This small chocolate cake may be tiny but its full of chocolate flavor. It’s simple, moist, fluffy and smothered with vanilla buttercream and lots of sprinkles.

Table of Contents

Chocolate cake and vanilla buttercream is one of my favorite combinations. It’s not overly chocolatey with both chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream. I may have a biased opinion, but vanilla buttercream is the perfect frosting on chocolate cake, with the addition of sprinkles of course.

This mini chocolate cake is so conveniently small for any occasion. You can make it for Valentine’s Day or, in this case, it’s perfect for a small birthday celebration. This chocolate cake recipe would make the perfect size for a smash cake.

Why You’ll Love This Small Chocolate Cake:

It’s a small chocolate cake recipe but full of moisture and chocolate flavor.

This recipe is easy to make using just one bowl.

Perfect size for a small celebration

Small Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

Just some simple ingredients to make a wonderful chocolate cake. Full recipe and measurements are below.

Flour: All-purpose flour works great in this recipe.
Brown Sugar/ White Sugar: Sugar creates a moist cake and sweetens the cake. Brown Sugar gives the cake a depth of flavor.
Baking Powder/Baking Soda/Salt: Read more about baking powder and baking soda to see its importance in baking.
Cocoa Powder: This recipe uses natural cocoa powder. Make sure not to use cocoa mix for hot cocoa.
Sour Cream: Before baking make sure the sour cream is at room temperature so ensure the batter gets mixed evenly.
Eggs: I use large eggs in all my recipes.
Hot Coffee: Coffee enhances the deepness of the chocolate, try not to skip out on the coffee for the best flavor.
Oil: A neutral flavored oil like canola and vegetable oil is best.

How to make Small Chocolate Cake:

You can make this little cake with either an electric mixer, stand mixer or simply by hand.

In a large mixing bowl add the egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, and oil. Mix well until the wet ingredients are all combined.

Next, add the dry ingredients (flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder) to the wet ingredients.

Whisk the ingredients and scrape the sides of the bowl.

Pour in the hot coffee and mix until just combined. The chocolate cake batter should be liquid.

Line two round 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper and divide batter in half.

Bake the layers in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.

Allow the layers to cool for 15 minutes before flipping them over on a cooling rack to let them cool.

Vanilla Buttercream

In a stand mixer or large bowl place the unsalted butter in the bowl and whip on high speed for minutes.

Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, then increase to medium speed and whip for 5 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and heavy cream and continue to whip for another minute or two.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and then set aside until needed.

Decorating Small Chocolate Cake

Place a chocolate cake layer on a cake stand and then add the vanilla buttercream.

Use an offset spatula and evenly spread the buttercream and then place the top layer of the chocolate cake on top.

Spread a thin layer of frosting all around the cake, then refrigerate it for 15 minutes or until the frosting sets.

Cover the cake with the remaining frosting and then top with sprinkles.

Bakers Tips:

Hot Coffee: A simple tip if you don’t have a cup of hot coffee ready. Take some hot water and add some instant coffee or espresso powder to it. Or you can just reheat your leftover coffee from your morning coffee pot.

Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure that all your ingredients, especially the egg and sour cream are at room temperature before you start baking. This helps them combine more evenly and creates a smoother batter.

Mixing: Avoid Overmixing the cake batter. Once the flour has incorporated into the wet ingredients the gluten begins to form. If you continue to mix it’ll create a hard cake.

Measure Accurately: Use a kitchen scale to measure accurately. When measuring flour make sure to fluff, scoop, and then scrape off the excess flour from your measuring cup.

Preheat Oven: Always preheat your oven to the temperature specified in the recipe before you start mixing your ingredients. This ensures that your cake bakes evenly and rises properly. Some older oven temperatures may be off by a couple of degrees. I would recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to check the correct temperature of your oven and then adjust the bake time from there.

Proper Pan Preparation: Grease and flour your cake pan or line them with parchment paper to prevent the cake from sticking. This helps make sure that your cake layers don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Cooling Properly: Allow the cake to cool in the pans for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Cooling too quickly can cause the cake to collapse.

Frosting on Cooled Cakes: Ensure that the cakes have cooled completely before frosting them. Otherwise, the frosting may melt and slide off.

FROSTING CAKE TIPS:

Make sure before you frost your cake that your cake layers have fully cooled.

Cut the top domes of the cake layers to create an even cake.

Place a small square sheet of parchment paper in between the cake and the cake stand to help with cleaning.

Spread a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake once all layers have been assembled. And then refrigerate the cake to let it set for 20 to 30 minutes. This step, known as crumb coating, prevents lopsided cakes that could collapse.

FAQS:

Do I have to use Coffee?

I recommend using coffee as it enhances the chocolate flavor. You can skip out on the coffee but make sure your water is hot boiling water.

How can I prep this ahead of time?

You can make the chocolate small cakes ahead of time and just wrap them in plastic wrap. The cakes can retain their moisture on the counter for up to 3 or 4 days, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Can I make this small chocolate cake into cupcakes?

Yes, it makes the best small batch chocolate cupcakes. Just fill the liners with batter 2/3 full. Bake at 350F for 12 to 14 minutes.

How long does this small chocolate cake stay good for?

Cover the cake tightly or store the cake slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator or on the counter for up to 5 days.

Is it possible to bake this small chocolate cake recipe into a sheet cake?

You can bake the small chocolate cake recipe in an 8×8 square pan.. Adjust the baking temperature as it might bake a couple of minutes faster. This is the best chocolate cake for small celebrations.

Variations:

Add chocolate chips to the batter or crushed Oreo cookies.

Change up the frosting and make a delicious chocolate ganache for a fudgy and chocolatey cake. A chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting would go great with this cake also!