These chocolatey Mini Layer Cakes are so cute! They're perfect for a party, family get-together, or even a baby shower!
The chocolate sponge is moist, light and airy, and the frosting is a creamy and impossibly smooth chocolate ganache.
I made my mini layer cakes in a 12-hole mini sandwich tin, but a standard 12-hole muffin tray will work too. If your use a muffin tin, you'll just get a more typical cupcake shape for your finished cakes.
To make the sponges, you'll use the all-in-one method, which couldn't be simpler. You'll just measure the margarine, oil, caster sugar, milk, cocoa, eggs and self-raising flour into a bowl, whisk them into a batter, and you're ready to bake!
You won't be using cupcake cases with this recipe, so it's crucial that you grease your pan. So just add your batter straight to the pan, pop it in the oven, and your cakes should be baked in about 20 minutes.
While they bake, you'll make the ganache frosting by melting milk chocolate and combining it with double cream. As you stir the two together, it will start out murky and then transform into a glossy, voluptuous ganache.
Once your cakes are cooked and cooled, you'll slice them in half with a serrated knife to create two layers, and then use a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle to pipe the ganache into the centres and the tops to create perfect mini layer cakes!
Once you've mastered the basic recipe, you could customise it in all sorts of ways!
How about brushing the sponges with Kirsch and hiding some cherry jam in the centre to create black forest mini layer cakes?
Or switching to dark chocolate ganache and adding some coffee to the sponges for rich coffee mini layer cakes!
However you choose to make them, these mini layer cakes are really special. Here's the full recipe, complete with step-by-step photos so that you can make sure you're on the right track all the way through.
Ingredients
For the sponges
- 175 g (6.2 oz) baking margarine
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200 g (7.1 oz) white caster sugar superfine sugar
- 125 ml (4.2 floz) whole milk
- 40 g (1.4 oz) cocoa powder
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 200 g (7.1 oz) white self raising flour self rising flour
For the ganache frosting
- 250 g (8.8 oz) milk chocolate
- 250 g (8.8 oz) double cream
Equipment
- Cooling rack
- Serrated knife
- Open star piping nozzle
Instructions
Make the sponges
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).
Put the margarine, oil, caster sugar, milk, cocoa, eggs and self-raising flour in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk, starting slowly and then speeding up until you have a light, smooth batter.
Grease a 12-hole mini cake tray (or muffin tray) and spoon the batter evenly between them. I find the easiest way to do this is with a large ice cream scoop. Don't forget to level off.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until springy to the touch. If you take them out too soon, they'll sink.
Transfer the cakes to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Make the ganache frosting
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave using 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst.
Add the double cream.
Stir until thick and glossy.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle.
Assemble the mini layer cakes
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut each mini cake into two halves. If they are particularly domed on top, you can also trim off the peaks a little.
Pipe flat roses onto the bottom halves of each mini cake. To do this, start from the centre and pipe in a widening spiral.
Place the cake tops on top of the frosting to create little layer cakes.
Pipe another rose on top of each mini cake.
Serve immediately or if you'd like them a little firmer, pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
And don't forget to drop me a comment to let me know how you get on.
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Mini layer cakes
Ingredients
For the sponges
- 175 g (6.2 oz) baking margarine
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200 g (7.1 oz) white caster sugar superfine sugar
- 125 ml (4.2 floz) whole milk
- 40 g (1.4 oz) cocoa powder
- 3 medium free range eggs
- 200 g (7.1 oz) white self raising flour self rising flour
For the ganache frosting
- 250 g (8.8 oz) milk chocolate
- 250 g (8.8 oz) double cream
Equipment
- Cooling rack
- Serrated knife
- Open star piping nozzle
Instructions
Make the sponges
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).
- Put the margarine, oil, caster sugar, milk, cocoa, eggs and self-raising flour in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk, starting slowly and then speeding up until you have a light, smooth batter.
- Grease a 12-hole mini cake tray (or muffin tray) and spoon the batter evenly between them. I find the easiest way to do this is with a large ice cream scoop. Don't forget to level off.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until springy to the touch. If you take them out too soon, they'll sink.
- Transfer the cakes to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Make the ganache frosting
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave using 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst.
- Add the double cream and stir until thick and glossy.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle.
Assemble the mini layer cakes
- Use a sharp serrated knife to cut each mini cake into two halves. If they are particularly domed on top, you can also trim off the peaks a little.
- Pipe flat roses onto the bottom halves of each mini cake. To do this, start from the centre and pipe in a widening spiral.
- Place the cake tops on top of the frosting to create little layer cakes.
- Pipe another rose on top of each mini cake.
- Serve immediately or if you'd like them a little firmer, pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
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