Easter Baking: Chocolate Mini-Egg Nest Cake

Happy 1st April! 

This is a rather special blogpost for me as its my 100th post! I'm so glad I finally jumped on the blogging bandwagon last year, it was something I had wanted to do for a long while but didn't quite know how - and somehow I've managed to blab my way through one hundred whole posts!! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my blabbing!

So the Easter Weekend is fast approaching and what more could you want at Easter time than a huge chocolate cake covered in Cadbury's mini eggs?! I created this delicious mess of a cake this week and it's too good not to share. It's a firm Nigella favourite, Nigella never lets me down.

For the cake:
250g dark chocolate
125g unsalted butter

6 medium eggs {2 whole, 4 seperated}
175g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

  125g dark chocolate
250ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet Cadbury's mini eggs

Preheat the oven to gas mark 180 degrees.C and line the bottom of a springform cake tin with baking parchment. 

Melt the 250g chocolate with the butter and set aside to cool slightly. 

Whisk the 4 egg whites until firm, then gradually add the 100g of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape and peak gleamingly - but not stiff. Remove this bowl and set aside while you whisk, in another bowl, the 2 whole eggs and 4 yolks with the 75g of sugar and the vanilla extract, and then gently fold in the chocolate mixture.  Lighten the mixture with some egg whites - just dollop a large spoonful in and stir briskly - and then fold in the rest of the whisked whites gently, in about three goes. 

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly on the surface.  Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack.  The middle will sink as it cools and the sides will break ab bit but that's fine,  you want this to look like a cake with a crater in it, so do not panic at the vision of imperfection in front of you.

To finish the cake, carefully remove it from the tin and  place it on a plate or cake-stand, not worrying if bits fall off here and there.  Put them back in a loose fashion. 

Melt the chocolate for the topping and leave it to cool a little.  Whip the cream until it is firming up and aerated but still soft, and then add the vanilla and fold in the melted chocolate.  Fill the crater of the cake with the chocolatey cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake with a rubber spatula, and then arrange the little sugar Easter eggs on top.

Happy baking!

Lydia xxx