Chocolate Easter Cake

The season is almost upon us and yes, I realise this post is a little bit early, but well, it's never too soon for chocolate is it? I also figure I'll have a whole new bunch of Easter recipes to share with you so am getting a headstart. (I'm also suffering from a migraine so having a lazy day and can't rightly be bothered to think up anything creative).

This was last years attempt at a chocolate Easter cake. I had totally planned to do Nigella's Easter Egg Nest Cake but being a complete egg fiend when it came down to it I just couldn't bring myself to sling four perfectly good egg yolks in the bin. I had no other need for them that day so decided to try a different recipe.

In the end I made a chocolate Easter cake from a recipe I found in a folder at home. I have no idea where this recipe came from but I suspect it might be a Mary Berry recipe. Yes, her and her foolproof cakes - although not so foolproof in my case as this was very nearly a cake wreck! It smelt delicious in the oven but unfortunately when I removed one of the cakes from the tin it broke up a little. I tried not to handle it too much and luckily it just about held together and what didn't hold stuck firmly when I put the chocolate icing on the top.

It was a nice cake, tasty, the icing was delicious even if it did take forever for it to even semi-set but I probably wouldn't make it again, or I'd least try another recipe first - it's just not that special. Having said that the apricot jam (which I handily had in the fridge after making crumble the other week) did add a nice bit of flavour and was a little different. It worked really well with the chocolate and I'll definitely try that combination again in the future.

Chocolate Easter Cake

Ingredients

50g cocoa
6tbsps boiling water
3 eggs
4 tbsps milk
175g self raising flour
1 rounded tsp baking powder
100g soft butter
275g caster sugar

For the icing and filling:
150g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
145ml pouring double cream
3 tbsps apricot jam

Mini Eggs, Maltesers, crumbled Flake - whatever you like to go on top of the cake!

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c and grease two 8" sandwich tins, and line with baking parchment.

Measure the cocoa and boiling water into a large bowl and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and beat again until combined.

Divide the cake mixture between the prepared tins. Bake for about 25-30 mins until well risen and shrinking away from the sides of the tin.

For the icing and filling measure the chocolate and cream together in a bowl and stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water for about 10mins until melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside and allow the icing to become cold and almost set.

When baked, remove the cakes and allow to cool completely. Spread the tops of each cake with apricot jam, fill the cakes with half the icing, sandwich together and spread the remainder on top.

Decorate with your choice of chocolate!

This cake can be made quite easily in a mixer or processor, but as always take care not to over-beat it.

Also, I was a little impatient and I don't think I let the icing cool enough as it was very runny when I tried to spread it on the top, although it did set later on, it just got a bit messy! Definitely a cake to eat with a fork!

love & kisses
Mrs M x