This cake is the perfect chocolatey Easter treat – rich sponge and velvety buttercream icing, with Cadbury’s Mini Eggs and Fingers to decorate.
Even though it’s a real showstopper piece, it is deceptively easy to make and ready in under an hour, meaning the whole family can get involved in the preparation before you sit down to enjoy it together. As a bonus, the decorations cover any messy buttercreaming skills you may possess, ensuring it looks professional without the hassle!
Prep Time – 30 minutes
Cook Time – 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake
- 225g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 200g caster sugar
- 225g self-raising white flour
- 4 large eggs
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- 85g cocoa powder
- 100ml milk
For the buttercream
- 100g good quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% solids)
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 400g icing sugar, sifted
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- Splash of milk, to soften
To decorate
- 200g Cadbury Milk Chocolate Fingers
- 200g Cadbury White Chocolate Fingers
- 300g Cadbury Mini Eggs
- 1 metre coloured ribbon, to wrap
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°c / 160°C Fan / 350F
- Grease and line two 20cm (8”) deep round cake tins. (If you only have one large tin to hand, slice the cake in half horizontally to create the two individual parts once baked).
- To make the cake, cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale. Add half of the flour and two of the eggs and combine. Once smooth, add the remaining flour and eggs and mix fully.
- Stir in the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla extract, until an even texture is formed.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and bake for approximately 25 minutes in the middle of the oven. Insert a cake skewer into both cakes and check it comes out clean, and that the cakes have risen. Turn onto a wire rack to cool fully.
- Whilst they are cooling, make the buttercream. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Allow to cool.
- Beat the butter until creamy, and gradually add the icing sugar and vanilla extract whilst mixing through.
- Once completely cooled, fold in the melted chocolate, making sure all components are completely combined. Add a splash of milk if desired, to soften the icing and make it easier to spread.
Building The Cake
- Start building the cake. Place one half on a plate or cake stand, levelling it off if part has risen unevenly. Top with about a third of the buttercream, smoothing it out so every part is covered. Press the other cake on top, double-checking it is firmly in place and will not slide.
- Using the remainder of the buttercream, cover the top and sides of the assembled cake. Don’t worry about how neat this looks; it will be completely concealed with decorations anyway!
- Press the chocolate Fingers to the outside of the cake, alternating the colours. Push firmly into the buttercream to keep in place. Tie the ribbon around the cake once done to allow the Fingers to set, finishing neatly in a bow.
- Cover the top of the cake with the Mini Eggs.
If you don’t like the buttercream on your cakes to be too thick, the finished mix can be stored in the fridge for a few days and brought to room temperature when needed. It also freezes well if it won’t be used anytime soon, but ensure it defrosts thoroughly before being remixed.
The decorations can also be substituted if you have any particular preferences. Try KitKats instead of the Fingers, or mini Crème Eggs/Smarties instead of the Mini Eggs. This makes it an adaptable recipe for use all year round, and perfect for a children’s birthday cake.
To make the process even easier (and quicker), a stand mixer can take all of the effort out of combining the ingredients together, for both the cake mix and the buttercream icing. Check out our top choices here.
Photo Credits (@scarletscorchdroppers)
