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Sugar – Both superfine / caster sugar or extraordinary white sugar (granulated sugar). They work the identical.
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Baking powder and baking soda (bi-carb) – This cake particularly makes use of each as a result of it makes the softest cake with a fair rise (moderately than a dome). Nevertheless, in case you’ve solely acquired baking powder, you possibly can substitute the baking soda with an additional 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
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Cocoa powder – Simply extraordinary unsweetened cocoa powder. Not dutch processed, not sizzling chocolate sweetened cocoa!
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Milk – Full fats cow milk is greatest, although low fats works too.
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Massive egg – A 55-60g/2oz egg from a carton labelled “massive eggs”. Extra on eggs for baking right here.
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Oil is the fats on this cake which is what retains this cake extremely moist for days upon days. The sponge is drier in case you use butter. Any pure flavoured oil can be utilized.
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Espresso powder – Enhances the chocolate flavour, however you possibly can’t style espresso! Be at liberty to skip it.
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Vanilla – For further flavour!
chocolate buttercream frosting
And right here’s what you want for the chocolate buttercream frosting.
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Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature so it may be whipped right into a fluffy frosting. Don’t let it get too mushy and sloppy else your frosting will likely be too! Technically in baking phrases, “softened butter” ought to be 17°C/63°F – firmer than you assume! 🙂 That is mushy sufficient to whip into creamy fluffiness however agency sufficient so it doesn’t flip frosting into slop.
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Delicate icing sugar / powdered sugar – As famous above, make sure you get mushy icing sugar! If you happen to use pure icing sugar the frosting is not going to be mushy and fluffy, it units onerous.
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Cocoa – As with the cake, use plain unsweetened cocoa. Not dutch processed or sweetened.
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Vanilla – For flavour.
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Pinch of salt – To convey out the flavours within the frosting.
It truly is simply your favorite chocolate layer cake in mini type. However I’ve some little tricks to make your mini-baking-life a bit simpler as a result of it may get a bit fiddly!
1. The cake half (tremendous simple!)
That is my basic chocolate cake batter with minor alterations to make a smaller batch baked in a skinny layer that we minimize rounds out of.
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Whisk dry – Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda right into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then whisk to mix.
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Add moist – Add the egg, oil, milk and vanilla first, then whisk. Stir the espresso powder (if utilizing) into the new water then whisk that into the batter. Will probably be VERY skinny!
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Baking tray – Pour right into a lined baking tray. I exploit a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5cm cm tray (15.8 x 11.3 x 1″ – US normal jelly roll pan). This makes a cake which is about 12mm / 1/2″ thick which is good for a 3 layer mini cake. Any tray round this measurement will work although smaller pans will make thicker sponges and bigger ones will make thinner ones.
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Bake for 13 minutes at 180°C/350°C (160°C fan-forced).
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Cool within the pan for 10 minutes then use the paper to raise it out onto a cooling rack. Go away to chill on the paper for at the least half-hour, then refrigerate for an additional 1 to 4 hours (uncovered) to totally, absolutely cool. ⚠️ Cooling correctly is a crucial step as a result of in any other case the cake could also be too recent and crumbly to chop out neat circles.
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Invert – ⚠️ One other essential step – flip the cake the wrong way up earlier than chopping circles! Cowl the floor of the cake with baking paper (it’s fairly sticky, so utilizing paper is essential). Then flip it the wrong way up onto a chopping board so the sticky floor of the cake is facedown.
Why does this matter? As a result of if the sticky floor is going through up, it’s tough to chop out neat circles because the sticky floor will get caught on the ring then drags down the cake as you press down.
2. Chopping rounds
Use a 6cm / 2.4″ spherical cutter to chop circles out of the cake. Minimize the circles as shut to one another as you possibly can to minimise wastage. You must have 21 circles. Be at liberty to make use of a unique measurement cutter to make extra smaller ones, or much less bigger ones!
See beneath for choice to not minimize rounds.
Desire to not minimize rounds? Or don’t have a cutter? No issues! Make sq. or rectangle muffins. Minimize the cake into 3 equal measurement rectangles. Frost and stack. Refrigerate to set the frosting (so it doesn’t smear if you minimize). Then minimize into squares / rectangles, and frost the perimeters.
3. Chocolate buttercream
That is your normal buttercream, so the one issues to be careful for is to start out the beater on low when you add the icing sugar (to keep away from a snow storm!) and to beat, beat, beat for jiffy on the finish to get the frosting good and fluffy!
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Cream butter & icing sugar – Beat the butter first till good and fluffy ( 3 minutes), then step by step add the icing sugar and beat it in.
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Fluff it! Beat within the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla, then as soon as it’s all integrated, beat on excessive for a full 3 minutes. This creates quantity and makes the frosting fluffy so don’t skip it!
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Proof of fluffiness. Attempt to not eat an excessive amount of!
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Piping baggage – Switch the frosting to a piping bag to use to the muffins. That is the quickest and best technique to frost the muffins! With out, you can be tearing your hair out and cursing me. Right here’s why:
Belief me – piping bag is greatest!
The quickest and best technique to frost these mini muffins is to make use of a piping bag. This avoids the necessity for a two step “crumb coating” that we’d in any other case must keep away from crumbs smearing into the frosting as we unfold it throughout the cake.
That is my normal approach of frosting muffins as of late, mini and full measurement!
The crumb smearing frustration – The chocolate cake is mushy and delicate as a result of it’s a moist, springy cake (moderately than dry and stiff!). What this implies is that in mini type, and particularly when you’ve minimize rounds, the cake may be very vulnerable to crumbs smearing into the frosting as you unfold it throughout the floor, which makes it look untidy.
Getting across the crumb smear – One technique to get round that is to do what known as a crumb coat whereby a skinny layer of frosting is unfold all around the cake to catch and “glue down” the crumbs, and create a easy floor for the ultimate layer. The cake is then refrigerated to set the frosting, then the ultimate layer of frosting is utilized.
The piping bag answer! Nevertheless, we are able to bypass that fiddly two step course of just by utilizing a piping bag. By piping the frosting on, we basically keep away from contact with the floor of the crumbs on the cake layers when spreading!
So, belief me on this. A piping bag is the way in which to go! You’ll be able to even simply use a freezer bag as a result of this frosting is so easy. Simply one thing to pipe it on. You don’t want a piping tip. 🙂
4. frosting
OK, now that you simply’re absolutely on board the frosting piping practice (which, by the way in which, is my normal approach of making use of frosting to muffins as of late, mini or not), let me present you the way simple it’s to do for these mini muffins!
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First layer – Place a layer on a small piece of paper on a cake turntable in case you’ve acquired one (or lazy Susan). But it surely’s high-quality in case you don’t, it’s simple to make use of this technique on small muffins even with out one. Then a snail on the primary layer. No spreading wanted.
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Layer – Place the 2nd cake layer on high, pipe one other snail then cowl with the third layer.
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Floor – Pipe a snail on the highest which would be the floor.
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Sides – Then pipe the frosting across the aspect of the cake, beginning on the backside. No should be meticulous right here as a result of we’ll unfold it.
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Spreading – Now, to unfold the frosting, use a gentle contact and unfold simply the floor. Keep away from making contact with the cake which can dislodge crumbs that smear into your frosting! No should be meticulous with the frosting in case you plan to cowl the floor. And the perimeters are good when they’re left a bit rustic!
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Voilà! Crumb-free frosting mini chocolate muffins, prepared for adorning!
5. CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS FOR DECORATING
Adorn as you please! The best can be a dusting of cocoa or icing sugar / powdered sugar, or vibrant sprinkles for cheerful mini birthday muffins. Pictured in submit are chocolate shavings. Right here’s easy methods to do them:
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Shave – Stand the chocolate on a forty five diploma angle then use a knife to shave shards.
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Mentioned shards!
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White chocolate is softer than darkish chocolate so you’re going to get good curls. Whereas darkish chocolate is more durable so is extra flaky.
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Pile onto the muffins. Keep away from touching the chocolate as a result of it can break / soften simply. A fork makes transference and pilling simple.
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Adorned and able to impress!
I do know, you’re already visualising the look on everyone’s face if you stroll into the room with a platter of those mini muffins.
Shock. Delight.
And naturally, so, so impressed. So if the eat half isn’t sufficient to spur you on to make these, do it for the reward! Folks will likely be speaking about your mini muffins for days to come back. Weeks! Month! (I really want to develop up. Who encourages folks to bake issues only for the reward? 😂) – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa , sifted (unsweetened, not dutch processed – Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (Note 2)
- 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 , like vegetable, canola, peanut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder , option (Note 3)
- 250g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp milk , preferably full fat
- Dark chocolate , finely shaved using a knife (white chocolate is also pretty)
- Raspberries, rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced).
- Baking pan – Butter a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5cm cm tray (15.8 x 11.3 x 1" – US standard jelly roll pan) then line with baking paper (parchment paper).
- Whisk dry – Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then whisk to combine.
- Mix in wet – Add the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water, then add into the batter. Whisk to combine. The batter will be VERY thin!
- Bake – Pour into the pan and bake for 13 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes then use the paper overhang to lift the cake onto a rack and cool for 30 minutes (leave it on the paper). Then refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour before cutting rounds (cake is too soft when freshly baked).
- Cutting rounds – Cover the sticky surface with paper. Then flip upside down onto a cutting board (ie sticky side down). (Note 4) Peel the paper off the base. Then press out 21 x 6cm / 2.4" rounds (or other size or shape as you desire).
- Pipe frosting – Place a piece of cake on a small piece of paper, using a dab of frosting to stop it from sliding. Pipe coils of frosting on the layers, using 3 rounds for each cake. Pipe frosting around the sides and on the top. (A cake turntable is handy if you've got one but not essential.)
- Smooth frosting – Smooth the frosting using a small offset spatula or knife, taking care to only touch the surface. Avoid touching the cake because it will dislodge crumbs that will end up in your frosting!
- Decorate with piles of chocolate shards. I also used raspberries and rosemary for the photos in the post!
- Beat butter for 3 minutes on high until soft and fluffy. Add icing sugar in 3 lots. Beat it in, starting on low speed then increasing the speed (to avoid a snow storm). Once incorporated, add more icing sugar and repeat.
- Beat 3 minutes – Once the icing sugar has all been added, added the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla. Beat again, starting on low speed then increasing the speed gradually. Once the cocoa is incorporated, beat on high for 3 minutes to make it really nice and fluffy.
- Piping bags – Transfer to a piping bag for frosting. (This is the fastest and easiest way, trust me on this. Even a ziplock bag will work here).
Notes
1. Cocoa – This recipe calls for ordinary unsweetened cocoa powder, though the pricier dutch processed cocoa powder (which has more intense chocolate colour and flavour) can be used.
2. Baking soda – Can be substituted with 2 1/4 tsp extra baking powder (baking soda is an insurance policy to ensure even rise).
3. Coffee in chocolate is a common practice these days to enhance the chocolate flavour. You can’t taste it. Optional!
4. Flipping upside down is important to help cut out neat rounds because the surface of the cake is sticky so it sticks to the cutter and you end up with rather untidy circles.
5. Square or rectangle mini cakes – Easier to assemble and no cake scraps! Cut the cake into 3 equal rectangles. Frosting the layers to make one large 3 layer cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the frosting (so it cuts neatly). Then cut into square or rectangles. Frost sides as desired (whip frosting again to re-fluff).
6. Storage: If leaving cooked cakes overnight, make sure it’s 100% cool then cover the top with paper (it’s sticky) then cling wrap. Refrigerate until required – you can actually do this 5 days ahead because the cake stays fresh for 5 days. Or freeze for 3 months.
Assembled cakes will stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days – the cake sponge has excellent shelf life!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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