Small Batch Chocolate Cake
A one layer, six inch chocolate cake perfect for two!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 30 g dutch process cocoa powder (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. instant espresso
- 65 g whole milk (¼ c. + ½ tbsp.)
- 75 g vegetable oil (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 90 g sour cream (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.) room temperature
- 80 g all purpose flour (⅔ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
Chocolate Mascarpone Frosting
- 150 g mascarpone (⅔ c.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- 24 g dutch processed cocoa powder (¼ c.)
- 150 g heavy whipping cream (5 oz.)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously butter a 6" cake pan. Crumple up a small sheet of parchment paper, then un-crumple it and place it into the buttered cake pan. Press it tightly to the bottom and sides of the pan, then set aside. This will give you an easy way to lift the cake out of the pan! It will leave the sides looking a little rustic, so if you'd prefer a cleaner look: generously butter the cake pan, then coat it with sugar or cocoa powder.
- Add the cocoa powder and instant espresso (if using) to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Heat the milk in a large microwave safe bowl or liquid measuring cup until it's hot and starts to foam up (you'll want it to be larger bowl/cup to avoid the milk spilling over into your microwave)
- Immediately pour the hot milk over the cocoa powder. Stir the mixture together until it's cohesive and there's no lumps.
- Add in the vegetable oil, sugar, egg, and sour cream. Whisk vigorously until combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the last streak of flour disappears into the batter.
- Pour the chocolate cake batter into your prepared 6" cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. To check for doneness: I recommend using a thermometer for the best results: when stuck into the middle of the cake the thermometer should read 205°F / 96°C. The cake is also done when the center no longer jiggles and the top becomes more firm.
- Allow the cake to rest in the cake pan for at least 15 minutes before transferring it out to a cooling rack.
Chocolate Mascarpone Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, beat together the mascarpone, salt, sugar, cocoa powder & heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form.
- Once the cake has fully cooled to room temperature, pile it high with the chocolate mascarpone frosting. Garnish with chocolate curls and flaky salt (optional), slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Affiliate links: Kitchen Scale (my favorite) | Kitchen scale (great starter option) | Cordless Hand Mixer | 6-inch Cake Pan | Oven Thermometer | Cookie Scoops | Cocoa Powder
Checking for doneness:
I wouldn't recommend using the toothpick test for this cake. While testing, I found that once the toothpick came out of the cake clean, the cake was over-done and dry after baking. Instead, I highly recommend checking the internal temperature of the cake with a thermometer (as noted in the recipe)Chocolate cream cheese frosting:
The frosting recipe makes enough for a very generous amount of frosting on top (as you might see from the photos!) If you'd like less frosting, you can multiply the frosting ingredients by .67 for less, or .5 for even less. Here is the recipe for the chocolate cream cheese frosting (previously shown with this recipe): 170g cream cheese, 85g unsalted butter, 1/8 tsp. salt, 240g powdered sugar, 24g dutch processed cocoa powder.- In a large mixing bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and salt until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Then, beat in the rest of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 6gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 216mgPotassium: 187mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 651IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 111mgIron: 2mg