A high altitude recipe for a mini dark chocolate cake, that’s just the perfect small size for two people or a small family. This chocolate cake is so moist and tender, with rich and fluffy chocolate buttercream that’s not too sweet. If you love my best high altitude chocolate cake, you’ll love this mini version for a date night, anniversary, or any special occasion where you only want a small chocolate cake to serve a few people.
You might also love this flourless chocolate cake with bourbon vanilla whipped cream, chocolate truffle cake, and chocolate fudge cake with ganache.
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Why You’ll Love This Cake
Perfect Petite Size. You want to make a special dessert for an intimate celebration or small family gathering, but you don’t want tons of leftover cake. I get it. Today’s mini chocolate cake recipe is scaled down to the perfect size for two, or a few people to enjoy, without too much leftover dessert. It’s 1/4 the size of a standard three layer 8 inch cake, so you can get a modest 6 or so servings out of this recipe.
Quick and Easy to Make. It only takes a few minutes to whisk up the cake batter in a bowl. And the buttercream is easy to whip up with either a stand mixer or hand held electric mixer, whichever you have.
Customizable Recipe. You can bake the chocolate cake in two pans for a cute little layer cake, or in just one pan for a more simple presentation. Frost the cake all over, or keep the sides naked. The chocolate cake is also fantastic served plain, with a dusting of powdered sugar, some berries or fruit compote, or a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cake
- All-Purpose Flour. Adds structure to the cake.
- Cocoa Powder. Gives chocolate cake its chocolate flavor and rich color.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Espresso Powder. A small amount of espresso powder enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder, without making the cake taste like coffee.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavens the cake so it rises.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Eggs. Add structure.
- Whole Milk + Sour Cream. Moisture, fat, flavor and acidity.
- Vegetable Oil. Moisture.
- Vanilla Extract. Complements the flavor of the chocolate.
Buttercream
- Unsalted Butter. Adds richness, fat and flavor.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
- Cocoa Powder. Gives the buttercream its chocolate flavor.
- Meringue Powder. Improves the texture and stabilizes the buttercream.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract. Complements the flavor of the chocolate.
- Milk. Thins the buttercream for desired consistency.
- Mini Chocolate Chips. For sprinkling on top.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray the bottoms of two 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray. You can also make a one-layer cake, but your 6-inch pan will need to be 3 inches deep so the batter doesn’t overflow.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add the egg, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla, and whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 15-16 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer (stand or hand-held), beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and salt, mixing to combine.
- Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid stand mixer); whip for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down occasionally, and only adding the milk if needed for desired consistency.Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 2 minutes to eliminate big air bubbles.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Fill and frost the cakes with the buttercream.
- To fill the cakes with a thin layer of buttercream, and then frost the cake all over, see my post on How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost a Layer Cake.
- For a naked cake, simply spread half the frosting on the first layer of cake, place the second cake layer on top, and spread with the rest of the frosting.
- For the look on this post’s photographed cake, increase the buttercream recipe to 1 1/2 x, and use tip #902 to pipe big ruffly swirls of buttercream onto the cake layers.
- If desired, sprinkle the top of the cake with mini chocolate chips.
Recipe Variations
- If you don’t like buttercream, or just want a more simple cake, this chocolate cake for two is fantastic served plain alongside a cup of coffee.
- I sometimes brush it with a tablespoon or two of brewed coffee to make it extra moist. Instead of buttercream, you can also just dust it with a little powdered sugar, or serve it with dollops of sweetened whipped cream, berries or fruit compote.
- Chocolate cake with caramel sauce or toffee sauce is wonderful.
- Or, make a simple dark chocolate ganache to pour over the cake.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake this mini chocolate cake in just one six inch pan instead of two pans?
Yes, you can make this recipe into a one layer six inch cake instead of two layers. If you use one pan, make sure that your pan is 3 inches deep, or the batter might overflow. Also, watch your bake time, since one thick layer will need to bake a little longer than two thin layers. I bake all my cakes in these Fat Daddio’s aluminum cake pans, which come in a variety of sizes and depths.
What kind of cocoa powder do you use?
I only use unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder for all of my baking, and I discuss the difference between natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powders in my original chocolate cake post. I’m a big fan of both Rodelle and Drost cocoa powders, and I use them often in my cakes, buttercream, brownies and cookies. In today’s mini chocolate cake, though, I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute cocoa powder. I also added a small amount of this black cocoa powder to just the buttercream, to give it a deeper, darker color.
What piping tip did you use for the buttercream?
I used Tip #902.
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Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Mini Chocolate Cake for Two
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
- 6-inch cake pans (x2)
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 7 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ tbsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup whole milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ tbsp meringue powder, optional
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk, if needed
- 2 tbsp semi sweet mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray the bottoms of two 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray. You can also make a one-layer cake, but your 6-inch pan will need to be 3 inches deep so the batter doesn't overflow.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add the egg, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla, and whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 15-16 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- With an electric mixer (stand or hand-held), beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and salt, mixing to combine.
- Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid stand mixer); whip for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down occasionally, and only adding the milk if needed for desired consistency.Turn the speed down to "stir" and mix for 2 minutes to eliminate big air bubbles.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Fill and frost the cakes with the buttercream.To fill the cakes with a thin layer of buttercream, and then frost the cake all over, see my post on How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost a Layer Cake.For a naked cake, simply spread half the frosting on the first layer of cake, place the second cake layer on top, and spread with the rest of the frosting.For the look on this post's photographed cake, increase the buttercream recipe to 1 1/2 x, and use tip #902 to pipe big ruffly swirls of buttercream onto the cake layers.
- If desired, sprinkle the top of the cake with mini chocolate chips.
New to hobby baking and I’ve been struggling with my cake textures. I live in Northern Colorado and previous attempts at altitude adjustments failed me. This cake was super easy and came out great. Super excited to try out your other high altitude cakes!
Hello! I’m curious about what to do if I don’t live in a high altitude area. How should I adjust the quantities? This cake looks super yummy and I’ve been looking for a small batch recipe for two. This was right in time!
I have some guidance for adjusting recipes for various altitudes in my FAQs: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/