Chocolate Strawberry Mini Cakes 🍫🍓
Ingredients:
1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour 🥣
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder 🥄
1 tsp baking soda 🍞
1/2 tsp baking powder 🧁
1/4 tsp salt 🧂
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar 🍬
1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil 🛢️
1 large egg 🥚
1 tsp vanilla extract 🍦
3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk 🥛
1/2 cup (120ml) hot coffee (or hot water) ☕
1 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy cream, chilled ❄️
1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar 🍰
2 tbsp cocoa powder 🍫
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream 🌪️
1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 🍫
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced 🍓
6 chocolate-covered strawberries (for garnish) 🍫🍓
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper to make cleanup a breeze.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla until everything is nicely blended. Then, add in the buttermilk and mix well.
4. Gradually combine your dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Don’t forget to stir in the hot coffee until smooth—this helps intensify that rich chocolate flavor!
5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 18-22 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; it should come out clean.
6. Once baked, let the cakes cool completely. Then, using a round cutter, cut out 12 delightful small cake circles.
7. For the chocolate whipped cream, beat the chilled heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until you achieve those gorgeous stiff peaks. Transfer it to a piping bag for easy decorating!
8. Now, let’s make the ganache! Heat up the heavy cream in a saucepan until it’s simmering. Pour it over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for 2 minutes, and then stir until smooth and shiny.
9. It's assembly time! Place one cake circle on a plate, pipe on a layer of your chocolate whipped cream, add some luscious sliced strawberries, and top it off with another cake layer.
10. Drizzle that silky ganache over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides. Finish with a decorative swirl of whipped cream and a chocolate-covered strawberry perched on top.
Enjoy your delightful creations!