Small batch chocolate cupcakes
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A deliciously easy small batch chocolate cupcake recipe with an easy basic sponge, chocolate ganache topping, and makes 3-4 cupcakes
Small batch bakes
I am entirely addicted to creating and posting smaller batch recipes for everyone to enjoy – they are an easy way of having a delicious sweet treat, without being overwhelmed by having too many to eat, or making sure you have enough people to eat them. Yes, every time I post a small batch bakes themed recipe, I get comments of “why not make a normal batch” and it’s totally fine if you want to, but sometimes it’s nice to serve the exact amount you need.
My small batch bakes have more variety as time goes on, with my most recent being my mini vanilla cake, and even more small batch cinnamon rolls. I love creating recipes for people who live on their own, couples who just want a bit of pudding, or even people who want to bake and use less ingredients.
Valentines baking
As much as this recipe is designed to be a small batch recipe, it’s also perfect for valentines. At the time of posting, it’s only a few weeks away, and I know chocolate is often the theme of a dessert around the day of love, and I am not mad about it. These cupcakes definitely work to serve a purpose, and they are ideal for valentines, galentines, or anything similar.
I have a variety of love-themed bakes, from my valentines cookie, to my valentines brownie, and even some cute valentines sandwich cookies and I adore them all. They are bakes that are ideal for such a day, but as they do serve more people than just two, this is where these small batch chocolate cupcakes fit perfectly into that gap.
Chocolate sponge mix
I wanted to make this recipe super simple, and make sure it fits the ‘small batch’ criteria that I accidentally ended up creating. Cupcakes can really vary in size, mainly due to the cases that people use, so I would say this recipe comfortably serves 3-4 decent sized cupcakes. I used 4 basic white muffin sized cases to make mine, and that was to the limit.
I wanted to use the standard ratio of sponge to make it easier, so this recipe was based on the idea of weighing an egg, in its shell, and matching the butter, sugar and dry ingredients to that weight. I used a medium egg that came in at 60g, so I then used 60g of butter, 60g sugar, and 45g self raising flout and 15g cocoa powder.
If you used a smaller egg, it would simply make less cupcakes – maybe 2-3, instead of 3-4. I would suggest putting at least 55g worth of cake mix into each cake to make them even, and be a good serving size. Bake times remain the same, as the sizes of each cupcake is the same as if you had made a regular batch of 12.
Ganache topping and decoration
For the topping for these cupcakes, I didn’t want to do a regular buttercream as I do them so often, and I wanted to make it a little more indulgent. I thought a basic chocolate ganache would be ideal to top some chocolate cupcakes with, and then also some fresh fruit/sprinkles to boot for a beautiful cupcake, as well as a tasty one.
I went for a simple mix of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and double cream. I always use dark chocolate that is 70%+ in cocoa content, for best results. I used 50g of milk chocolate, 50g of dark chocolate, and 100ml of double cream – it did leave me with a little leftover after decorating, but I just ate it with a spoon. If you don’t like much decoration, you can use smaller quantities.
If the chocolate you are using is in bar form, make sure to chop up the chocolate into small pieces before adding to a bowl, as you want to mix and stir ganache as little as possible to prevent splitting. I used callets of chocolate so added them as they are, and then poured the cream on top. I heated mine in the microwave in short bursts, stirring well, until smooth. If you don’t have a microwave, you can heat the cream in a pan until just before boiling point, and then pour over the chocolate.
Leave the ganache to sit on the side to thicken and start to set to a peanut butter style consistency, and then it’s ready to pipe. I usually make the ganache as the cupcakes are baking, so it’s had time to thicken whilst the cupcakes bake and cool. I used a 2d closed star piping tip to pipe my ganache on top, before topping with raspberries and freeze dried raspberries.
Tips & Tricks
- Weigh the egg you want to use in its shell – I used a medium egg which was 60g. You need to then match the butter/sugar/dry to this weight. If your egg was 70g, I would use 70g butter, 70 sugar, and 50g flour and 20g cocoa
- You can use any milk chocolate, I usually use a supermarket own bar (avoiding brands) for a ganache however. I bulk buy this milk chocolate
- You can use any dark chocolate as well, but make sure it’s 70%+ or higher in cocoa content for the best ganache. I use this dark chocolate
- I use these simple white muffin sized cases to make my cupcakes
- I used raspberries and freeze dried raspberries for decoration, but you can use anything you want
- I used this piping tip for decoration
- As the cream has been heated, it’s fine to leave at room temperature for a few days – the cupcakes usually last 2-3 days
- You can freeze the cupcakes for 3+ months
Small batch chocolate cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 medium/large egg (please see notes below before start)
- 60 g unsalted butter/baking spread
- 60 g sugar (caster or light brown)
- 45 g self raising flour
- 15 g cocoa powder
Ganache
- 50 g milk chocolate
- 50 g dark chocolate
- 100 ml double cream
Decoration
- raspberries
- freeze dried raspberries
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 160ºc/140ºc fan and grab cupcake cases
- Weigh the egg in the shell to confirm it's weight
- Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until combined
- Add the flour, cocoa and egg and mix again
- Split between the cases - you may make 3-4, depending on the size of the egg.
- You want to aim for a case to be 2/3 full - I use a 5cm scoop to portion the cupcakes
- Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 30-35 minutes, and then leave to cool fully
Ganache
- Whilst the cupcakes are baking, I make the ganache so it has time to set
- Add the dark chocolate, milk chocolate (finely chop if its in bar form) and double cream to a bowl
- Heat in microwave in short bursts, stirring well each time, until smooth
- Leave to sit on the side to thicken to a peanut butter consistency
Decoration
- Using your favourite piping tip, pipe swirls of ganache onto the cupcake
- Decorate how you want - I used fresh raspberries and freeze dried raspberries
Notes
- Weigh the egg you want to use in its shell - I used a medium egg which was 60g. You need to then match the butter/sugar/dry to this weight. If your egg was 70g, I would use 70g butter, 70 sugar, and 50g flour and 20g cocoa
- You can use any milk chocolate, I usually use a supermarket own bar (avoiding brands) for a ganache however. I bulk buy this milk chocolate
- You can use any dark chocolate as well, but make sure it's 70%+ or higher in cocoa content for the best ganache. I use this dark chocolate
- I use these simple white muffin sized cases to make my cupcakes
- I used raspberries and freeze dried raspberries for decoration, but you can use anything you want
- I used this piping tip for decoration
- As the cream has been heated, it's fine to leave at room temperature for a few days - the cupcakes usually last 2-3 days
- You can freeze the cupcakes for 3+ months