I brought my mom’s tiny 5-inch cake pan with me on my last visit home. Yep, I don’t buy stuff, I lift them from mommy dearest! Since then, I’ve wanted to make a tiny Thumbelina sized cake in it. It has been so long since I took the time to properly frost a cake. I think my last attempt was almost a year back for Boy’s 4th birthday. This time I have a layer cake in mind for him, more specifically, tiny 5 inch layer cakes. They are perfect for small families, so much easier to work with while frosting and absolutely adorable.
I referred to chocolate cake and frosting recipes from here and here. The original cake recipe should make a two-layer 5-inch cake, but my first layer was sort of ruined. When a recipe tells you to line the cake pan and also grease the sides properly, you just do it. You don’t leave it to chance. The cake is super moist and very delicate, the pan needs proper lining and greasing so that you can unmold the baked cake properly.
The original recipe calls for cake flour. I read somewhere that it was sufficient to replace a cup of cake flour for a cup of all purpose flour minus a tablespoon. It worked, but I feel it would have worked with a straightforward 1:1 substitution as well. Just something to keep in mind any time you see a recipe with cake flour.
I was in the mood to experiment a little this time. I fancied a light orange flavor in my cake, so I added light orange syrup to the batter instead of plain water. I didn’t find much difference in taste once the cake baked, so maybe I should use fresh orange juice next time. I still wanted something to enhance the chocolate flavor and what better than coffee? So I poured a light coffee syrup over the slightly cooled cake. Now that worked quite well and was a real delight in every bite.
The chocolate buttercream recipe I referred to claimed it is the best one ever. And I can tell you, it was absolutely delightful, even though I slightly reduced the amounts of cocoa powder and coffee powder to suit my taste. Yes, the frosting has a subtle coffee flavor as well. Need I say more now?
The recipe below will make two 5-inch cakes and enough frosting to cover the tops of both layers. If you want a fully frosted cake, you might want to increase the amount of frosting by doubling the recipe.
Naked cakes are supposed to be the latest trend in cake design if my Pinterest feed is to be believed. It sure has a rustic charm to it and a chocolate cake looks especially good…umm… naked, or let’s call it semi-iced or semi-frosted.
CHOCOLATE CAKE
You will need:
- Cake flour – 3/4 cup (or use all purpose flour – 3/4 cup minus 3/4 tbsp)
- Unsweetened dark cocoa powder – 4 1/2 tbsp
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
- Baking powder – 1/4 tsp
- Butter – 1/4 cup, softened at room temperature
- Sugar – 3/4 cup
- Egg – 1, large
- Milk – 1/4 cup
- Light orange syrup or orange juice or water – 1/4 cup
How to:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg.F. Prepare your cake pan (or pans, if you have two) by lining the bottom with foil or parchment paper and sufficiently greasing and dusting the sides with butter and cocoa powder. (Using flour to dust the sides will leave a white residue on the cake, not desirable for the naked look we’re going for.)
- Whisk the dry ingredients (except sugar) till they are well combined and keep aside. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and orange juice/water and keep aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes. Add egg and beat well for 2 more minutes till nice and fluffy. The cake will benefit from all the air you can incorporate here.
- Now add the flour mixture to the batter alternating with the milk and orange juice/water mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Remember to gently fold in the dry ingredients till just mixed. This will ensure your cake stays soft and moist.
- Divide the batter between two cake pans. Lightly tap the pans on the counter-top to get rid of nasty air bubbles and also even out the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till it passes the toothpick test. (I did not have two cake pans. I covered the leftover batter while the first layer was baked and the pan was sufficiently cooled for the second layer. I am not sure this approach works with every kind of batter in every climate.)
- Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack. To assemble the layers and frost the cake, see ‘Assembling the cake’ below.
COFFEE SYRUP
You will need:
- Water – 1/4 cup
- Sugar – 1/2 tbsp
- Instant coffee powder or espresso powder – 1-2 tsp (as per taste)
How to:
- Heat water with sugar and coffee powder till it is well dissolved. The amount of coffee and sugar can be modified as per your taste.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
You will need:
- Butter – 1/4 cup, softened at room temperature
- Cocoa powder – 1/4 cup, whisked to remove lumps
- Powdered sugar – 1 cup plus a little extra (always have extra on hand to adjust the consistency)
- Milk – 1-2 teaspoons (as needed)
- Vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
- Instant coffee powder or espresso powder – 1 tsp (optional)
How to:
- Beat butter and cocoa powder together till well combined.
- Add 1/2 cup sugar and a teaspoon of milk and beat well. Add the same amount again, beating all the while till you attain a nice fluffy consistency.
- Add vanilla extract and coffee powder and mix well.
- Beat the frosting on high for at least 2-3 minutes, adding more powdered sugar or milk to adjust the consistency as you go. I ended up using 1 1/4 cups of sugar in all. The frosting should be fluffy and thick, able to hold its shape if you pick some up on a knife or small spatula.
- Chill the frosting while the cake cools. You can whip it again lightly when it is time to frost.
Notes:
- I actually used some of the coffee syrup I made earlier in place of milk and coffee powder in the frosting recipe.
- Add more coffee powder for a much more pronounced coffee flavor.
Assembling the cake:
- Leveling: If required, level the cooled cakes by cutting the tops off with a sharp serrated knife. The cakes actually baked pretty level for me with this recipe. But it depends on your cake pan, oven temperature and method of mixing too.
- Coffee Syrup: Pour warm coffee syrup over the cakes and allow them to absorb it for 5-10 minutes. Do this on a wire rack with a plate below to catch the drippings.
- Frosting: For a two-layer cake, place one 5-inch cake on a plate. Add a blob of frosting on top and spread till the edges. I used a blunt table knife to do this. Don’t get any frosting on the actual side of the cake for the semi-frosted look. Place the next cake layer and repeat. Once you have enough frosting on the top, you can use a spoon or knife to create a swirled or messy look. You can also pipe decorations if you have leftover frosting. Another idea is to decorate the cake with fresh berries.
- Alternately, you can decorate two small cakes instead of a two-layer cake.
- Enjoy your beautiful and decadent chocolate cake with a coffee twist!
I hope you try this lovely chocolate cake and the the even lovelier chocolate frosting recipes.
This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for a few weeks now and I have baked this cake a couple more times since then. The basic chocolate cake recipe is very versatile and I made a pretty version with a delicious vanilla buttercream frosting for our anniversary last week. I will be sharing pictures and other details soon.
Do you have a favorite chocolate cake recipe? Have you seen any semi-frosted cakes lately? What do you think? Love it or hate it? Do share.
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Anjana, I’m about to try this cake recipe, I knew it would come in handy, so I had bookmarked it. A friend is celebrating his Dad’s birthday this Sunday and cooking up quite the menu for him. When I asked what his Dad might like for dessert, he said Chocolate Cake with buttercream frosting and voila!! I thought of this. Now, I am probably going to use 2 round cake pans (9″), should I double or triple the recipe? Also, one of your readers suggested a springform pan which I also have…..that way I could keep the naked look and just frost the top? Let me know what you think. Thx.
Great to know you are gonna try this, Loretta.
Here is a handy resource that gives the relation between cups of batter and pan sizes. Even if you do end up with extra batter, you can make cupcakes out of them!
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
You can use a spring form pan if you want to, but if you line the bottom and butter and dust the sides of a regular pan, the cake should give no trouble while unmolding. I have made this recipe at least thrice after posting this recipe and I used regular pans without any issues. To keep the naked look, just remember to dust the pan with cocoa powder and not flour.
Good luck and let me know how it goes!!
Thanks for all those tips Anjana and for the pan sizes too, I’ve printed it out, it’s always good to have that handy. Yes, I did know about the cocoa powder for chocolate cakes and dusting the sides with it. However, if I do use the 2 9″ pans, do you think I should double your recipe for the batter and icing? I’m still in 2 minds as to whether I should use the spring form pan or the 2 (9″) pans. I would imagine the spring form would make it flatter and better to frost… the 9″ pans might make it too high? Just speaking out loud here.. your thoughts?
Yes, if you use 9″ pans, you may need 2-2.5 times the batter. Any time the pan size increases, there is a chance the center will cook slower and so rise a little. Just fill til 1/2 the pan height and bake to see how it comes out.
Another thought…. for a spring form pan, I don’t believe I need to line the bottom, most probably I will grease and dust with cocoa powder again. Because with a spring form pan, you just loosen the sides and the cake sits in the bottom, and then I would just frost/ice the top.
I have never used one, but I think that’s the way you do it. Good luck!
Thanks Anjana, since I will be making this for the very first time and taking it to a party, I’m just a tad uncertain – I wish I had some time to try and test before the weekend, but alas I don’t :(. I’ll see what I come up with. By the way, I do use my spring form pan very often for cheesecakes. It is like a tart pan with a removable bottom, it has a latch on the side that you undo, and it slips right out. So that’s what I meant when I said I don’t believe you have to invert it, you probably just put the icing on the top if you bake in a spring form pan as it bakes pretty flat. Thanks for all your help Anjana, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I know what you mean, Loretta. I get jittery whenever I have to cook for others too.
Just do it with love and confidence. You can do it. Good luck!
Oh, my! Looks fantastic!
Thank you, Sherry!
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing! Thanks for linking up with “Try a New Recipe Tuesday.” Can’t wait to see what you’ll share this week. http://our4kiddos.blogspot.com/2014/09/try-new-recipe-tuesday-99.html
Thank you, Lisa!
wow!! I love the frosting!! So buttery .. on a moist chocolaty cake, mustve been incredible. Like how u swirled the knife over it!
Thank you, Namrata 🙂
oh my gosh I have to try icing with coffee!! yum!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. Appreciate it!
Yummy!!! Anjana, this chocolate cake look so inviting! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you. Appreciate it!
This is just drop dead gorgeous Anjana. I can see the moistness from your brilliant photography, I can taste the buttercream frosting. It feels just so fresh and healthy, so I’m going to indulge and try this for sure. But where do I find a 5″ cake pan? You were fortunate to have acquired your mother’s. I like that it is a mini chocolate cake, I could devour all of it by myself. Sometimes a big cake with just my husband and myself (kids have left the nest) seems a bit too much. This is just the right size 🙂 I like Selma’s tips too 🙂
Thank you, Loretta!
You could try it in a 6-inch pan, thought the layers may be slightly flat or you could double the recipe indulge in a bigger cake 😉
Let me know if you try the recipe 🙂
Looks heavenly Anjana! I love the naked cake idea too, no need for perfect icing skills 🙂
Thank you, Naina!
What a yummy cake! Love the details that you have penned… I learned from Selma’s comment too. 🙂
Thank you, Apsara! It was quite an experience 🙂
Anjana, I too shop for almost everything at my mom’s house and in her garage, it’s like going to Costco! She has everything you could possibly imagine from tart molds to canned goods to toilet paper out there!!! As far as ruined cakes go, I have been making all my cakes now, except for my layer cakes, in a cheesecake type springform pan. I spray the heck out of it with nonstick cooking spray that Wolfgang Puck’s pastry chef (!!!! she’s a friend of my mom’s) recommended. It’s probably not all that healthy, but it works like a charm. The only drawback is that the tops of my cakes have dimples from the bottom pan texture and so if I don’t frost the cake it looks a little funny. Great cake recipe, though and I love the addition of coffee of course!
Haha 🙂
I used to use cooking spray, but have stayed away from it for the past 2-3 years because of all the additives and health concerns.
And of course, chocolate and coffee is like made for each other!
Beautiful photos Anjana, of a gorgeous cake! It looks so moist and delicious!!! Tin preparation is so important – I don’t think that enough emphasis is put on this, as a rule. I buy a narrow roll of greaseproof paper which I use to line the sides of tins. I fold and snip along one edge at an angle to make the paper lie flat against the side and cover the snipped edge with a circle of paper for the bottom. For a chocolate cake, you can ‘flour’ the sides of the tin with cocoa powder. And use orange zest in the batter for a more pronounced orange flavour.
Thank you, Selma. And thanks a ton for all the lovely tips. See, this is my favorite part of blogging – it opens up conversation and teaches me something new every time 🙂
What a rich and delicious cake…Very tempting Anjana….
Thank you. Give it a try!
lovely Anjana. it looks very moist. buttercream is someyhing which i haven’t yet tried. Can we use amul butter for this?
Thank you, Vibha. You can use any butter as long as it is unsalted.
but here we get only salted one.
I have seen unsalted butter for baking in India. I think it is sweet cream butter. But if it is difficult to get where you live, you can try this with salted butter.A little salt in chocolate goodies may actually be good. Let me know how it goes!
i have tried it once but kids didn’t like its taste. Hopefully with your recipe it hits their tastebuds.will definatly tell you. thanks.