Simple recipes have the biggest success among pastry shop clients! Easily recognizable taste and texture catch the eye and invite you to taste it. Meet our recipe of Individual Chocolate cake and feel the attractive power of basic and easy-to-make pastries!
Preparation time – 4 hours 30 minutes
Active time – 2 hours 15 minutes
Сalories – 351 calories per 100 g
Simple, yet elegant pastries have the greatest attraction power! A familiar combination of chocolate sponge and the creamy frosting, with easy-to-make chocolate cake decoration, brings lots of delicious pleasure to everyone! Let’s get to know how to make a homemade chocolate cake recipe by the brand chef of KICA Academy Oleksandr Trofimenkov!
During the preparation you will learn:
- Make an easy chocolate sponge cake;
- Prepare creamy and flavorful vanilla frosting;
- Assemble individual cakes;
- Make a chocolate ganache for cake decoration;
- Create elegant and simple decor.
We will start the preparation of chocolate cake from the sponge with a rich chocolate texture, pleasant chocolate bitterness and super smooth surface. Such cake is perfect for individual mini cakes, as it creates a neat and even cut.
Then we add the vanilla notes to our mini cake by making a creamy frosting. Only 4 basic ingredients will create a smooth and silky texture, which is perfectly composed with the chocolate sponge cake recipe.
The chocolate cake will be decorated with dark chocolate ganache, which will create a thin and shiny coating for our little cakes. Such coverage catches the eye and fills the cakes with royal chocolate flavor.
As a final touch, the cakes will be decorated with the same chocolate ganache to create an artistic pattern on the top. Simple to make, yet rhythm and elegant decor are perfect for mini cakes recipes.With a serrated knife, you will cut the portion of the decorative chocolate cake and it will be ready to serve! Store the individual cakes in the fridge in a closed container for up to 3 days.
This home kitchen-friendly recipe requires only basic tools and ingredients, minimum preparation time, and your efforts! Meanwhile, the chocolate cake will please everyone in your family celebration or become the bestseller in your pastry shop!
Go ahead and make an extremely delicious individual chocolate cake with tasteful decoration and modern design!
Let’s start the preparation of Individual Chocolate Cake!
Сhocolate sponge
| Total weight: 970 g | 100% |
| 178 g of egg yolks | 18% |
| 51 g of sugar (1) | 5% |
| 2 g of sea salt | <1% |
| 127 g of sugar (2) | 14% |
| 340 g of egg whites | 35% |
| 119 g of flour 9-10.5% protein | 12% |
| 51 g of cocoa powder | 5% |
| 102 g of sunflower oil | 11% |
- Whip the egg yolks with sugar (1) and sea salt in a planetary mixer with a whisk attachment at maximum speed until pale and fluffy foam. Set the mixture aside.
- Separately whip the room temperature egg whites with sugar (2) for 3-4 minutes at medium speed until stiff peaks appear.
- Mix a bit of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture with a spatula to make the yolk mixture lighter and then carefully fold the rest of the meringue into the whipped egg yolks.
- Add some cake batter to the oil, mix it with the spatula and set it aside for a while.
- Mix the sifted flour with the cocoa powder using a whisk and sift these ingredients once again directly over the meringue and egg yolk mixture. Then fold the dry ingredients into the batter with the whisk to ensure there are no lumps.
- Transfer the oil mixture to the rest of the batter and mix until combined with the spatula.
- Use a 40×60 cm baking tray lined with a silicone mat and place a frame 24×24 cm with borders 3 cm high on it.
- Spread the batter in the frame in an even layer using an offset spatula.
- Bake the sponge in the oven, preheated to 160 °C / 347 °F, for 10-15 minutes, but minding the peculiarities of your oven. If the sponge springs back when pressed lightly – it is ready and perfectly baked.
- Cool the sponge down in the freezer or at room temperature and then trim the side crust off with a serrated knife.
Vanilla cream
| Total weight: 357 g | 100% |
| 204 g of whipping cream 33-35% | 57% |
| 102 g of mascarpone cheese | 29% |
| 51 g of icing sugar | 14% |
| 1 pod of vanilla | <1% |
| Extra milk to balance the amount of liquid |
- Combine the icing sugar and the mascarpone cheese in a bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a whisk attachment until smooth. Add the vanilla seeds to the mixture.
- Add the cold cream in several steps, stirring with a spatula after each addition.
- Whip the mixture at medium speed using a whisk attachment until it increases in volume and thickens.
Assembling
- Place the sponge in the baking frame 24×24 cm.
- Apply the vanilla cream to one sponge and spread it in an even layer using an offset spatula.
- Place the second sponge layer on the surface of the cream and press slightly so that the layers stick together. Smooth the sides using the offset spatula.
- Place cake in the fridge for 2 hours to stabilize.
Dark chocolate ganache
| Total weight: 391 g | 100% |
| 170 g of dark chocolate Valrhona Guanaja 70% | 43% |
| 170 g of whipping cream 33-35% | 43% |
| 34 g of butter 82% | 9% |
| 17 g of dark rum | 5% |
- Warm the cream to 80 °C / 176 °F and pour it over the chocolate.
- Process the mixture with a hand blender until smooth.
- When the mixture is at 40 °C / 88 °F, add the soft butter and rum. Process with the hand blender again, trying not to incorporate the air bubbles. Use the ganache immediately.
Decorating
- After at least 2 hours in the fridge transfer the chocolate cake to a glazing rack.
- Pour the ganache over the cake. Remove the excess with an offset spatula and leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature until the ganache sets.
- Pipe the decoration on top of the cake, using a paper cornet filled with the leftover ganache.
- Trim the sides of the cake and slice the cake into 10 portions, 10×4 cm, using a large, long knife with a thin blade.
- Store the individual cakes in the fridge in a closed container for up to 3 days.
