Chocolate and Raspberry Mini Cakes

This was so much fun to make! A perfect valentine’s gift to anyone loving chocolate and raspberries.

I’ve used my most trustworthy moist chocolate cake recipe and paired it with a Raspberry purée and Condensed Milk Buttercream. Flowers are always fun to add to any baked good so remember to style them pretty too!

Chocolate Vegan Tart

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 40–45 minutes
Yield: 1 oven sheet pan cake / 60cm x 40cm rectangular cake

Servings: 6 mini cakes

Ingredients

200 ml milk

15 ml lemon juice

4 tbsp cocoa powder

60 ml hot water (not boiling)

1¾ cups (437.5 ml) sugar

180 ml sunflower oil

3 large eggs

2¼ cups (562.5 ml) cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease or spray a 20 cm round cake tin or cupcake pans with non-stick spray.

2. In a small bowl, mix the milk and lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes to curdle (this makes buttermilk).

3. In a separate cup, mix the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. Set aside to cool.

4. In a large bowl, mix the oil and sugar until light and fluffy.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the cooled cocoa mixture.

6. Sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the batter.

7. Add the curdled milk and vanilla essence. Beat until the batter is smooth and well combined.

8. Pour the batter thinly into the prepared oven sheet pan.

9. Bake at 180°C for 40–45 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

10. Allow to cool.

CONDENSED MILK BUTTERCREAM

Preparation time: 15 - 20 minutes

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients:

340g unsalted butter, softened slightly

311g sweetened condensed milk

pinch of salt

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 drop pink food colouring gel

Method:

1. Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed for about 5 minutes, until the butter becomes pale in colour and noticeably lighter and fluffier.

2. Add the condensed milk gradually, in three additions. Stop the mixer, add a small amount of milk, and beat at medium speed until fully incorporated before adding the next portion. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure an even mixture.

3. Once all the condensed milk has been incorporated, add the food colouring. Increase the speed to high and beat for 1 minute until the buttercream is smooth and evenly coloured.

4. If the buttercream appears greasy, curdled, or split, the butter is likely too cold. Switch to the paddle attachment and continue mixing; as the butter warms, the mixture will come together and become smooth.

Raspberry purée

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Method:

1. Blend fresh or frozen raspberries until smooth.

2. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.

3. Simmer the purée gently until reduced by about half (this concentrates flavour and removes excess moisture).

4. Cool completely.

5. Beat into the buttercream 1–3 tablespoons at a time until you reach the desired flavour. Taste as you go!

Be careful to add too much liquid can soften buttercream, so always reduce the purée and add slowly.

{The buttercream can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for later use. It will keep for several weeks when refrigerated. Before using, allow it to return to room temperature and re-beat in the mixer until smooth and spreadable}

 Assemble:

1. Using a 7 cm diameter cookie cutter, cut circles from the baked sheet cake. Set aside.

2. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

3. Pipe buttercream onto three cake circles and stack them on top of one another, filling between each layer.

4. Decorate with fresh raspberries and, as shown in the picture, a macaron or meringue. Edible flowers are also a lovely addition to baked goods.