Mini Chocolate Cake
These layered Mini Chocolate Cake stacks are as beautiful as they are delicious. Moist, tender chocolate cake is layered with rich, sweet cream cheese frosting to create tiny desserts packed with big flavor!
Mini desserts are so much fun, aren’t they? We think so. From mini cheesecakes to apple pie turnovers, and of course, chocolate cake, we love making mini versions of classic dessert recipes. That’s why we love these delicious little bites so much.
With just a few ingredients, we make these mini chocolate cakes that are so perfect for any occasion, from weeknight desserts to special events. They only take a few minutes to make, and they’re even more impressive than their full-size counterparts.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The chocolate cake is moist and tender, and the cream cheese frosting is rich and sweet.
- It only takes a few simple baking ingredients to make these cakes.
- These cakes are perfect for weeknight desserts or fancy get-togethers.
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need a few basic baking ingredients to make this recipe. You’ll have most if not all of them in your kitchen, and anything you don’t have can be found in a quick trip to the grocery store.
All the ingredients are listed here, but you can find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
For the Cake
- Sugar
- Butter – softened
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Hot water
For the Frosting
- Cream cheese – softened
- Butter – softened
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
- Fresh raspberries
🔪 How to Make Mini Chocolate Cake Stacks
Making these cakes is so much easier than you might think by looking at the pictures. They look super fancy, but they really only take a few minutes and a few simple steps.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9x2 baking dish.
Step 2: Combine the Wet Ingredients
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix again.
Step 3: Combine the Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together in a small bowl.
Step 4: Make the Batter
Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir. Then, add the hot water and mix. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix.
Step 5: Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely.
Step 6: Make Mini Cake Rounds
use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter to cut cake rounds out of the baked sheet cake. Repeat until you’ve cut out as many rounds as possible. Then, cut each round in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner rounds.
Step 7: Make the Frosting
Beat all the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Then, transfer the frosting to a piping bag with your desired tip.
Step 8: Make the Cakes
Place half the cake rounds on a baking sheet and add 4 dots of frosting to each of them. Add the other half of the cake rounds on top of the frosting, pressing down just enough to get the frosting to stick the two rounds together. Then, add 3 to 4 more dots of frosting on top of the cakes and garnish with raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Frosting – You can use store-bought frosting if you prefer. You can also use buttercream frosting.
- Raspberries – Use your favorite fresh berries for these cakes.
- Instant Coffee – Add a little instant coffee for an even deeper chocolate flavor.
If you think these mini chocolate cakes look good, we think you’ll love our mini chocolate silk pies.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- 13x9x2 baking dish
- Piping bag with tip
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate your mini chocolate cakes in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap the cakes in plastic wrap, place them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to a month.
What to Serve with Mini Chocolate Cake
Serve these cakes with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They’re also delicious with a scoop of ice cream or fresh fruit on the side.
💭 Tips
- Mix your batter gently after adding the water. It will be very thin.
- Thoroughly grease your baking dish to ensure your cake doesn’t stick.
- Use a sharp, serrated knife to easily cut the rounds in half.
- Fully soften your butter and cream cheese for the best frosting texture.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Hot or boiling water speeds up the chemical reaction of leavening agents in the cake batter, making softer, fluffier, and lighter cake. In addition, hot water creates a stronger chocolate flavor when combined with cocoa.
The usual culprit for dry cake is too much flour. Most people simply scoop their measuring cup into the flour, but this causes it to become compact and results in too much flour.
Gently spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This avoids compacting the flour inside the measuring cup.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy chocolate cake? Then try these delicious recipes:
- Naked Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Three Ingredient Chocolate Cake with Icing
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Mini Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- mixing bowls
- 13x9x2 baking dish
- Piping bag with tip
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ⅔ cups flour
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot water
Ingredients for frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. Add in the vanilla and mix.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir. Add in the hot water, and mix slowly as it will be very runny. Add the remaining flour and stir. Pour into a 13” x 9” x 2” pan that’s either non-stick or has been greased. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove and let cool completely. Using a 2 ½” round biscuit (or cookie) cutter, press down and twist to get a clean cut on the cake. Remove the circle and cut the cake slice in half. Repeat until you’ve gotten as many circles out of the sheet cake as possible.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat all the frosting ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Place in a piping bag with desired frosting tip. Create 4 dots of frosting on the bottom circle and gently stack the top piece, pressing down just enough to get the frosting to stick to the underside of the top piece. Add 3-4 more frosting dots on top and garnish with fresh raspberries and dust with extra powdered sugar.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
