Cherry Chocolate Mini Cakes
Treat yourself and your loved ones to these melt-in-your-mouth Cherry Chocolate Mini Cakes. Baked in silicone molds and finished with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and a cherry on top, these tiny cakes are the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert!
Servings: 16 Mini Cakes
Calories: 282kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Cherry Chocolate Mini Cakes
- 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Eggs large
- ¾ cup Whole Milk
- ¾ cup Warm Water
- ¼ cup Neutral Oil (ex. avocado or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Pitted and roughly chopped cherries
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Unsifted Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
Cherry Chocolate Mini Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and prep your silicone molds by spraying with baking spray evenly.
- Mix together flour, sugar, dutch process cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar, ¾ cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda, ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder, ¾ teaspoon Salt
- Add eggs, milk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth for a few minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure everything was mixed properly before moving on.2 Eggs, ¾ cup Whole Milk, ¾ cup Warm Water, ¼ cup Neutral Oil , 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add chopped cherries and fold into the batter gently then fill each silicone mold halfway full.1 cup Pitted and roughly chopped cherries
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the mini cakes meet the toothpick test (stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean).
- Let the mini cakes cool for ten minutes in the molds before turning upside down and removing them from the mold. If your mold was greased well, the muffins should slide out easily.
- You are of course welcome to choose whether you want to cut off the domed portion of your cakes into a perfect cylinder or simply let them be!
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until it’s smooth and somewhat fluffy.¼ cup Unsalted Butter, 1 cup Cream Cheese
- Scrape down the sides, then add in the powdered sugar slowly and vanilla paste1 cup Unsifted Powdered Sugar , 1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste
- Place cream cheese frosting in a plastic bag or pastry bag and cut off the tip. Add a dollop of frosting onto each mini cake, add a cherry on top and enjoy!
Notes
Tips and tricks
- Don’t forget to spray your silicone molds with cooking spray. If your molds are greased well, the cakes should slide out easily.
- To make your cakes even more chocolatey, add a handful of semi-sweet mini chocolate chips to the batter when you fold in the cherries.
- For symmetrical cakes, feel free to cut off the domed end to make perfect cylinder-shaped cakes or simply leave them be.
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- Sprinkles - You can reinvent these cakes by using different holiday-themed sprinkles.
- Berries and cream - Fresh buttercream frosting and raspberries are perfect for Valentine’s day.
- More frosting flavors - Raspberry buttercream, chocolate frosting, brown butter buttercream, or eggnog frosting.
- Keep it simple - With a dusting of powdered sugar!
- How do I adapt the recipe to make a larger cherry chocolate cake? To make a bigger cake, you can leave the batter as-is but will need to adjust the time and temperature. For a 6-inch cake, bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- How do I adapt the recipe to make cherry chocolate cupcakes? Make the chocolate cake batter as normal, then fill cupcake liners halfway with batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350ºF or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- What is the best way to store cherry chocolate mini cakes? The cakes and the cream cheese frosting are best kept in separate airtight containers in the fridge and enjoyed within 1 week.
Nutrition
Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
