Chocolate Easter Nest Cake
A layered chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, topped with Cadbury mini eggs and toasted shredded coconut to resemble an Easter nest.
Equipment
- 2 8" inch cake pans
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ?1 3/4 cups 210 gall-purpose flour
- ?3/4 cup 75 gunsweetened cocoa powder
- ?1 1/2 teaspoonsbaking powder
- ?1 1/2 teaspoonsbaking soda
- ?1 teaspoonsalt
- ?2 cups 400 ggranulated sugar
- ?2 largeeggs2 oz each
- ?1 cup 240 mlbuttermilkor milk
- ?1/2 cup 120 mloilvegetable or canola
- ?2 teaspoons 10 mlpure vanilla extract
- ?1 teaspoonespresso powderoptional
- ?1 cup 240 mlboiling water
- ?1/2 cup 113 gunsalted buttersoftened at room temperature
- ?3/4 cups 75 gcocoa powder
- ?3 cups 360 gpowdered sugar
- ?3 tablespoons 45 mlmilkyou might need a little more
- ?1 teaspoon 5 mlpure vanilla extract
- ?80 gCadbury mini eggs
- ?75 gshredded coconut
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or 160°C for a fan oven. Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl sift together 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together 2 large eggs, 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk (or milk), ½ cup (120 ml) oil, and 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract until blended.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- In a small heatproof bowl dissolve 1 teaspoon espresso powder (if using) in 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water. Stir the boiling water (with dissolved espresso if used) into the batter. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, invert the cakes onto the rack, peel off the parchment, and cool completely.
- Meanwhile make the buttercream: in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (or with a hand mixer), beat ½ cup (113 g) softened unsalted butter on medium-high for 3 minutes until creamy.
- Add ¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder to the butter and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar slowly until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) milk and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute. If the frosting is too stiff to spread, add a little more milk a small amount at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency.
- Toast 75 g shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown; transfer immediately to a plate to stop cooking. Alternatively, spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 320°F (160°C) for about 5 minutes, watching closely so it does not burn. Let cool.
- If the cake layers are domed, level them with a serrated knife so the layers stack evenly.
- Place one cake layer on your serving plate or cake board. Spread an even layer of buttercream on top (use part of the frosting for this filling).
- Place the second cake layer on top. Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake to lock in crumbs.
- Chill the crumb-coated cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to set the frosting.
- Remove the cake from the fridge and apply the remaining buttercream to fully cover and smooth the cake.
- To decorate, place 80 g Cadbury mini eggs in the center of the top of the cake to form a nest. Pile and arrange the toasted coconut around the eggs on the top to resemble a nest, and press the toasted coconut gently onto the sides of the cake so it adheres to the frosting.
Notes
This recipe makes 1200 grams of batter, use this as a guide to evenly divide the batter between 2 or 3 cake pans.
Use cake pans instead of springform pans as the batter of this cake is thin and might cause leakage.
Before you start, make sure that your baking powder is active and not past its expiry date. To check, add half a teaspoon of baking powder to a bowl with 2 teaspoons of hot water. If the baking powder bubbles, then it’s good to go. If not, then it’s dead and you need to get a new one.
This cake makes 8 to 10 servings.
Storing: You can bake the cake and wrap it in parchment paper followed by plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days. Frosted cakes keep perfectly for 4-5 days covered at room temperature. If it’s hot where you are, store it in the fridge but take it out of the fridge 1 hour before serving).
Nutrition: a rough estimate is calculated per slice of cake without the frosting or decoration.
Use cake pans instead of springform pans as the batter of this cake is thin and might cause leakage.
Before you start, make sure that your baking powder is active and not past its expiry date. To check, add half a teaspoon of baking powder to a bowl with 2 teaspoons of hot water. If the baking powder bubbles, then it’s good to go. If not, then it’s dead and you need to get a new one.
This cake makes 8 to 10 servings.
Storing: You can bake the cake and wrap it in parchment paper followed by plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days. Frosted cakes keep perfectly for 4-5 days covered at room temperature. If it’s hot where you are, store it in the fridge but take it out of the fridge 1 hour before serving).
Nutrition: a rough estimate is calculated per slice of cake without the frosting or decoration.