Easter pinata cake recipe

Coming up to Easter, I want to use eggs. Eggs are so useful and versatile. They bind, they expand, they emulsify. They come in two parts, yolk and white, can be eaten raw or cooked, can be used in sweet or savoury recipes. Eggs were used by medieval painters, tempera, as paint. The shells can be used around plants to deter pests.
This Easter I’ve created an egg chocolate ‘pinata’ cake (which can easily double as a birthday cake). For the cake I’ve used duck eggs, higher in fat and 50% larger, promising a beautifully light risen sponge.

Easter piñata cake recipe

Equipment
3 x 20cm sandwich tins
A cutter (between 5-8 cms in diameter)


Ingredients:


For the cake:
250g salted butter, room temperature
385g caster sugar
6 duck eggs (9 hen eggs)
5tbsp cocoa powder
335g self-raising flour
4 tbsp milk

Frosting and filling:
350ml double cream
150g white chocolate
350g salted butter, room temperature
1tsp vanilla paste
550g icing sugar
328g pack of mini eggs (or sweets/chocolate eggs of your choice)

Preheat tthe oven to 180Cº
Prepare your sandwich tins (buttering or using a cake spray release). If you only have two, you will have to make the cakes in two stages.
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
Scrape down the sides of your bowl then add the eggs one by one, combining between each addition.
Add the cocoa powder.
Add half the self-raising flour, stir in. Then add the second half.
Lastly add the milk.
Beat lightly.
Divide the mixture evenly between the tins.
Bake for 30 minutes or until springy to the touch. You can also insert a skewer, if it comes out clean, the cake is baked.
Leave the cakes to cool in their tins on a rack.
Meanwhile make the filling.
Heat the cream in a small pan.
Put the white chocolate into a heat proof bowl.
Add the warm cream to the white chocolate and stir.
In another bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter, vanilla and icing sugar until fluffy.
Pour the cream/white chocolate into the the butter mixture. Combine and let it cool.

To assemble the cake:
Using a cookie cutter, cut out the centre of two of the sandwich layers.
Place the 1st cut-out layer on a flat plate or cake stand and, using a palette knife, spread the frosting over the top.
Place the 2nd cut-out layer on top of the first cake.
Fill with the mini eggs until level with the top of the 2nd cake layer.
Frost the top of the 2nd layer and place the 3rd cake layer on top.
Then apply a crumb coat, which is a thin layer of base frosting, all over the cake, starting with the sides so that you can turn it around while holding the top.
Chill the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.
Then with a palette knife, thickly spread another layer of frosting.
Decorate the top with more mini eggs if desired.

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