These Mini Chocolate Cakes with Salted Caramel Sauce are pure indulgence in bite-size form. They’re deeply fudgy, tender, and dripping with warm, buttery caramel. The dark chocolate base bakes up rich and moist, with just the right balance of sweetness and salt from the glossy glaze.
They’re perfect for parties or dinner gatherings since everyone gets their own little individual cake, with no slicing or plating required. You can choose to keep it classic with a drizzle of salted caramel, or take a more adventurous route with a pour of maple-scented candy cap caramel sauce for something sure to surprise and delight your guests.
Recipe highlights
- Intensely chocolatey. With cocoa powder, chopped dark chocolate, and a little coffee, these cakes deliver deep chocolate notes.
- Salted caramel finish. The sauce adds a perfect contrast of sweet and salty.
- Perfect portion size. These mini chocolate cakes are baked in a muffin tin so that no slicing is necessary.
- Quick to make. In under an hour, you’ll have a dozen adorable mini cakes ready to go.
- Elegant yet simple. They look fancy, but the process isn’t much harder than making muffins. Use your favorite sauce or my salted caramel recipe for full effect.
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: ~15 min • Bake: ~25 min • Total: Around 1 hr with cool time
🍴 Yield: Makes 12 mini cakes
💪 Skill level: Intermediate. The cakes are easy, but homemade caramel sauce can be a little tricky. Follow the tips below and you’ll nail it!
How to make the mini chocolate cakes
For full recipe instructions and an ingredient list, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to make this recipe:
- Prepare dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Make chocolate mix. In a separate bowl, place chopped chocolate, cocoa, and instant coffee. Pour boiling water on top and stir until chocolate is melted.
- Cream butter & sugar. Beat room-temperature butter with brown sugar until creamy.
- Add eggs & sour cream. Stir in eggs one at a time, then sour cream and vanilla.
- Combine everything. Pour in the rest of the ingredients, alternating between the dry ingredients and melted chocolate mixture in 3 additions.
- Divide & bake. Spoon batter into a greased or lined muffin tin (fill ~¾ full). Bake until the tops are set and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
- Finish with sauce & salt. Once cooled, drizzle each cake with salted caramel sauce and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the top.
Pro baking tips for success
For the mini chocolate cakes:
Use good-quality chocolate. Choose a high-quality dark chocolate bar, ideally around 60–70% cacao. Chocolate chips don’t melt as well, so I don’t recommend using them here.
Make sure the chocolate is fully melted. After whisking hot water in your chocolate and cocoa mixture, stir until the chocolate is fully dissolved. If any chunks remain, you can rewarm it gently by placing the bowl over a pot of hot water.
Don’t over-bake. The cakes should be set around the edges but still slightly soft in the centers. Since they’re mini, they’re easier to over-bake, which will make them dry.
Grease muffin tins well. Make sure to thoroughly butter each muffin tin to prevent sticking.
Cool slightly before unmolding. Let the cakes rest for about 5 minutes, then gently loosen the edges with a knife before turning them out.
For the caramel sauce:
Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Caramel burns easily in thin pans; an even, steady heat makes a big difference.
Don’t stir. Stirring can cause the sugar to crystallize. Don’t agitate the mixture until it starts to develop a golden color.
Watch closely once the sugar melts. It can go from golden to burnt in seconds! Keep swirling once it starts to brown (not stirring) and remove from heat once it’s a rich amber color.
Add cream slowly and carefully. The mixture will bubble up intensely and cause steam; pour the cream in gradually while whisking and be careful not to burn yourself.
Salt at the end. Stir in sea salt after the caramel has come together, tasting as you go – you can always add more, but you can’t take it out.
Variations
Feel free to play with this recipe to make it your own! Here are just a few suggestions:
- Drizzle with candy cap caramel sauce for a wild twist.
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or cacao nibs for crunch.
- Fold in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips before baking.
- Swap the caramel sauce for salted ganache or peanut butter ganache.
- Pipe rosettes of raspberry buttercream on top of the cakes instead of drizzling with caramel sauce.
- Double the recipe if making for a crowd!
Storage & serving
Store mini chocolate cakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I recommend you drizzle them with sauce just before serving for the best presentation.
These are lovely as an after-dinner treat with coffee, tea, or even a nice bourbon. To turn it up a notch, serve with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of coffee whipped cream.
If you make these Mini Chocolate Cakes with Salted Caramel Sauce, please let me know what you think! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. Thank you!
Mini Chocolate Cakes with Salted Caramel Sauce
Equipment
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
Mini Chocolate Cakes
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped fine
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee, optional
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Salted Caramel Sauce or Candy Cap Caramel Sauce
- Sea salt, to serve
Instructions
- Prep. Generously butter a muffin tin. Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Mix cake batter. In a large bowl, whisk together ¾ cup flour, ¼ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp salt.
- In a second bowl, whisk together 2 oz chopped chocolate, ¼ cup cocoa, and 1 tsp instant coffee, if using. Pour ½ cup hot water over mixture and whisk until chocolate is completely melted.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 3 oz butter and ½ cup brown sugar until soft and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in ¼ cup sour cream and 1 tsp vanilla.
- Add about 1/3 of flour mixture to the mixer and gently combine. While mixer is running, pour half of the chocolate mixture in. Repeat alternating the flour and chocolate mixtures, ending with the last 1/3 of the flour mix.
- Bake. Pour batter evenly into prepared muffin tins. Bake until cakes are baked around the edges and just set in the middle, about 22-28 minutes. The tops should spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cake should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Allow mini cakes to cool for about 5 minutes, then gently loosen the edges with a knife before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Let cool for at least another 10 minutes before serving.
- Finish. Just before serving, drizzle with salted caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
Did you try this recipe?
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