Description:
A soft chocolate sponge cake covered in melted chocolate is given an Easter makeover with a crunchy outer layer and ‘nested’ speckled eggs. Cheerful and triple chocolatey, this cake recipe makes for a fun and scrumptious dessert or teatime treat. Adults and kids alike will love it!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups plain flour, sifted
¾ cups cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla essence
½ cup vegetable oil
2 whole eggs, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
For the nest:
160 g milk chocolate
125 ml cream
6 biscuits
160 g milk chocolate, melted
To garnish:
2 bags of chocolate eggs
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- Prepare a 23 cm round spring form cake tin with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
- Add the milk, vanilla, oil and eggs and mix before adding in the sugar and water.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Once cooked and a cake tester comes out clean, remove from the oven and set aside to cool until cool enough to handle.
- Once cool, remove from the spring from tin and set aside to cool on a cooling rack and remove the baking paper from the bottom of the cake.
- To prepare the nest part of the cake; melt the milk chocolate and cream together over a double boiler to ensure it is silky and smooth.
- Be sure to not get water or steam in the mixture as it will split.
- With a small palate knife, cover the chocolate cake evenly.
- In a large bowl crumble the biscuits and top with the melted chocolate, combine until the mixture is evenly coated with the chocolate.
- Press the chocolate coated mixture onto the cake leaving the centre open. Press the mixture evenly down the sides and press to secure.
- Top with the chocolate eggs and enjoy.
Tips and variations:
If you want, you can use this chocolate cake recipe as a base for a more old-fashioned variation too – just cover the cake with goey melted chocolate and leave off the biscuit layer.