Easter is one of the most festive events in the Christianity. It is actually the greatest feast in the Christian calendar. So what better way to sweeten up your Easter lunch, then with cake. And what is even better, an Easter egg cake. To be honest, it gets even better, because it is a no-bake cake, and it has chocolate, and pâte de fruits.
If you wish so, you can use some roughly chopped toasted almonds, too. It takes about half an hour to make the cake, an hour in the refrigerator, and you can serve it. And if Easter is a public holiday where you live, you can use the free time to whip up this lovely cake to enjoy with friends and family! Happy Easter!
Ingredients
For the cake
250 grams unsalted butter, softened
200 grams icing sugar, sifted
100 grams dark chocolate
500 grams vanilla cookie crumbs
150 grams ground hazelnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
100 ml fresh orange juice
200 grams pâte de fruit
100 grams rosewater Turkish delight, optional
For the decoration
400 ml double cream, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons icing sugar
assorted food colouring
Preparation
Start by melting the dark chocolate in a double-boiler, or in the microwave. Melt it slowly until smooth and uniformed, then remove it from the heat, and let it cool down. Take a large bowl, and add in the softened butter. Sift in the icing sugar, and start beating with an electric mixer on high, for about 2-3 minutes. It should be smooth and creamy, and slightly lighter in colour. Basically, it should resemble a smooth and thick buttercream. By this time, the chocolate you melted in the beginning should be cool enough to be added to the butter. Add it to the buttercream in a few additions, constantly beating with an electric mixer on high. Add in the vanilla, and the rum, and blend well.
At this point, switch to a wooden spoon, or a really sturdy spatula. Add in half of the cookie crumbs, ground toasted hazelnuts, pâte de fruits, and the rosewater Turkish delight (if using), and mix everything thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add in half of the orange juice, and mix well. Tip in the rest of the cookie crumbs, and the rest of the orange juice, and mix well. At this point, if the mixture is too thick to stir, gently knead it with your hands, as you would knead a bread dough. The cake batter should be thick enough to hold its shape on its own, but not dry. If your cookie crumbs were dry, you might need a bit more of orange juice.
Take a cake platter of your choice, and gradually build the shape of the egg in the centre. Continue to smooth out and shape the cake until you are satisfied with the final shape, then place it in the refrigerator for about an hour. While the cake is firming up, pour the chilled whipping cream into a large glass bowl, add in the vanilla, and the icing sugar, and beat with an electric mixer on high, until soft peaks form.
Divide it into two parts, one larger, and one smaller - for the egg cake, and for the grass decor. Add in the food colouring of your choice for the egg, and whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Add the green colour for the grass and do the same. Using a small offset spatula, cover the egg with the cream, and smooth it out as much as you can. Use a small grass tip (Wilton 233), and pipe the grass around the egg. Return the whole cake into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Yields 8 servings.
Baker's note: You can decorate the cake further with some gold lustre dust, or tiny sugar flowers.
