Chocolate Snack Cake

Chocolate Snack Cake – personal sized fudgey chocolate cake with silky, smooth milk chocolate buttercream!

Mini cakes are so in right now! Whether you call them lunch box cakes, bento cakes or snack cakes, they are the perfect, personal-sized treat. This Chocolate Snack Cake makes two small rectangular cakes. It is super rich and fudgy and is topped with a silky, smooth milk chocolate buttercream. 

What you will need

All-purpose flour

Cocoa powder

Baking powder

Baking soda

Granulated sugar

Salt

2 eggs

Buttermilk – Buttermilk is a staple in pretty much all of my cake recipes. It makes this chocolate cake super moist. 

Vanilla extract

Vegetable oil – Either vegetable or canola oil will work. 

Semi-sweet chocolate chips – I added semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cake for an extra dose of chocolate, but you could leave them out if you didn’t want them. 

Unsalted butter – Unsalted butter is used in the buttercream. 

Good quality milk chocolate – This will be used to make a milk chocolate ganache to add to the buttercream. For the best results, and taste, use good quality baking chocolate or chocolate wafers. I used milk chocolate baking wafers from Bulk Barn. 

Powdered sugar

Heavy cream – Heavy whipping cream is the key to a light and fluffy buttercream.

How to make Chocolate Snack Cake

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together to combine.

Next, add the buttermilk and oil and mix until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Lastly, mix in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Divide the batter among two small rectangular cake pans. The pans I used were about 5×7 inches.

Bake the cakes for about 40 minutes at 325 degrees F. 

How to make Milk Chocolate Buttercream

In a microwave-safe dish or measuring cup, melt the milk chocolate and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Microwave in 10-second increments and stir in between to avoid the mixture from seizing. Once the chocolate is smooth and there are no clumps, set aside to cool a little. 

Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Then, add the milk chocolate ganache in with the butter and beat until smooth. Be sure to let the ganache cool a little before adding or it will melt the butter. 

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Once all the powdered sugar is added and incorporated, add the remaining tablespoon of heavy cream. Then whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. 

Assembly

Once the cakes have cooled, pipe or spread the milk chocolate buttercream on top. I used a 6B piping tip. Feel free to top the cake with chocolate curls and/or sprinkles as well!

How to make this Chocolate Snack Cake Gluten-Free

This Chocolate Snack can easily be made gluten-free and is just as delicious! Simply replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking flour with xantham gum. I like using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour.

If you try this Chocolate Snack Cake, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or tag me on Instagram @cremedelacombe!

More Chocolate Cake recipes to try:

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

Chocolate Snack Cake

Recipe by Kelsey LacombeCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

snack cakes

Prep time

30

minutes

Bake time

40

minutes

Personal-sized rich and fudgy Chocolate Cake topped with a silky, smooth Milk Chocolate Buttercream.

Ingredients

• For the Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• For the Milk Chocolate Buttercream

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/4 cup milk chocolate, good quality baking chips or wafers

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

• For the Chocolate Cake
• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease two small cake pans. The pans I used were about 5×7 inches.
• Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together to combine.
• Next, add the buttermilk and oil and mix until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Lastly, mix in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Divide the batter among the two pans.
• Bake the cakes for about 40 minutes. The cakes are done when a cake tester comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
• For the Milk Chocolate Buttercream
• In a microwave-safe dish or measuring cup, melt the milk chocolate and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Microwave in 10-second increments and stir in between to avoid the mixture from seizing. Once the chocolate is smooth and there are no clumps, set aside to cool a little.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Then, add the milk chocolate in with the butter and beat until smooth. Be sure to let the ganache cool a little before adding or it will melt the butter.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is added and incorporated, add the remaining tablespoon of heavy cream. Then whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Assembly
• Once the cakes have cooled, pipe or spread the milk chocolate buttercream on top. I used a 6B piping tip. Feel free to top the cake with chocolate curls and/or sprinkles as well!

Notes

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