Easter Cake Recipe

Easter Cake Recipe - Biscuiteers

Biscuits may have been our first love, but we think an eggstra-special occasion like Easter deserves an extra special cake, and what better way to round off a spring celebration than with a slice of super chocolatey Easter cake.

In this recipe we’ll show you how to make 3 x 20 cm round chocolate sponge cakes, an indulgent chocolate buttercream filling and how to decorate your cake with pastel blue buttercream and mini chocolate eggs!

Ingredients

  • - For the chocolate sponge cake:
  • - 400g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
  • - 400g dark chocolate
  • - 170g plain flour
  • - ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • - 400g brown sugar
  • - 400g caster sugar
  • - 50g cocoa powder (100%)
  • - 6 medium eggs, beaten
  • - For the chocolate buttercream:
  • - 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • - 500g icing sugar
  • - 25g cocoa powder (100%)
  • - For the vanilla buttercream:
  • - 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • - 500g icing sugar
  • - 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • - 1 tsp navy blue food colouring
  • - Equipment:
  • - Icing spatula
  • - Piping bag
  • - Large round piping nozzle

serves:10

difficulty:Medium

1.15hrs

How to make chocolate sponge cake
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/ gas mark 3. Grease and line 3 x 20-cm/8-inch round cake tins with greaseproof paper.

2. Place the butter and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (make sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water). Use a metal spoon to stir, until completely melted. Set aside to cool a little.

3. Sift together the flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl, stir to combine. We used our KitchenAid Colour of the Year 2024 Blue Salt Artisan Stand Mixer.

4. Beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined.

6. Divide the mixture among the prepared tins.

7. Place on the middle shelf of your hot oven and bake for 50 minutes. Check one by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake. If baked the skewer will come out clean. If not, pop the cakes back in the oven for 5 minutes more!

8. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack.
How to make chocolate buttercream
Method
1. Put the butter and sifted icing sugar into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and icing sugar together, until pale and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes.

2. Sift in the cocoa powder and beat until fully incorporated.
Top Tip
If your buttercream is too thick, add a little milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency!

How to assemble the chocolate cake
Method
1. Let your chocolate sponge cool completely before assembling.

2. If the sponges are domed, level them off by using a serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface.

3. Place your first flat sponge on a serving plate or stand and evenly cover the top with chocolate buttercream icing.

4. Sandwich your second sponge on top and repeat. Sandwich your third and final sponge on top.
How to decorate the chocolate cake
Method
1. Add a generous dollop of the pastel blue buttercream on top of the cake.

2. Use an icing spatula to smooth the buttercream to the edge.

3. Still using the spatula, smooth smaller amounts of buttercream over the sides of the cake. Do this in sections, turning the cake to repeat.

4. Create a smooth finish by holding an icing spatula or long palette knife flat against the side of the cake furthest from you and drag it toward you. Repeat until the side is level.

5. Now, drop a large round nozzle into a piping bag and spoon in the remaining blue buttercream.

6. Starting at the perimeter of the top of the cake, hold the piping bag vertically close to the surface of the cake. Slowly squeeze the piping bag to create a dot, once at your desired size stop squeezing, push down and draw up and away sharply. Repeat this around the entire perimeter of the cake top.

7. Finish off by placing mini chocolate eggs on each dot of icing.