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–+ servings
Slice of a small chocolate cake with a fork in it.

Small Chocolate Cake (Small Batch)

This tender, small chocolate cake is made in an 8 by 8-inch pan and is moist, fluffy, and frosted with a luscious chocolate frosting.
5 from 77 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 29 minutes
chill time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 19 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9 slices
Calories 489 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 ¾ cups Flour
  • ⅓ cup Dutch cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1 ¼ cup Granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • ½ cup Buttermilk
  • ⅔ cup Hot coffee
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • ⅓ teaspoon Salt

For the chocolate frosting:

  • 1 cup Butter room temp, unsalted
  • 2.1 oz Dark chocolate melted and cooled
  • 1 ¼ cup Powder sugar
  • ⅓ cup Cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tablespoon Milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare an 8×8 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
  • Into a big mixing bowl, add the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, salt, buttermilk, sugar, and sift the cocoa powder. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, hot coffee, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Make the chocolate buttercream:

  • Into a big mixing bowl, add the soft butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, cooled dark chocolate, kosher salt, and vanilla extract, and sift in the cocoa powder. Mix on low speed until the frosting comes together.
  • Increase the speed to medium to high speed and mix for about 3 minutes until the frosting is silky and smooth.
  • Top the room-temperature cake with the frosting and make a wave pattern with a spatula.

Notes

  • Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
  • Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and buttermilk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
  • Don’t overmix the batter; you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
  • Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients like baking soda and baking powder. If they are expired, your cake will not rise beautifully.
  • Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cake will release easily from the pan.
  • Serve at room temperature for optimal taste. Bring the chocolate cake to room temperature before serving to ensure that the frosting is creamy and not hard, and will melt in your mouth.
  • Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
  • Let the cake cool for at least an hour before frosting. This prevents crumbling and ensures the frosting won't melt.
  • Serve at room temperature for optimal taste. Bring the chocolate cake to room temperature before serving to ensure that the frosting is creamy and not hard, and will melt in your mouth.

Nutrition

Calories: 489kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 6gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 458mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 3gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 636IUCalcium: 86mgIron: 2mg
Keyword chocolate cake for two, mini chocolate cake, mini chocolate cake recipe, small chocolate cake, small chocolate cake recipe
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