I also use Belgian chocolate in this recipe, which makes it more indulgent. You could say this recalls classic chocolate bar combinations as well, which is why I topped my mini cakes with a hazelnut and a blueberry, which is, well, fruit and nut. I know fresh blueberries are hard to find, so you could replace them with maybe a cut-up fruit of your choice.
Admittedly, I liked the elegance of a solitary fruit, but you could just top it with other nuts, such as pistachios and almonds. This tiny cake might look simple but it packs some wonderful surprises because it’s frosted with a ganache, but still has a caramel filling inside. I also topped this cake with a white chocolate square, where I imagine a short dedication or a name could be written. It really is quite the tiny parcel.
For cake
- 2 cups (457g) sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp (8g) dark cocoa powder
- 1 tsp (2g) coffee powder
- 1 1/2 tsp (5g) baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp (5g) baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp (9g) salt
- 2 pcs (100g) eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (106g) vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup (58g) melted butter
- 2 tsp (8ml) Vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250 ml) warm water
For chocolate ganache
- 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (250g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
For caramel
- 1 1/3 cup (345g) cream
- 3 tsp (15g) vanilla extract
- 1/4cup (70g) glucose
- 1 1/4 cup (280g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (70g) butter
- 1/8 tsp (1.3g) sea salt Chocolate mousse
- 150g dark chocolate
- 2 cups (500g) whipping cream (non-dairy whipping cream, room temp.)
- Fresh strawberry cut in half
1 Heat oven to 180˚C/350˚F.
Grease and flour 8-inch baking pan
2 Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder and salt.
3 Add eggs, Milk, oil and vanilla, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Stir in warm water (batter will be thin).
Pour batter evenly into prepared pan.
4 Bake for 40-50 minutes
For Chocolate Ganache
1 In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a simmer or until the cream is hot enough to melt the chocolate.
2 Make sure that the cream will not boil.
3 Then pour the cream over the chocolate.
4 Stir until smooth.
For Caramel
1 Bring the cream and the vanilla to a boil.
2 Carefully melt the sugar in stages, so no lumps can be formed and the caramel doesn’t get burned or bitter.
3 Once the sugar is completely melted, carefully add the boiled cream in stages.
4 Boil the mixture to 110˚C/230˚F
5 Cool the caramel down to 94˚F and add the butter.
For Chocolate Mousse
1 Chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl; melt over a slowly simmering bain-marie until the temperature reaches approximately 45˚C on a cooking thermometer.
2 Beat the cream until firm peaks cling to the whisk. Whisking quickly, add about 1/3 of the whipped cream to the melted chocolate.
3 Pour the mixture over the remaining cream and fold in gently with a whisk or a spatula to evenly blend the ingredients.
4 Let it rest for 1 hour before piping.