Mini Chocolate Surprise Cakes
It’s rare for a week to go by without me baking something, but I don’t always manage to bake ninety six cakes all in one day. Admittedly, they were mini cakes, not large ones, but I still felt like it was a bit of an achievement.
A friend had asked me to make some cakes for an event she was putting on. She was making canapés to go with drinks and wanted some little cakes to go alongside. I duly got my thinking cap on and came up with a variety of flavours, textures and colours, so there would be something to suit all tastes as well as dietary requirements – or so I hoped.
There had to be chocolate of course and these mini chocolate surprise cakes seemed to fit the occasion. The surprise came in the form of a liquid chocolate centre, although there was of course chocolate in both the cake mix and icing too. Dr Oetker had sent me a surprise inside cupcake centre pouch some time ago along with a recipe and other chocolate ingredients. The idea is to inject the cakes with liquid chocolate once they are baked. It was time to try it out. I did my usual tinkering and used butter instead of margarine, added wholemeal flour to the cake mix and chocolate to the icing.
Photo courtesy of Perle Laouenan-Catchpole
I made a crafty extra one on the side, because I do like to try my wares before they go out into the big wide world. The cake was a well flavoured chocolate one with a nice texture and the injected liquid chocolate was fun and gave added interest. All of the different cakes were thoroughly enjoyed and these ones were deemed to be a great success.
I am entering these into Tea Time Treats with Karen at Lavander and Lovage and Janie at The Hedge Combers. There’s is always a groaning tea table, but I just can’t help contributing to it, especially as the theme is chocolate.
I am also sending some off to Dom over at Belleau Kitchen for his new Simply Eggcellent challenge. This month it’s also all about chocolate.
As it happened, we didn’t have any chocolate eggs left over from Easter. If we had, they would have been great for decorating the tops of these little cakes, going into the icing or both. So, I’m sort of crossing fingers that I will be allowed to enter the Biscuit Barrel this month, which is all about candy or using up leftover Easter chocolate. It’s over to The Lass in the Apron and I’d Much Rather Bake Than …
- 125g unsalted butter
- 125g dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 150g flour (half wholemeal, half plain white)
- 25g cocoa powder (I used Dr Oetker)
- 1 rounded tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp water.
- 1 pouch Dr Oetker rich chocolate cupcake centres
- 100g unsalted butter
- 150g icing sugar
- 75g 70% dark chocolate (I used Dr Oetker)
- dark chocolate tear drops (I used Dr Oetker)
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale in colour and fluffy in texture.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat some more.
- Beat in the eggs, one by one, adding a little of the flour if it curdles.
- Sieve in the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined, adding the water near the end.
- Divide the mixture between 24 mini muffin moulds (cases optional).
- Bake at 180C for 15 to 20 minutes, when the cakes should be well risen and firm to the touch.
- Insert the chocolate centre nozzle into the cakes and inject a little of the filling into the centres.
- Leave in the moulds to cool for 10 minutes or so, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot, not boiling, water. Allow to cool a little.
- Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth and creamy, then beat in the chocolate.
- Spread onto the cooled cakes and decorate with dark chocolate tear drops.
- Can make 12 cupcakes instead of 24 mini ones.
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Our Monthly Chocolate Challenge
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
24th April 2015
The liquid centre sounds amazing. You can’t beat a classic chocolate cake.
Choclette
24th April 2015
Indeed Dannii, ultimately chocolate is THE cake 😉
Rachel
24th April 2015
That’s an interesting ingredient, sounds a bit like injecting doughnuts! Could you reuse the nozzle again with other fillings, like jam?
Choclette
24th April 2015
Sadly, not Rachel. It’s very much a disposable item.
Terri
24th April 2015
Wow they look absolutely delicious. I am useless in the kitchen but I would love to be able to make something like that.
Choclette
24th April 2015
Tank you. I’m sure you could be perfectly useful in the kitchen Terri, but it’s easy for me as I love baking.
Helen Gandy
24th April 2015
Yum, yum!!! These sound so good!
Helen – #ukbloggers
Choclette
24th April 2015
Thanks Helen.
Dom
24th April 2015
wow… 96 cakes, that’s hardcore! They look so sweet and so perfectly chocolatey. Thanks so much for entering them into Simply Eggcellent xx
Choclette
24th April 2015
Thanks Dom, it was kinda fun doing four similar but quite different bakes all at the same time.
Glamorous Glutton
24th April 2015
96 cakes in a day what ever the size, iced too, that’s quite an achievement. They look lovely and i bet with a liquid centre were really lovely. GG
Choclette
24th April 2015
It was GG, but it was fun too. As for chocolate cake, it’s hard to beat – unless it has a liquid centre of course 😉
Sarah Maison Cupcake
24th April 2015
They look really cute! Tempting icing mmmm
Choclette
24th April 2015
Thanks Sarah. I’m not quite up to your decorating standard, but they did taste good.
Janice
24th April 2015
They sound amazing Choclette, well done on the big bake.
Choclette
24th April 2015
Thanks Janice, it was fun 🙂
Jacqueline Meldrum
24th April 2015
Ohhhhhhhh! A liquid chocolate centre does it for me! I’ll have to get some of those!
Choclette
25th April 2015
Haha Jac, I know what you mean. It feels so decadent somehow.
Lucy @ BakingQueen74
25th April 2015
Yum, they look lovely, and the chocolate filling sounds great. And well done on making so many cakes in a day!
Choclette
25th April 2015
Thanks Lucy, it was quite fun really. I wouldn’t want to do it too often though.
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry
26th April 2015
I want a surprise on the inside cake. Please can you post me one?
Choclette
27th April 2015
A box of cakes in the post would be rather fun Bintu.
Alida
27th April 2015
Very nice with that liquid centre and they look really pretty 🙂
Choclette
27th April 2015
Thank you Alida. It makes for a bit of fun and something different.
Kate - gluten free alchemist
28th April 2015
Cakes with liquid chocolate inside? Sounds like a great idea! Making me think of all the other things you could inject!
Sounds like loads of fun making so many cakes in one hit. We love mini cakes….. they are always such fun! You did a great job!
Choclette
28th April 2015
Thanks Kate. I quite enjoyed planning four cakes that would deliver different flavours, textures and qualities as well as baking them of course 🙂