Chocolate Raspberry Mini Cakes

Layer cakes are so dramatic and exciting, but sometimes it can be more fun to make mini individual desserts!  I made mini chocolate raspberry layer cakes for my step-dad for Father's Day.  These are so much fun.  About the size of a cupcake, but a lot fancier.  I made a moist, rich, dark chocolate sheet cake and cut it into rounds with a large cookie cutter, then stacked the rounds with mounds of delicious European buttercream, flavored with pureed raspberries.  It would be fun to make these with more than one kind of cake for extra drama!

Chocolate Sheet Cake

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

2 ounces Dutch-processed cocoa powder

12 ounces boiling water

7 ½ ounces unbleached all purpose flour

10 1/2 ounces granulated sugar

1 tsp table salt

1 tsp baking soda

6 fluid ounces vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line one 17 by 13 half sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot water over mixture and whisk until smooth. Set in refrigerator to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into cooled chocolate-cocoa mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

Spread batter evenly in the pan. Bake until cake is set and just firm to touch, 15-20 minutes. Cool cake in pans until room temperature. Carefully remove cake from pans and use a 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut 24 rounds.  Stack and sandwich with buttercream.