Mini Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
This recipe is for chocoholics who have been waiting to try my chocolate version 6 Inch Vanilla cake. It will be worth it! This mini version of the World’s Best Chocolate Cake is what you’re looking for. You will love the moist, tender cake with creamy frosting.
You don’t even need fancy ingredients to make this happen. Hot water is used in this cake to “bloom” the cocoa or to bring out its richness and flavor. This dessert is bursting with chocolatey goodness. This is the perfect annual birthday cake for anyone who loves chocolate.
Why not make a 6-inch cake?
There are many reasons you might not want an 8-inch or 9-inch cake. You may want a smash-cake for your baby’s first birthday, or maybe you have a small group of friends. Or perhaps you want something different and not have too many leftovers. There are many reasons to make this cake.
What you’ll need
Let’s talk ingredients. Let’s start with the cake, then move on to the buttercream.
The Chocolate Cake
- All-Purpose Flour: Cake flour is also possible.
- Sugar
- Cocoa Powder: Natural, unsweetened
- Baking soda: not baking powder. They cannot be interchanged.
- Salt – For flavor. It would be best if you used it.
- Egg
- Milk: I use 2 %.
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Hot water: To “bloom” the cocoa powder.
The Chocolate Buttercream
- Butter: Bring to room temperature.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Cocoa Powder
- Cream: Or Water.
How to make a 6-inch chocolate cake?
This cake is easy to put together. We’ll start by making the batter. After the cake has cooled and been baked, it’s time to frost!
Bake the Layers
- Prepare for Baking: Grease three 6-inch cake pans. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Combine dry ingredients: Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Add egg, milk, and oil: Add the egg and vegetable oils to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
- Mix Vanilla and Water: Add the vanilla to the boiling water. Then, add the mixture to the batter. Combine well.
- Bake the batter: Divide the batter equally between the pans. Bake the layers for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let Cool: Take your cake layers out of the oven. Allow them to cool down for about 3-5 minutes. Then transfer them to wire racks and let cool completely.
The frosting is a must.
- Make the buttercream after the layers of the cake is cooled. Mix the butter in a large bowl. Beat it until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar to the mixture and mix it until smooth.
- Add Vanilla and Cocoa & cream: Mix the vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons of cream (or water). Blend until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar to the mixture and blend until smooth.
- Adjust consistency: Use additional cream or water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
Make the cake
- Layer Cake Layers: Use large, serrated knives to remove domes from the tops of cakes. Although these cakes don’t have large domes, I prefer to ensure they are perfectly level before stacking them.
- Frost First Layer Transfer the first layer of cake onto a plate or round of cardboard. Sprinkle about half a cup of frosting on top.
- Add another layer: Add the second layer to your cake and another half-cup of frosting.
- Frost the cake by adding the final layer. If you need help, refer to my tutorial on frosting smooth cakes.
- Decorate: If you like, sprinkle chocolate sprinkles on the sides of your cake. A shell border should be pounded along the top and bottom edges. This was done with Ateco tip 847.
- Serve Slice, serve, and enjoy!