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mini chocolate cake with mascarpone cream and a blackberry on top
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Mini Chocolate Cakes Recipe

prep 20 minutes
cook 15 minutes
1 hour
total 1 hour 35 minutes
Serves 4 cakes
My favorite chocolate cake, baked in a larger sheet pan and cut out into little circles, to make easy mini chocolate cakes. 
Servings 4 cakes

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Sheet Cake

  • 240 grams cake flour, spooned and leveled
  • 80 grams black cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 350 grams granulated sugar
  • 160 mL canola oil, or any neutral oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 150 grams sour cream
  • 240 mL hot coffee, I use Americano (can also do hot water)

Mascarpone Cream*

  • 113 grams mascarpone, cold
  • 60 grams powdered sugar
  • 1/2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla beans from 1 pod or extract
  • 180 mL heavy whipping cream, cold

Method

Black Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F (I use convection cuz my oven runs really hot at the bottom - conventional is also fine) and grease and line an 11x15" pan (or similar) with baking spray and parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until they’re evenly distributed.
    240 grams cake flour spooned and leveled, 80 grams black cocoa powder spooned and leveled, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tbsp baking powder
  3. In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs and sour cream until they’re well combined and smooth.
    350 grams granulated sugar, 160 mL canola oil or any neutral oil, 2 large eggs room temperature, 150 grams sour cream
  4. Sift the dry ingredients over the wet and whisk them together, just a little - about halfway or so.
  5. Pour in the hot coffee and whisk until the batter is completely smooth and all the dry ingredients are combined.
    240 mL hot coffee I use Americano (can also do hot water)
  6. Scrape the edge of the bowl and give it a good mix. Pour into prepared cake pan.
  7. Bake for 15-20ish minutes, until the tallest part of the cake, in the center, springs back when you press on it. If you’re hesitant, give it another minute or so.
  8. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before cutting out the circles. I cut out twelve 3" circles from an 11x15" pan.

Mascarpone Frosting

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the cold mascarpone with the powdered sugar until it’s completely smooth.
    113 grams mascarpone cold, 60 grams powdered sugar
  2. Add the vanilla bean paste and turn the mixer to medium speed.
    1/2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans from 1 pod or extract
  3. Stream in the cold heavy whipping cream in 3-4 increments, stopping to scrape the edge of the bowl each time.
    180 mL heavy whipping cream cold
  4. Once all the heavy whipping cream is added, it may seem soft so turn the mixer up to full speed and it should thicken and hold peaks within a couple of minutes. Don’t over-beat once you’ve reached this stage.
  5. Spread a little cream on top of the little layers of cake and swirl in some jam or fresh fruit, if desired. Repeat with the rest of the layers.

Notes

Use the cake scraps to make cakes in a jar or in a to-go container - I just layer them with frosting and fruit or jam, caramel, etc. 
*This amount of mascarpone cream will be enough to make four naked mini cakes, double the amount if you want to cover the cakes with cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 925kcalCarbohydrates: 109gProtein: 12gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 457mgPotassium: 325mgFiber: 6gSugar: 71gVitamin A: 943IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 221mgIron: 3mg
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: black cake, black cocoa cake, chocolate cake, chocolate smash cake, dark chocolate, mini cake, mini chocolate cake