Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, Gay-lentine’s Day, Miserable and Alone Day, Perfectly Happy Flying Solo Day – however you want to spend February 14th, these deep dark chocolate buttercream rose petal MINI CAKES may very well help. We need to celebrate LOVE right now in the world, when things are feeling dark and out of our control. Prettiness always has a place, especially when the world is feeling ugly and hateful, we must remember that there is goodness, and that it never feels good to hate – but it has always felt good to love. So with that, I present: kind-of giant mini cakes!
These are so very pink and so very pretty, and way easier than you think, once you get the hang of piping petals – you will need a few special supplies, including a rose petal piping tip, an open star piping tip, a decorating coupler set and piping bag, a round cookie cutter (I used a 3 inch wide cutter) and a rimmed baking sheet.
Dark Chocolate Buttercream Rose Petal Mini Cakes
ingredients
For the cake
- 1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup Rodelle organic baking cocoa
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups full fat high quality coconut milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup warm water
For the vanilla buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- dash of milk
- 1/2 teaspoon electric pink gel colour
instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch rimmed baking pan with vegetable oil and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit.
- In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Add the eggs, coconut milk, vegetable oil, water and vanilla
- Beat on low speed until fully incorporated, about two minutes.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, using an offset spatula to spread evenly to the edges.
- Bake in middle rack of oven for 15-18 minutes, carefully turning pan halfway through baking.
- Check for doneness – cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle has no crumbs; cake will be springy.
- Cool on wire rack completely, then chill in freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm it up.
Make the buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl.
- With the mixer turned off, add the four cups of icing sugar, vanilla, dash of milk and gel colour of your choice.
- HOT TIP: Wrap the mixer tightly in a damp tea towel to prevent icing sugar explosion.
- Turn the mixer on low to incorporate ingredients, then crank mixer to 11 (high speed) to beat the ingredients until buttercream is light and fluffy, two more minutes.
Assemble the mini cakes
- Fit your piping bag with the open star tip. Fill the piping bag with the pink buttercream.
- Remove the cake, still in the baking pan, from the freezer.
- Prepare five small dessert plates by adding a dab of buttercream to the center of each.
- Using the circle cutter, punch out the first cake layer and place onto the plate. Using the piping bag, pipe the top of the cake in a circular swirl, going from the outside inward
- Punch out the second cake layer and place on top of the buttercream, pressing down slightly to nestle it in place.
- Pipe the second cake layer.
- Punch out the third cake layer and place on top of the buttercream, again pressing down slightly to adhere.
- Swap out the open star tip for the rose petal tip. Hold the piping bag so the wide part of the petal tip is on the bottom. Begin piping in the center top of the cake – you’re going to pipe a little mound of buttercream as the center of your rose – squeeze the piping bag and at the same time move your hand in a zig zag motion, moving upward and creating a little mound of buttercream.
- Now you will make the first row of petals. With the piping bag at a 45 degree angle and the wider part of the petal tip on the bottom, squeeze the piping bag with your dominant hand in a making-a-rainbow type motion, attaching the first petal to the mound, while at the same time, and with your other hand, rotate the plate at the same time. Pipe-and-turn is your new favourite saying. Pipe the next petal, slightly overlapping the first, and the next petal, enclosing on the initial mound.
- Keep piping more petals, staggering the petals with each layer.
- Continue piping until you’ve reached the edge of the cake! Petal power!
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gyoza*girl
oooh so pretty! love these mini cakes. makes me wanna bake some myself! :) happy early valentines day!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
Thanks sis! ^__^
MDIVADOMESTICA
How dainty! Pinkies up when eating these cakes. Super cute and fun.
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
Definitely pinkies up situation … :)
Renee
Oh my gosh these cakes! First of all, love the buttercream colour, second how cute are these cakes?! Well done, cute post. We sure do need some bright happy things flying around this Internet.
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
Thank you Renee :)
Mardi (eat. live. travel. write. )
These are adorable! What a brilliant idea!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
Thanks Mardi! I do love the “mini” aspect! ^__^
Samantha | My Kitchen Love
The world does need more love right now and these mini cakes are spreading it all over the place. I adore the rose tutorial. I used to make them a lot in my previous life (as a teenager working at DQ), but I’ve completely lot the skill. I’ll be heading here for a lesson when I make my next cake. xo
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
TEEN AT DQ!? Oh my goodness my dream job as a teen (and now, haha). Love that little tidbit about you, Samantha!
Sean@Diversivore
I’m with you. Whatever the 14th is, the world needs love. And cake. These are GORGEOUS. Your petals are amazing, and I love that you went with that intense pink too. It works so well with the dark chocolate! The tutorial is perfect – I haven’t done a lot of icing/piping work, but I really do like that physical, almost sculptural element to food, so I think I’m going to have to give it a try some time soon. Cheers!
Marisa
Oh! How pretty they are and an absolute perfect treat for Valentine’s and I totally agree, the world could definitely use a little bit of sweetness right now
Jasmine
These are so different and cute! Such a fun way to celebrate something special! Love it!!