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Easter Cake with Coconut Nest and Speckled Chocolate Details Recipe

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4.2 from 14 reviews

This delightful Easter Cake is a festive layered vanilla cake adorned with a creamy buttercream frosting, decorated with delicate cocoa speckles, toasted coconut flakes, and pastel-colored Easter eggs. Perfectly balanced in sweetness and texture, it brings a charming centerpiece to any Easter celebration.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 Vanilla Cake (3 layers of 20cm/8" cake of choice, see Note 1)

Buttercream Frosting

  • 340g (3 sticks) unsalted butter, 1.25cm / ½" cubes, softened to 18°C/64°F (see Note 3)
  • 750g (1.5 lb / 6 cups) soft icing sugar / powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 - 2 drops blue gel food colouring (or 1 - 2 tsp blue food colouring, see Note 4)
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Speckle Mixture

  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened or sweetened)
  • 3 tbsp boiling water

Decorations

  • 2 cups coconut flakes (or shaved coconut)
  • 200g / 7oz small Easter eggs (pastel coloured speckled ones recommended, see Note 5)

Tools

  • Toothbrush or basting brush for speckling

Instructions

  1. Level: Trim the top of the cake layers if needed to make them level for a neat, aesthetic finish.
  2. Chill: Place cake layers in the fridge until thoroughly chilled, which helps reduce crumbs when frosting.
  3. Toast Coconut: Preheat your oven to 160°C/325°F (140°C fan). Spread coconut flakes evenly on a baking tray and bake for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes until golden. Remove and let cool.
  4. Cream Butter: Using a stand mixer at Speed 8, beat the softened butter for 3 minutes until it changes color from yellow to almost white and becomes fluffy.
  5. Add Icing Sugar: Add sifted icing sugar in 3 batches. Begin mixing on Speed 1 until partially incorporated, then increase speed until mostly combined after each addition.
  6. Add Vanilla and Salt: Pour in the vanilla extract and salt, then beat on Speed 8 for 2 minutes until the buttercream is almost white and beautifully fluffy.
  7. Colour Frosting: Remove 1 tablespoon of frosting into a small bowl, add 1 drop of blue gel food colouring and mix well. Add a teaspoon of this coloured frosting back into the main bowl and beat until incorporated. Repeat adding coloured frosting one teaspoon at a time until desired blue tone is achieved.
  8. Prepare Speckle Mixture: Mix cocoa powder with boiling water until smooth to create the speckling liquid.
  9. Frost Cake Layers: Spread approximately 3/4 cup of frosting between each cake layer. Use the remaining frosting to cover the sides and top of the cake evenly. Save about 1/2 cup for adjustments if needed.
  10. Speckle Cake: Place a backboard behind the cake to catch speckles. Dip a toothbrush into the cocoa mixture and flick the bristles with your fingers to speckle the cake’s sides and top. Angle the toothbrush 45 degrees downward when speckling the top to avoid drips.
  11. Create Coconut Nest: Pile the toasted coconut flakes in the center of the cake to form a nest shape, then place a mound of Easter eggs inside the nest.
  12. Decorate Coconut Rim: Arrange a ring of toasted coconut flakes around the base of the cake and dot with remaining Easter eggs for a festive finish.
  13. Serve and Enjoy: Bring the finished Easter Cake proudly to the table and enjoy the compliments!

Notes

  • Note 1: Use your favorite 20cm/8" layered vanilla cake or a similar cake of choice as the base.
  • Note 3: The butter should be softened to about 18°C/64°F to achieve the perfect creamy texture when beating.
  • Note 4: Use gel food coloring for better color control and less liquid in the frosting.
  • Note 5: Pastel coloured speckled Easter eggs add a charming, festive look, but any small decorative Easter eggs can be used.

Find it online: https://recipefeastful.com/easter-cake-with-coconut-nest-and-speckled-chocolate-details-recipe/