This is a delicious special occasion cake, a lovely Easter mudcake with a creamy buttercream and speckles with a surprise inside!
Every now and then you need a special occasion cake, and why not create one for Easter! This cake is a combination of a few of my favourite recipes and a new technique. You could use this for any special occasion really.
The cake is so lovely and decadent but I hope to break it down into lovely simple steps for you.
This one is going to be a long post simply because I want to explain the process for you and show you the photographic steps of how I assemble the cake for those of you who like to see the process.
The cake is made up of three components, a tasty White Chocolate Mudcake, a lovely buttercream and then the speckle technique. And of course the “surprise” inside of the lovely mini easter eggs.
I would like to break down how I create those three components and some good tips. If you are just wanting to get straight onto the recipe head on down to the recipe card or click Jump to Recipe at the top of this page.
This is me – holding the cake!
To begin I make the White Chocolate Mudcake, I often make this a day or so ahead. The mudcake gets better and denser each day, so I would make it the day prior and once cool cover it well in plastic wrap and set aside.
To make the mudcake is a lovely technique, for this recipe you will need two 20cm cake tins to make the cake, it is a 4 layer cake so we halve each cake to make the layers.
To prepare the cake is a matter of heating the butter, white chocolate and sugar with boiling water, and melt. Then add this to the dry ingredients a long with the eggs.
Once combined you pour it evenly into the prepared tins, I like to line my tins base and sides with baking paper. I spray the tins well with cooking spray then line, so the liner sticks to the tins well.
I use a scale to measure accurately to ensure an even amount of batter goes into each tin but you can absolutely eyeball this. As I mentioned above once the cakes are completely cool, I wrap well in plastic wrap and work with them the next day.
The cake needs to be trimmed (the top mound sliced off) then cut into two even pieces. You can do this with a steady hand and a knife, or you can use a special cake cutter which cuts evenly.
Once you have 4 layers, you find the middle of the cake and cut a circle in the middle of 3 of the 4 layers. Handling the cake carefully so it does not bend or break.
Then you want to prepare the buttercream, I have a lovely technique for creating buttercream, super simple, it involves long and thorough mixing of the buttercream once all of the icing sugar is added. This ensures the buttercream is light and fluffy.
I have chosen a soft pink colour for my cake, but you can absolutely choose any colour that suits your occasion.
To assemble the cake place the bottom layer (saving the layer with no hole for last) on a serving plate. Smother the top of this with buttercream, then carefully place the next layer, repeat with the butter cream, adding the mini easter eggs as you go.
Then finally once the 3 layers with the holes are placed and filled with easter eggs, place the top layer on.
Cover the entire cake with a thin crumb coat them allow this to chill before finishing the cake with a final layer and smoothing to a lovely smooth finish. This can take some practice, there is no need for it to be perfect unless you are making it for Nigella, and even then…….
The final step and the most fun is speckling the cake! This is messy, there is no getting around that so you will want to create a background or do it on the grass or somewhere you won’t mind literally flicking a cocoa paste with wild abandon.
The speckles are made with a combination of cocoa and vanilla essence. I use my pastry brush and holding the brush in one hand and the bristles in the other I use it to pull back the bristles and flick the mixture all over the cake. I did a little practice in the sink first to get my technique right. Messy, but so fun!
Once you are happy with the amount of speckle it is ready to serve, or store in the fridge until you are ready. Be sure to get the cake out at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the mudcake to come closer to room temperature for maximum deliciousness.
I hope you love this cake as much as I do! It could be recreated for any occasion really, simply choose the inside sweets of your choice and the colour of the icing.
If you love this idea be sure to check out my other Easter Spectacular Cake with more fun techniques to try.
Onto the recipe for my Easter Speckle Mudcake
Easter Speckle Mudcake
Delicious white chocolate cake, layered with buttercream, chocolate easter egg surprise centre and a speckle finish.
Ingredients
Mudcake
- 200 grams White Chocolate
- 250 grams Butter
- 1 1/2 Cups Caster Sugar
- 200ml Hot Water (near boiling)
- 1 Cup Self Raising Flour, 145 grams
- 1 3/4 cups Plain White Flour, 245 grams
- 2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
- 100g Speckled Easter Eggs
Buttercream
- 500g Butter (room temp)
- 6 cups Icing Sugar, sifted 900 grams
- 8 Tablespoons Milk
- 4 teaspoons Vanilla Essence
- Optional - Food Colouring (Combination of small drops of deep pink and violet)
Speckles
- 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Essence
Instructions
The Mudcake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C Bake
- . Liberally spray cooking spray onto two 20cm round cake tins. Line with baking paper at the base and sides and spray again.
- Dice the butter and combine with the white chocolate, sugar and hot water in a large saucepan.
- Melt over a low heat and stir for approx. 4 minutes until the chocolate has melted and the sugar dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool (approx. 15 minutes, stir occasionally)
- In a very large bowl, lightly whisk the self-raising flour and plain flour together to combine.
- In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla to combine.
- Add the cooled chocolate/butter and the egg/vanilla mixture to the flour. Using a whisk or large wooden spoon, beat together all the ingredients until smooth.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake tins. I like to use my scales to ensure they are even or you can just eyeball this
- Place the cake tins onto the same oven rack and bake for 1 hour until a skewer or knife comes out damp but clean, or they spring back to the touch.
- Take care not to overcook, each oven is different so check at 50 minutes if needed and rotate the tins and continue to cook at 5-10-minute intervals until baked.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and place onto a wire rack to cook for at least 25 minutes before removing from cake tins.
- The cake needs to be completely cool before icing. It will store well for up to two days until required or freezes well also. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to assemble the cake
Buttercream
- Add room temperature butter to a Food Mixer and whip with a paddle attachment or whisk at a medium high speed for 7-8 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides and attachment often until the butter is pale white in colour.
- Add the vanilla, half the icing sugar and half the milk and gently combine. Once mixed, pour in the remaining icing sugar and milk and gently combine
- Bring the speed of the mixer back up to a medium high speed and whip for 5-6 minutes. Scrape the sides occasionally to ensure the buttercream is light and fluffy.
- Optional – Add the food colouring in small amounts until achieving the colour you want. Combine well.
To Assemble the Cake
- Trim the tops off each cake until they are flat. Slice each cake into two even halves and set aside 1x bottom half. This will become the top of the cake
- Using a round cookie cutter, remove the centre of the remaining three cake halves.
- Place one of these onto a serving plate and liberally spread buttercream. Avoid the centre and make sure it’s smooth to ensure it is level
- Place the second piece of cake with the centre removed on top and fill the hole with easter eggs. Repeat with the buttercream
- Place the third half on top. Repeat easter eggs and buttercream before placing the final half of cake, bottom side up, onto the cake
- Spread a thin layer of buttercream evenly spread over the top and sides of the cake as a crumb layer. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.
- Once the buttercream has set slightly, add liberal amounts of buttercream to the top and sides of the cake and smooth.
- You can use either a palette knife, a large knife or even a clean kids plastic ruler for this! You want to get smooth sides and then smooth off the top.
- Take your time. You can always add more buttercream and continue until you are happy with your final look.
Speckles
- In a small bowl, add the cocoa and vanilla essence and mix together well.
- Prepare an area to flick your speckles as this step makes a bit of a mess! You will want to be able to wipe any surfaces afterwards.
- Using a pastry brush or new toothbrush, dip the brush into the cocoa mix and using your finger flick back the bristles to flick the cocoa mix onto the cake. Turn the cake often to get an even speckle over the sides and top of the cake.
- Pop the cake in the refrigerator to set until required for serving. Remove cake at least 20 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
I hope you love this recipe! I cannot wait to hear, let me know in the comments down below.
Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my latest recipes on my blog. If you are not already be sure to follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more deliciousness, and you can register your email in the subscription box below to receive all my recipes as I publish them.
Happy Baking
Anna
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Christine says
I have sent an email but will respond here as well. The photograph shows 4 eggs, the recipe states 2 eggs. What is the correct number of eggs.
Thanks
justamumnz says
Hopefully you have this sorted but you will see from the recipe that I made a double recipe to make it layered which is why I used 4 eggs.
marg roper says
Wish I had read this before I made my cake . Didn’t rise and so I can’t cut it in half. Thought it was me so made another single one using yes 1egg,same problem. l hope it all comes together OK. Will it affect the taste and will it be a bit heavy? I made the single cake a chocolate one and am thinking I’ll put in the middle layer e heavy but thin cakes… Wondering if it will be dry and do you agree I put a raspberry jus or could on the choc one for added moisture. Bit disappointed I didn’t notice the error
justamumnz says
If you followed the recipe you will have made a single cake to cut in half. The recipe states using two eggs. I’m not sure why it didn’t rise. Did you follow the recipe on the printed recipe card correctly?