Small Chocolate Cake

A rich, deeply chocolatey 6-inch cake perfect for small celebrations, yielding a moist and tender crumb with a glossy ganache finish.

Scale

160 g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
45 g (1/2 cup) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
4 g (1 tsp) baking powder
3 g (1/2 tsp) baking soda
4 g (3/4 tsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
60 g (4 tbsp / 1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower)
2 large room temperature eggs (about 100 g total)
120 ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk
60 ml (1/4 cup) hot brewed coffee
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
120 g (4 oz) dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (60–70% cacao) for ganache
60 ml (1/4 cup) heavy cream
15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter (optional, for ganache)

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Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 6-inch pan, line the bottom with a parchment round, and grease the parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together for 30 seconds.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, oil, buttermilk, hot coffee, and vanilla until smooth.
Pour the wet mix into the dry and fold gently with a spatula until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 28–32 minutes, rotating once at 15 minutes.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
For the ganache, heat the heavy cream to a simmer and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth, then add butter for shine if desired. Let cool slightly before pouring over the cake.
Chill the cake for 15–20 minutes to set before slicing.

Avoid overmixing and overbaking for a moist cake. Make-ahead tips: bake layers a day ahead and store wrapped tightly.