Forget store-bought cake! In less than 30-minutes, bake your own pillowy soft and moist small chocolate cake, rich in cocoa flavor. Frosted with velvety vanilla buttercream, this single layer small cake recipe is easily prepared and baked in a 6-inch pan.

Single slice of moist chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and berries.

I’ll be the first to admit that I actually like store-bought cake. I like the fluffy texture. But the large size and meh flavor encouraged me to develop this recipe. After several rounds of testing, I discovered two secrets to making the best chocolate cake (the same secrets I use for my small batch 2-layer chocolate cake):

Sour cream makes the cake pillowy soft and incredibly moist
Dutch process cocoa adds deep chocolate flavor.

This is the kind of cake you can eat with your hands – it’s that good. Maybe I have done that … maybe I haven’t. 🙂 But if you want to keep it more sophisticated, the petite cake is perfect for anniversaries or small celebrations. Or, even a cute little smash cake for the baby’s birthday.

Gluten free? No problem! My small 6-inch almond flour chocolate cake is nearly a carbon copy of this recipe (sans the flour).

And let’s not forget about the holidays. Make a festive centerpiece with the peppermint mocha 6-inch layer cake recipe or surprise your sweetie on Valentine’s Day with my mini marshmallow filled chocolate heart cakes.

Visual Steps To Make The Small Cake

Liquid ingredients for cake in a mixing bowl.

1. Whisk together the sugar and oil, then add the egg, sour cream, and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Cocoa powder sifted over a bowl of flour.

2. In a different bowl, you’ll whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Tip! If your cocoa powder is lumpy – sift it through a small strainer set over the bowl, like I do in the photo above.

3. Heat the coffee or water in a liquid measuring cup. You want it to be hot.

Dry ingredients sprinkled over wet in a mixing bowl.

4. Sprinkle the dry ingredients, along with the hot coffee, over the wet ingredients.

Tip! Hot coffee or water will work to make the cake. I prefer coffee because the flavor enhances the cocoa in the cake.

5. Stir the batter until no dry streaks remain. It is ok if the batter is lumpy – we don’t want to overmix or the cake will turn out dense.

Chocolate cake batter in a 6-inch cake pan.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 26 minutes. My favorite way to test the cake – it will be springy to the touch.

Why I Use Dutch Process Cocoa Vs. Natural Cocoa

My reasons are simple: I prefer the rich flavor of Dutch cocoa, and it isn’t as acidic as natural cocoa. And this is why most of my chocolate small batch recipes use Dutch cocoa.

💡I caution against swapping Dutch cocoa for natural cocoa. Dutch cocoa is not acidic, whereas natural cocoa is.

Why this matters: Baking powder and baking soda work in tandem with the cocoa powders to get the best bake (and rise). Dutch process is often paired with baking powder to add acidity. Natural cocoa is paired with baking soda, to reduce acidity.

Bottom line, if you swap the cocoa powder, the leaveners need to change. But it may not always be that simple because of the other ingredients in the recipe. So, stick to the recipe as written if you can!

Small chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh berries.

Make your frosting while the cake cools. I’m a classic chocolate + vanilla girl, so I provide a link to my super delish vanilla frosting in the recipe card. But if you want to change up the flavor, check out more of my small batch frosting recipes. Frost the cake however you like – and add fun sprinkles for a festive occasion!

I’d love to hear how you enjoyed this little chocolate cake. Let me know in the comments below! Or, we can talk about how we secretly love grocery store cake – I won’t judge.🩷