Yield: 12 slices
Speckled Easter Cake
This easy and impressive Easter Cake has layers of fluffy vanilla-orange cake, sweet Robin's Egg buttercream frosting and candy Easter eggs on top!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt, or sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest from 1 orange
For the Buttercream:
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Blue food coloring
- 1 cup grated/shredded chocolate, separated
For the Topping:
- Chocolate candy eggs, like robin eggs or mini cadbury eggs
- Shredded chocolate, use a knife or vegetable peeler on a chocolate bar
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Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and set aside. You can also use two 9-inch cake pans instead, but they will need a longer bake time.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Add in the butter and whisk for a minute or two until the butter is well integrated. Add in the buttermilk, greek yogurt, orange extract, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Whisk until smooth.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and fold together until there are no flour clumps. Do not over-mix, stir just until the batter combines.
- Evenly divide batter into greased cake pans and place into the preheated oven to bake. For 3 cake pans, bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs and the edges are browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan. For 2 cake pans, expect the baking time to be about 16 to 18 minutes.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream.
For the Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, combine butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Using a paddle attachment, begin beating on low so that the powdered sugar does not explode everywhere. After a minute or two, once the frosting has started to come together, increase the speed to medium high. Beat frosting for about 4 minutes or until it is light and fluffy.
- Add in blue food coloring, a little at a time until you have reached the desired color. Add in 3/4 cup of the shredded chocolate, reserving the rest for garnishing the cake.
Assemble and Decorate:
- Place one layer onto a cake stand or plate. Spoon about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of frosting onto the bottom layer. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting around in an even layer, spreading the frosting all the way to the edge.
- Stack the second layer directly on top and spoon another 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of frosting on top and spread again. Spoon a little extra buttercream around the outer ½ inch edge. Place the last layer on upside down. The extra buttercream lip will make up for the slight dome your last layer of cake will have so that there is no gapping. Placing the top layer on upside down gives us a flat surface to frost making it easier to have even, smooth results.
- Frost the top and the sides as desired, adding the eggs on top of the center of the cake. Press the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded chocolate onto the bottom edge of the sides of the cake. (I did this by pouring a little bit of chocolate into my hand at a time and gently pressing it onto the side of the cake.) Slice and serve cake immediately or store in an airtight container (following directions below).
Notes
- Room Temperature: You can store this cake in an airtight container for up to 24 hours, keeping it away from heat or direct sunlight.
- Fridge: Cover the cake with plastic wrap, or store it in an airtight cake container, and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. The buttercream will firm up when chilled, so make sure to set the cake out at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving for the best texture.
- Freeze: Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then in a layer of foil. Place in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer slices to the fridge overnight or let them sit at room temp for about 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 888kcal, Carbohydrates: 115g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 46g, Saturated Fat: 28g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 173mg, Sodium: 499mg, Potassium: 97mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 94g, Vitamin A: 1389IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 130mg, Iron: 2mg