- Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan oven 200°C /425°F/Gas mark 7. Grease 12 to 16 mini cake molds and set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the sugar, butter, oil, salt, and cream until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between until well incorporated.
- Pour in the dry ingredients previously set aside and mix until well combined.
- Add vanilla, and coffee mixture and combine until fully incorporated.
- Fill your cupcake molds halfway with the batter (more and they will overflow).
- Bake on the middle shelf for 12-15 minutes or until the cakes pass the skewer test.
- Allow your cakes to cool down for a few minutes and gently unmould onto a cooling rack.
For the chocolate ganache
- Pour the double cream into a saucepan, add the coffee, and bring just to a simmer.
- Finely chop your chocolate and place it in a separate bowl. Pour over the hot cream, add the vanilla, and set aside for a few minutes. Stir the mixture until smooth and glossy.
- Cover to touch with some cling film and place in the fridge for about 1hr or until it has firmed up.
- Whip until light and fluffy.
- Pour the whipped ganache into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, ready to pipe.
For the salted caramel
- In a small saucepan, add the golden caster sugar, and the water, and place over medium heat. Allow cooking without stirring until it is cooked to a deep amber color.
- Stir in the salted butter and mix until combined.
- Pour in the double cream in a slow steady stream while constantly mixing.
- Add in the vanilla, and salt and allow to boil down for 2mn.
- Take off the stove, and pour into a jar. Close with the lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
1. Slice each mini cake diagonally into two.
2. Pipe a layer of whipped ganache around the edges of the bottom later leaving a gap in the center.
3. Pipe some salted caramel into the gap.
4. Top with the second layer of cake and pipe a ganache on top.
5. Decorate the top with fruits, cake sprinkles, or to your taste.
How you choose to bake your cake can make a stark difference in the amount of time
and energy you use.
The shallower or smaller the tin you choose, the quicker your sponge will bake.
Baking the same quantity of cake batter, required for a standard cake in muffin tins or on a baking sheet could slash your baking time by up to a third depending on the sponge cake recipe.
This chocolate Victoria sponges baked in an eight-inch cake tin would have taken 30min.
Instead, they took 12min and were also extremely fast to put together and decorate!