This 4 inch chocolate cake is a treat for all chocolate lovers because it is the most moistest, richest, indulging, and satisfying chocolate cake you will ever have.
You don’t have to spend an entire day in the kitchen and bake a big cake for a small gathering. This cake is neither too big nor too small, just perfect for this small gathering, to satisfy your cravings, your afternoon treat, or to gift it to someone.
This is the only chocolate cake you want to make again and again as this is soft, tender, moist and bursting with deep chocolate flavor (thanks to dutch processed cocoa and chocolate ganache frosting). On top of that, it is incredibly easy to make.
This chocolate cake is frosted with my favorite chocolate ganache, but feel free to frost with your favorite frosting and I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. Check out the different variations that I had tried in the past.
ALERT – This chocolate delight will leave your kitchen smelling fantastic. So, start creating the cake on a full stomach; otherwise, there would be no cake left to serve:).
Try my 4 inch vanilla cake recipe or 4 inch red velvet cake next.
Why you will love this 4 inch chocolate cake recipe?
- Completely beginner friendly.
- No fancy equipment needed.
- Super easy to make.
- Perfect for small parties or small servings.
- It takes only 3 hours to make from start to finish.
- Highly customizable.
- Not to worry about calories as this is a perfect, mini portion-controlled slice.
- Uses very basic pantry ingredients.
- Rich, moist, and not too sweet (thanks to ganache frosting which does not contain additional sugar)
How do you make a 4 inch chocolate cake recipe?
As always, let us understand the overview before diving into step-by-step recipe.
| Sr. No. | Steps |
| 1. | Combine and sift all dry ingredients. |
| 2. | Cream butter and sugar. |
| 3. | Add wet ingredients. |
| 4. | Alternate dry ingredients with milk. |
| 5. | Bake in 3 tins. |
| 6. | Prepare frosting. |
| 7. | Fill, frost, and serve. |
4 inch chocolate cake recipe ingredients
Chocolate cake ingredients
All-purpose flour – Use plain flour of any of your favorite brand. This is the base of our recipe that gives structure to the cake. Do not replace it with any other flour. (Self-rising contains leavening agents, cake flour contains less gluten, which will make it very light, so it won’t hold by itself).
Dutch-processed cocoa powder – This is the star ingredient of our chocolate base. This provides that deep, and intense chocolate flavor which regular cocoa powder can’t give.
Baking powder – Works as a leavening agent, helps the cake to rise.
Baking soda – Another rising agent. reacts with cocoa powder and helps the cake rise.
Salt – We need just a pinch to balance the sweetness. Also, it brings out the flavors nicely. Do not skip it unless using salted butter.
Unsalted butter – Use regular unsalted butter of any brand. Make sure it is at room temperature so that it mixes with other ingredients nicely. It is ok to use salted butter if that is what you have it in the pantry but skip out the salt entirely.
Sugar – This provides the sweetness, of course. Use regular caster sugar or granulated sugar, both work fine.
Oil – Use any flavorless oil along with the butter to make moist and tender chocolate cake. Please do not replace it with butter.
Vanilla extract – Just a half teaspoon but it will bring out the chocolate flavor and gives nice sweet aroma to the cake.
Egg – Use a large free range egg. This acts as a binder and adds moisture to the cake. Make sure it is at room temperature. If you forget to remove it from the fridge, then just put in a glass of tapped hot water for 5 minutes and you are good to go.
Milk – This adds rich dairy flavor. Use any brand of milk which is 3.25%. It is ok to use 2% or skim milk but it will affect the flavor little bit.
Any substitute?
Espresso powder – This is ideally not a substitute but an additional ingredient that you can use. Just half a teaspoon is enough and you won’t taste coffee at all. In fact, coffee will enhance the flavor of chocolate so add it without worrying too much :).
All-purpose flour – Substitute plain flour with gluten-free blend to make gluten-free version.
Sugar – Replace sugar with allulose or monk fruit sweetener in 1:1 quantity.
Chocolate ganache ingredients
Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Use high quality semi sweet chocolate. here I am using chocolate chips. You can also use real chocolate, but make sure it is finely chopped before pouring the warm cream.
Heavy cream – This is also referred to as heavy whipping cream, double cream, or double cream. Important factor to consider is its percentage. It should be at least 35%.
Tools needed
- Weighing scale – to precisely measure ingredients.
- Measuring cups / spoons – to measure ingredients.
- Mixing bowls – to make cake batter.
- Baking tins – to bake the cakes. I have used 4inch in this recipe.
- Hand beater – to beat and combine ingredients.
- Parchment paper – to insert into baking tins.
- Toothpick – to check doneness of the cake.
- Rotating table – to frost the cake.
- Piping bag / piping tip – to decorate the cake.
- Spatula – to spread the frosting in between cake layers.
4 inch chocolate cake recipe (step-by-step) recipe
Chocolate cake step-by-step recipe
- Preheat your oven at 350F or 180C and prepare your pan. Coat the pan with either butter-flour ( just like the way I did for many of my cakes) or coat with oil and then a round of parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, sift all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
- Add unsalted butter, oil, and sugar to another mixing bowl.
- Start beating with hand beater until it is light and fluffy. This will take around 3 to 4 minutes.
- Now, add vanilla extract, and egg. Beat again until well combined.
- Add one-third of the sifted dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Alternate dry ingredients with milk and beat until it is just combined.
- Scrape the bowl. Make sure you scrape it from the bottom to mix any remaining flour.
- Beat again for just 15 seconds.
- Divide the batter into three 4 inch prepared tins. Each weighs around 115 gm.
- Bake at 350F or 180C for 20 minutes or until it loosens up from the sides and springs back if we lightly press from the top.
Chocolate ganache step-by-step recipe
- Add heavy cream to the saucepan.
- Keep it on low to medium heat until it starts to simmer from sides.
- Remove from the heat and pour onto semi-sweet chocolate chips. Keep it as is for at least 5 minutes. Chocolate will start melting because of the heat of the cream.
- Lightly stir it with a whisk until smooth and pourable consistency.
- Cover the ganache with plastic wrap such that it should touch the surface of the ganache. This will avoid skin formation.
PS: If your ganache is not set properly or looking gritty, do not worry. It can be fixed. I have a detailed blog on chocolate ganache and all the fixes.
Assemble and serve
- Remove from the oven and perform toothpick test. Let it cool for few minutes or until you can touch the tins with bare hands.
- Transfer it to wire rack to cool down completely.
- Once cooled down, cover 3 chocolate cakes in cling wrap and freeze them for 30 minutes.
- Take out the cakes from the freezer and remove the cling wrap. Add a dollop of frosting on a board
- Place the first layer on it.
- Sprinkle some sugar syrup to ensure cake stays moist longer.
- Now, spread generous amount of ganache frosting on top. Smooth it out using a spatula.
- Repeat above steps for all 3 layers.
- Crumb coat the cake with ganache and freeze it for 15 minutes.
- Add another layer of frosting from sides and top. Smooth out the edges with spatula.
- Garnish from the top and keep it in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Cut and serve.
How to serve?
This moist chocolate cake tastes the best on its own. But I would suggest pairing it with below options to make it even more delicious.
- Vanilla ice cream – Pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is oh-so-delicious.
- Coffee – Pair with with your favorite hot coffee or iced coffee. I always enjoy this way whenever I visit my favorite coffee shop so why not at home with the best chocolate cake in the world?
- Berries sauce – Serve the slice with some drizzle of berry sauce. This is how it is served at P.F. chang’s great wall of Chocolate Cake.
Watch me making (video)
Storing and freezing instructions for the 4 inch chocolate cake recipe
Just like my mini vanilla cake, or mini red velvet cake, this cake can be stored at room temperature, or in the refrigerator, or in the freezer.
Storing instructions
You can either store this cake naked (i.e. without frosting) or with frosting.
Store naked cake – First, cool the cake completely and then cover with plastic wrap. Then, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 6 – 8 days.
Store frosted cake – I would recommend storing individual slices than the entire cake. It is just easy to store that way. First, slice the cake into individual servings and then freeze it until the frosting hardens. Then, cover it with cling wrap and store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 8 days.
PS – If you frost the cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting, always store in the refrigerator and take it out 30 minutes before serving.
In both cases, covering the cake with plastic wrap will protect the cake from outside odors.
Freezing instructions
You can either freeze naked or frosted cake, just like you would store it.
Freeze naked or frosted cake – Cover the cake the same way as you would for storing and freeze it in an airtight container, freezer-safe container, or heavy-duty Ziplock bag. For additional protection, cover it with aluminum foil. Do not forget to mention dates so you know by when you need to finish it..
I would recommend storing or freezing an individual slice rather than storing the entire cake so that you can just remove the number of slices you want to enjoy rather than thawing the entire cake 🙂.
Thawing instructions
When you want to enjoy it, either thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours, and you are all set.
In short,
Storing and freezing for naked cake
| Sr. No. | Storage Type | Duration (days weeks/ months) |
| 1. | Room temperature | 2 to 3 days |
| 2. | Refrigerator | 6 to 8 days |
| 3. | Freezer | 2 months |
Storing and freezing frosted cake
And
| Sr. No. | Storage Type | Duration (days weeks/ months) |
| 1. | Room temperature | 2 to 3 days |
| 2. | Refrigerator | 5 to 8 days |
| 3. | Freezer | 2 months |
Variations
I have paired this chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache because everyone in my family can’t get enough of it. But feel free to play with frosting, who knows something unique will come out of it. Here are some of my favorite variations that I have tried in the past.
- Chocolate orange cake – Fill the chocolate cake with orange curd and frost with chocolate ganache. Do not add orange pieces though.
- Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting – Fill and frost with chocolate cream cheese frosting. It nicely balances the flavor with tangy cream cheese frosting. Just make sure to refrigerate the cake as it contains perishable cream cheese frosting.
- Chocolate cake with Nutella frosting – Add 1/4 cup of Nutella in regular American buttercream frosting and use this Nutella buttercream to fill and frost the cake. Use roasted and chopped hazelnuts to add some crunch.
- Chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting – Fill the chocolate cake with salted caramel and frost with chocolate ganache. Alternatively, add 1/4 cup of salted caramel in American buttercream frosting and use this salted caramel buttercream to fill and frost the cake.
Secret tips to make 4 inch chocolate cake recipe
- Read the recipe – I always recommend looking over the recipe at least once before starting. This is to ensure that you have all of the ingredients on hand or that you have enough time to take the components from the refrigerator so that they are at room temperature.
- Prepare the pan – Prepare the pan nicely so that the cake comes out in a single piece. You can check the guide for removing the cake from the pan without breaking. Trust me, it is worth going through it once.
- Room temperature ingredients – Use room temperature ingredients. Butter, milk, and egg from this recipe. This ensures it gets mixed easily with rest of the ingredients, resulting in smooth batter.
- Don’t overmix – After adding dry ingredients to the fat and sugar mixture, beat until it is just mixed. Overmixing will form gluten, resulting in a tough cake (which we don’t want, right?).
- Cool the cake – Do not fill or frost the cake when it is still warm. Frosting will start melting, cake layers will start sliding, resulting in a complete mess.
- Chill the frosted cake – I strongly advise chilling the cake before cutting to get a beautiful piece of cake. This recipe incorporates oil, so the cake will not be hard, and the ratio of chocolate to cream is 1:1, so the icing will also not be hard. You can easily cut the cake without using force.
FAQ’s
Can I use regular cocoa powder instead of dutch processed cocoa powder?
Yes. You can use regular cocoa powder but please note that it will not have that intense chocolate flavor. Also, reduce baking powder by half ani replace with with baking soda in addition to exiting quantity mentioned in the recipe.
Can I use regular chocolate instead of cocoa powder?
No, do not just replace cocoa powder with chocolate. It will add additional fat to the recipe which we do not want. We have enough fat already and dutch processed cocoa powder will provide intense chocolate flavor, plus, we are frosting this with chocolate ganache, which is pure bliss. So, don’t worry about the flavor. we have enough ingredients that yields a dreamy chocolate cake.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop a comment below and I will be happy to answer them :).
Want to try some other cake recipes?
What are you waiting for?
Over to you! Did you make the mini chocolate cake yet? If yes, tell me how it turned out in the comments below. If not, then what are you waiting for? You are missing out on something really yummy, fudgy, and delicious.
Do not forget to tag me (@dessertkatta) or use the hashtag #dessertkatta or #dessertkattarecipes if you post the pic on Instagram.
Recipe card
4 inch chocolate cake recipe (mini chocolate cake)
Description
Whether you are baking for yourself or for any small gathering, this chocolate cake is sure to win the hearts. Let's get started!
