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Speckled Easter Nest Cake

Recipe

With exquisite tastes of raspberry, lemon and chocolate this cake is sure to be a hit this Easter.

Serves:  16 people   |   Prep Time:  15 mins |   Cook Time:  45 mins

  

Ingredients

For the Cake:

340g Self Raising Flour

340g Caster Sugar

340g Unsalted Butter, softened

6 Fresh Medium Eggs

2 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Fresh Milk

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Red Food Colouring

125g Raspberries

½ Lemon Juice and Zest

300g Raspberry Conserves

For the Icing:

1kg Icing Sugar

300g Unsalted Butter, softened

200g Mascarpone

1 Lemon, juiced

½ tsp Salt

2 drops Red Food Colouring

200g 70% Dark Chocolate

Mini Eggs

2 x 15cm Deep Cake Tins

  

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C. Grease and line the cake tins.
  2. Mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Fold through the flour, baking powder, salt and milk.
  3. Split the mixture between 2 bowls. Add raspberries and food colouring to one. Add lemon juice and zest to the other.
  4. Spoon each mixture into a separate tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes, then cool for 10 minutes. Turn out of the tins and leave to cool completely.
  5. Make the buttercream by beating the butter until light, smooth and fluffy. Gradually mix in the icing sugar.
  6. Then add the mascarpone, lemon juice and salt and beat until smooth.
  7. When cooled, halve the cakes to create 4 layers. Place a lemon layer on a dish. Top with buttercream and raspberry jam. Add a raspberry cake layer.
  8. Repeat until all 4 layers are stacked. When done, coat it all with a thin layer of buttercream.
  9. Leave to chill for 30 minutes. Add food colouring to remaining buttercream. Spread another layer over the cake and smooth. Melt the chocolate and flick it over the cake for a speckled look.
  10. Hot Tip:  If you have a pastry brush, dip it into the chocolate and then pull the bristles away from the cake before letting go, flinging specks of chocolate back onto the cake. Practise on a sheet of parchment paper if you’re unsure.
  11. Leave the cake to chill for 30 minutes.
  12. For the chocolate nest, make a ball of tin foil. Use a spoon to drizzle the remaining chocolate over the ball.
  13. Leave to harden in the fridge. Remove the foil and top the cake with the nest. Fill with mini eggs.