Mini Chocolate Rum Cake

Hello HTS Community

This chocolate cake is my recipe of guilty pleasure, it is so decadent and moreish, that you’ll finish it in a single sitting. Designed for two people, you can make it on a date night, enjoy on an anniversary, or just because you want to celebrate chocolate.

I have been making chocolate cake with this recipe for years now, and it has been great. You may choose to do a version with Rum or without it. This recipe makes a small cake, and you can multiply it two or three times to bake a bigger cake.

The crumb is a decadent, moist chocolate sponge, soaked in rum, that just makes you go gaga. And a minute chocolate ganache sits on the top, which will become your obsession. Decorate it with fresh strawberries, pomegranate seeds, orange slices, however you like it, and there it is, one super quality chocolate cake.

Ingredients you will need:

For cake

• All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
• Unsweetened cocoa powder- 5 tablespoon
• Baking Soda- 1/2 teaspoon
• Egg- 1
• Vegetable oil- 1/3 cup (any neutral tasting oil)
• Brown sugar- 1/2 cup
• Heavy cream- 1/3 cup
• White vinegar- 1 teaspoon
• Vanilla extract- 1/2 teaspoon
• Warm coffee- 1 tablespoon
• Salt- a pinch

For Ganache

• Semisweet chocolate- 1 cup, chopped
• Heavy cream- 1/4 cup

Rum soak and garnish

• Rum- 60 ml
• Fresh strawberries

Egg substitute:

For each whole egg used, you can substitute it with one of the following:

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed+ 2 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup yogurt

Steps:

For the sponge

• Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius and line a 6 inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
• Whisk together egg, sugar and oil in a large bowl, until well combined, pale and creamy in texture. To add add your heavy cream, vanilla and vinegar.
• Now gently incorporate the dry ingredients in the wet mixture, to form a batter. Add warm coffee and give it a light mix. To make warm coffee, heat 2 teaspoons of water and add a tablespoon of instant coffee powder, let it come to room temperature. If you have an espresso machine, add a shot of espresso at room temp.
• Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer poked in center comes out clean.

For Rum Soak

• While the cake is baking, dilute the rum with 30 ml water mixed with a 2 drops of vanilla extract and a tablespoon of sugar. Rum is optional, and if you want to make a simple chocolate cake, just skip the run and follow the recipe.

For Ganache

• On a double boiler, combine chopped semi-sweet chocolate and heavy cream and stir over medium heat until smooth. Set aside.

Cake Assembly

• Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool down for 10 minutes. Take it out on a wire rack, place a bowl or plate at the bottom, to minimize wastage while soaking the cake.
• Poke holes on top of the cake and pour the rum mixture all over. Whatever collects in the bowl below, pour that too on the cake. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
• Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cake and garnish with fresh strawberries or fruit of your choice. I like to eat it warm, you can chill it in refrigerator for about 2 hours and enjoy later.