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Six Inch Chocolate Cake with Tahini Buttercream Frosting

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A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting.

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

You know those days when you want a cake, but you don’t need a “whole cake”? Like, just enough cake for maybe 5-8 people. A standard 8 inch cake feeds about 16, way too big for a small celebration. So what do we do in this situation? We put down the cupcake pan and just bake a smaller cake! I love this six inch chocolate cake recipe because it’s the perfect size for an any day cake. I topped this one with a crazy delicious tahini buttercream frosting to add a little nuttiness and create a unique flavor profile. 

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Wouldn’t half of your perfect chocolate cake recipe make a six inch chocolate cake?

Yes… but the perfect chocolate cake recipe has a different crumb than this six inch chocolate cake recipe. I like them both for different reasons. The perfect chocolate cake recipe is unapologetically chocolate and a bit dense. This six inch cake, on the other hand, is lighter. It’s more like the grocery store bakery cakes you pick up for “whenever” occasions, only better because it’s homemade. 😉 Besides, one can never have too many good chocolate cake recipes.

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

And this is the recipe that was originally used for my salted caramel peanut butter chocolate cake until I realized that cake needed to be full size. A six inch cake just disappeared way too quickly.

Let’s talk about this tahini buttercream frosting…

Tahini isn’t just for hummus, darlings. One of my favorite treats as childhood was halwa – a dense sweet my mom would buy in jars at the Middle Eastern food store. Studded with nuts and strongly flavored with tahini, this slightly crumbly sesame sweet we would eat with a spoon. Tahini, for the unfamiliar, is just a sesame paste. You can find it in just about any grocery store nowadays, and it’s so versatile! Obviously good in savory dishes, but it elevates sweet dishes to a whole new level.

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Tahini adds a great complex nuttiness to sweets, and it’s a perfect addition to buttercream frosting. It cuts the sweetness in the classic American buttercream, and whips up light and smooth. I love how the tahini buttercream frosting pairs with the chocolate cake too. It almost acts like coffee in chocolate – complimenting the chocolate and drawing out its flavor in a perfect pairing.

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

I hope you enjoy the six inch chocolate cake recipe!

Whether you pair it with the tahini buttercream or use another frosting from the blog, it’s such a lovely cake to keep on hand for a smaller celebration. Or Thursday dinner. Enjoy, darlings!

 

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Six Inch Chocolate Cake with Tahini Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. 

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • 1¼ c all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ c sugar
  • ½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 c buttermilk
  • ½ c oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Tahini Buttercream Frosting

  • 3/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
  • 6 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Six inch chocolate cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Butter two 6" round cake pans and line with parchment paper circles. Set aside.
  2. Combine your dry cake ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer and stir well.
  3. Combine your wet ingredients (buttermilk, egg, vanilla, oil) in a separate bowl and pour slowly into your dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
  4. Pour the batter evenly between the two six inch cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before filling.

Tahini Buttercream Frosting

  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a clean mixing bowl, whip the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
  2. Stir in the tahini, honey, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
  3. Start adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the heavy cream as needed until the desired consistency is reached. 
  4. Frost the cake. 🙂 

Did this recipe inspire you?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

 

A six inch chocolate cake is the perfect size for smaller groups! Make this delicious chocolate cake recipe and pair it with a light and nutty tahini buttercream frosting. * Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

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Ela

Tuesday 13th of November 2018

Hi! I was looking exactly for this recipe - 6”chocolate cake. I made first time and defeat! Sink whole in the middle! I follow the recipe in 100% ingredients at room temperature etc. I was looking thru the door how the center is not growing 😩 So, I made one more time paying extra attention to the details . I achieved the same effect 😔 Any suggestions, advice? Could be too much baking powder and soda? The only think what I’m questioning in this point is my aluminum baking pan from Wilton . I will not give up and I will try one more time Ps. Im sorry for my English Sincerely Ela

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Wednesday 14th of November 2018

I use the same aluminum pans, so I'm not sure! I'm so sorry you are having these results, Ela. The only possible suggestions I might have would be to try mixing a little less, or replacing half the buttermilk with sour cream. Sometimes a little extra liquid in the recipe can cause it to sink. I haven't had this particular recipe sink on me, but the above are the usual culprits other than baking soda/powder ratios or freshness.

Or you could always hop over to my perfect chocolate cake recipe from scratch and halve it... that is a slightly different recipe with a slightly different texture, but I've never had it sink on me.

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