Chocolate Cake Recipe For Two
It’s no secret that birthday celebrations look a little different this year.
For the past two years, we’ve celebrated my fiancé’s birthday at our favorite DC bar with a giant group of friends. But given the whole pandemic situation and the fact that we moved to Manhattan, that wasn’t really an option this year.
Hey everyone — Courtney here. Today, I’m showing you how to make a two-person chocolate birthday cake! I really wanted to make his birthday feel special this year despite all the craziness, so I decided to make a variation of A Cozy Kitchen’s recipe for chocolate cake.
I’m loving the “naked,” rustic look of this cake. It’s a lot easier and less messy than frosting the entire thing, too!
I piped some roses on top to add some texture. If you have a wilton tip 1M (or any star tip) and a piping bag (or even a ziploc bag), you can create the same look.
This one-bowl, cocoa-filled, buttercream-topped indulgence is the perfect birthday dessert. Made with two six-inch cake rounds, it’s just the right size for two people.
Chocolate Cake for Two Recipe:
Ingredients:
Cake:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. olive oil
Frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ⅓ cups powdered sugar, sifted
⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour two 6-inch cake pans and place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of each.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. Add the egg, buttermilk, water, vanilla, and olive oil. Mix until batter is smooth (about 1 minute).
Divide the cake batter among the two cake pans and bake for 27 - 30 minutes (you’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
Let the cake cool completely before frosting!
Add all of the frosting ingredients — butter, powdered sugar, melted chocolate, milk, and vanilla extract — to a large bowl. Beat until thoroughly combined and fluffy (about one minute).
To decorate it like I did, add half the frosting to the center of one of the cake rounds. Smooth it out until it reaches the edges (it’s okay if some falls off or goes over, we can smooth it out later with a spatula later!).
Place the second layer on top. Add the remaining frosting to a piping bag with a star tip attached (I used 1M). Pipe a rose in the center of the top layer (start in the center and go in a circle twice). Pipe additional roses around the center to complete the look!
And there you have it! A decadent chocolate birthday cake for two. I’d love to know — how are you celebrating birthdays differently this year? Drop it in the comments below!
