With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to give another chocolate-focused recipe. Last year at this time, I posted a recipe for my very decadent chocolate cheesecake which, although amazing, is quite the undertaking and leaves you with a giant cheesecake (which may not be ideal if you’re only making dessert for you and your boo). So, this year I wanted to give an option for a smaller dessert that is also extremely simple to make. Enter the 6” chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting.

Confession: I love chocolate cake. I love it so much that I don’t discriminate where it comes from, whether it’s a from a box combined with store bought frosting, a slice of sheet cake from the grocery store bakery, or a fancy Opera cake with layers of buttercream and ganache. If someone were to ask me what my favorite dessert is, my answer would be a simple slice of chocolate cake (OR vanilla ice cream with hot fudge - I’m pretty basic). Although chocolate cake is a favorite of mine, it took me so long to post a recipe for it because I couldn’t decide on which recipe to be my first. I believe that the recipe I’m providing you with today is perfect and I’m glad I waited to share it with you just in time for a holiday that is synonymous with chocolate desserts.

In this recipe, there are only two layers of cake and unlike most cake recipes where the layers are either 8” or 9” in diameter, this recipe calls for using 6” x 2” cake pans. I use these from the company Fat Daddio and they’re great. In the end, you’ll have a baby layer cake that is more than enough for you and your significant other, but also perfect for serving at a “Galentine’s” Day for you and your closest 5 girlfriends (or boyfriends!).

The cake itself is made using only one bowl and you don’t even need to use a stand mixer or hand mixer. And while the cake is baking, you can clean out that same bowl and use it for the frosting as well. Less dishes = more time for romance, wink wink.

And speaking of the cake, buttermilk and a little bit of vegetable oil is added to ensure a perfectly moist texture while the addition of freshly brewed coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor. For the coffee, you can use decaf or regular, or if you’re not a coffee drinker, you can replace it with hot water instead. As for the chocolate frosting, you have the choice of using melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, but there’s not that much of a difference between the two.

I hope everyone haves a great Valentine’s Day whether you spend it alone, with friends, family or your special someone. Alex and I will be heading out to Scottsdale for the weekend, so we’ll definitely have a day filled with hiking, great food and lots of wine.

6 Inch Chocolate Layer Cake

Makes (1) two layer, 6 inch cake

Recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

Ingredients

For the cake:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. buttermilk
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. freshly brewed hot coffee

For the frosting:

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tbsp. milk or heavy cream (unsweetened almond milk works as well)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease two 6” x 2” cake pans and line each bottom with parchment paper. Then grease the parchment paper and flour the pans.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt. To this, add the egg, vanilla extract, buttermilk and vegetable oil. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot coffee (so not to cook the egg) and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter (which will be very liquid-y) between the two cake pans and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack. While the cakes cool completely, make the frosting.

Make the frosting and decorate:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) cream the butter until smooth, a couple of minutes. Into the bowl, sift the powdered sugar and then add in the melted chocolate, milk or heavy cream and vanilla extract. Mix until well-incorporated and no lumps of sugar remains.
Place one of the layers on a cake stand or plate. With a butter knife or offset spatula, spread a thick even layer of the frosting on top. Carefully stack the second layer on top of the frosting and frost the entire cake, including the sides. Decorate the cake with raspberries, strawberries and/or powdered sugar. Enjoy!