Single Layer Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing
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Prep Time 15 mins | Bake Time 35 mins | Chill time 30 mins | Total Time 1 hr5 mins
A tiny chai latte cake with absolutely no interest in sharing.
What is a Mini Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing?
This mini chocolate cake is the perfect little dessert when you want something rich, chocolatey, and completely homemade without making enough cake to feed an entire birthday party. The tender chocolate cake gets its moisture from canola oil and milk, while a little espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee. Once cooled, it is topped with a creamy peanut butter icing made with butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter. The result is a small but seriously satisfying chocolate and peanut butter dessert that feels like a whole cake experience in miniature form.
Ingredients You Will Need
All purpose flour
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Baking powder
Espresso powder
Salt
Canola oil
Granulated sugar
Egg
Pure vanilla extract
Milk
Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
Peanut butter
Heavy cream or milk
Our Tips for Single Layer Chai Latte Cake
Use room temperature ingredients: Room temperature egg, milk, and butter will incorporate more evenly into the batter and frosting. Cold ingredients can make the batter less uniform and the frosting lumpy.
Let the cake cool completely: Resist the urge to frost it while it is still warm. The peanut butter icing will soften and slide right off the cake. If you are impatient, pop the cooled cake into the refrigerator briefly to speed things along.
Adjust the frosting consistency: Start with the smaller amount of milk or cream and add more only if needed. You want the frosting creamy and spreadable, not runny.
How to Store
Refrigerator: Place the frosted cake in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap, making sure the covering does not press directly into the icing. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let the cake sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving for the best texture.
Freezer: For longer storage, freeze the cake before frosting or freeze individual frosted portions uncovered until the icing is firm, then wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
Watch the Video!
Mini Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing
Tiny cake, big chocolate energy. Because sometimes making an entire layer cake is simply more commitment than anyone asked for.
Ingredients
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk of choice, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line your mini cake pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the canola oil, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and room temperature milk until smooth and well combined.
- Make the Batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently whisk until just combined. Do not overmix the batter once the flour has been incorporated.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Begin checking at 18 minutes since mini cakes can bake quickly.
- Cool the Cake: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before frosting.
- Make the Peanut Butter Icing: In a medium bowl, beat the room temperature butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Adjust the Icing: Add 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream and beat until the frosting is creamy and spreadable. If the frosting is too thick, add a small additional splash of milk or cream. If it becomes too soft, add a little more powdered sugar.
- Frost the Cake: Once the cake is completely cool, spread the peanut butter icing over the top and sides. Slice and serve.
Notes
- 8 Inch Pan Alternative: You can bake this cake in an 8 inch round cake pan, but the cake will be thinner and will bake more quickly. Start checking for doneness around 25 to 30 minutes, and remove it when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The finished cake will not have the same height as the 6 inch version, but it will still have the same soft, buttery crumb and powdered sugar donut flavor.
- Loaf Pan Alternative: For a loaf pan, use an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan and fill it no more than about two thirds full. Bake at 350°F for approximately 40 to 50 minutes, checking around 40 minutes. If the top begins browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil. Let the loaf cool completely before brushing it with melted butter and coating it generously with powdered sugar.
- Choose the Right Peanut Butter: Creamy conventional peanut butter works best for this frosting because it has a consistent texture and stable fat content. Natural peanut butter can separate and make the icing softer or oily, so if you use it, stir it extremely well before measuring.
- Espresso Powder Is the Secret Weapon: The espresso powder is completely optional, but it helps intensify the chocolate flavor without turning the cake into a coffee cake. If you do not have espresso powder, simply leave it out. The cake will still have plenty of chocolate flavor.
- Watch the Cake Toward the End: Because this is a small cake, the difference between perfectly moist and overbaked can happen quickly. Start checking at 18 minutes rather than automatically baking for 40 minutes. The center should spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter.powder rather than relying heavily on baking soda, either option works well.
- This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 KJV
