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Home » Cake & Cupcakes » Mini Chocolate Cakes

Mini Chocolate Cakes

Published: Feb 11, 2016 · Modified: Mar 4, 2018 by Allison · 75 Comments

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Mini Cakes baked in ramekins and decorated with vanilla frosting and fresh berries or sprinkles. Serve as single layer cakes or double layer cakes. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or as a smash cake.

Small double layer chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.Hello there! I’m stopping in with one last Valentine’s Day recipe. Although I am not the hugest fan of Valentine’s Day, I am a HUGE fan of chocolate (duh). Soooooo, I will not turn down the opportunity to bake, eat, and share some chocolaty goodness this Valentine’s Day. That brings me to these adorable Mini Cakes!

Small round cake topped with frosting and raspberries.

Mini Cakes

No special cake pans are needed for these cuties; the cakes are baked in ramekins. I’m sure you have some ramekins lying around. Grab them from the back of your cabinet, whip up this easy one-bowl chocolate cake batter, and before you know it you’ll be diving into chocolate cake.

Small double layer chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.

I used 7-oz (4 inch) ramekins, which made 4 miniature cakes. You can either serve the cakes in single layers or you can double them up and make two double layer cakes. I’ve included a recipe for a small batch of vanilla frosting, which I simply spread on the cakes with a butter knife. Top the cakes with fresh berries or sprinkles, and serve them to someone you love.

Chocolate cakes with a bowl of vanilla frosting.

These mini chocolate cakes are great for Valentine’s day, anniversaries, or as a smash cake. And since this recipe feeds just a few, you really don’t need a reason to make these. The fact that it’s a Thursday is reason enough. 😉 Enjoy!

Small chocolate cakes with vanilla frosting and raspberries.

You might also like: Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes, Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes, Small Batch Fudge.

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Small round cake topped with frosting and raspberries.

Mini Chocolate Cakes

Miniature chocolate cakes baked in ramekins and decorated with vanilla frosting and fresh berries or sprinkles. Serve as four single layer cakes or as two double layer cakes. Perfect for Valentine's Day, anniversaries or as a smash cake.
4.85 from 26 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 398kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cakes:

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • heaping ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup hot coffee or hot water, see note

Vanilla Frosting:

  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons milk or half and half
  • Fresh berries or sprinkles, for decorating.

Instructions

For the cakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of four 4-inch (7oz) ramekins with rounds of parchment. Grease the ramekins well. Set aside.
  • With a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add egg, milk, oil, and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes. Add hot coffee or hot water, and beat until just combined. The batter will be thin.
  • Divide evenly between four prepared ramekins (I used a little over ⅓ cup batter per ramekin). Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the top springs back when you touch them, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting and decorating:

  • Run a thin knife around the edge of each ramekin and carefully remove each cake. With a serrated knife, gently cut the dome off the top of each cake. Discard or save the cake scraps for another use.
  • For the frosting: Using a deep bowl, with a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter until smooth (starting the mixer low, then slowly increasing the speed). Add vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of milk. Beat on medium speed for a minute or two, until light and fluffy. If the frosting appears too thick, add an additional teaspoon of milk.
  • Spread the frosting onto the top of each cake. You can leave the cakes in a single layer or stack them to make a double layer cake. Decorate the top with berries or sprinkles.

Notes

The flavor of the coffee will not come through in the cupcakes. The coffee flavor will help intensify the chocolate flavor. If you'd rather not use coffee, you can substitute hot water.

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 82mg | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
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Comments

  1. Lisa

    March 11, 2021 at 8:31 pm

    Best chocolate cake and very moist! The only I used barrel tins by crown and came out perfect but just baked longer 🙂

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 12, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

      Reply
    • Jada

      March 15, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      I am so excited to make these me and my friends or opening a bake sale and thinking of making these!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        July 10, 2022 at 10:52 pm

        4 stars
        Even with the heaping cocoa powder and using straight espresso instead of coffee, I felt like it needed a stronger chocolate flavor. But the texture is great and they’re still delicious! I used King Arthur Gluten Free measure for measure flour and almond milk so the recipe is easily adapted for gluten free/dairy free needs, if anyone is wondering.

        I did have to bake them almost 10 minutes more and I have an oven thermometer so I know it was spot on 350, but maybe my ramekins are different! Still really enjoyed them and will for sure make again!

    • Ruksana

      April 23, 2021 at 2:53 am

      I followed the exact recipe nd even after baking for 30 min my cake isnt cooked

      Reply
  2. Molly Deschamp

    June 08, 2021 at 8:35 am

    Could I use olive oil instead of canola oil? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Allison

      June 08, 2021 at 10:11 am

      Yes. I’d recommend a mild flavored olive oil so that the flavor doesn’t come through.

      Reply
  3. Lauz

    July 02, 2021 at 10:54 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I used almond milk (what I had on hand) and rice brain oil (I find vegetable/canola oil has too strong a taste in most cakes).. I served with custard instead of icing – was too impatient to wait for it to cool 🙂

    Reply
    • Allison

      July 06, 2021 at 3:16 pm

      That sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

      Reply
    • Mylene

      July 16, 2021 at 1:39 pm

      Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?

      Reply
      • Allison

        July 16, 2021 at 2:08 pm

        I haven’t tried it. If you do I would suggest adding an additional tablespoon of cake flour. Enjoy!

  4. BlarneyTalker

    January 31, 2022 at 10:46 am

    5 stars
    These were delicious. I wish I had calculated the WW points first. Blew my whole week’s worth, but it was worth it. Wish I could show the picture

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 01, 2022 at 9:24 am

      Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Dalia

    April 09, 2022 at 7:13 am

    3 stars
    Very yummy but the recipe was SO under measured. When I finally finished making one batch (I had to make two) I realized that there was only enough batter to fill two 4 inch cake pans. Was super disappointed and had to spend another hour making two more cakes.

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 12, 2022 at 1:52 pm

      I make this recipe in ramekins rather than cake pans, perhaps that’s why I have enough batter.

      Reply
  6. Zoe

    August 27, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, whole family loved it!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 01, 2022 at 11:27 am

      I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Sarah L

    February 04, 2023 at 8:40 pm

    5 stars
    This was perfect for me, I made two. I used brown sugar and I baked for an additional 3 minutes. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 21, 2023 at 1:25 pm

      You’re welcome!

      Reply
  8. Charlie

    February 23, 2023 at 5:14 pm

    5 stars
    My wife and I just finished a piece of cake. I baked it in a 6 inch cake pan. It turned out great, but had to bake 45 to 50 minutes.

    Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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