JP Food: Easter chocolate celebration cake

JP Kennedy March 29, 2024 9:04 am

From Tallaght, John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking.

I could not let easter go by without including a recipe for a delicious chocolate celebration cake.

This cake looks the part but is simple to make.

A delicious light chocolate sponge adorned with luxurious decadent chocolate icing and decorated with mini eggs and chocolate flakes, yes this is chocolate overindulgence but isn’t that what easter is all about?

Ingredients: (Makes one large cake)

Sponge:

330g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of bicarb

70g decent quality cocoa powder

250g castor sugar

4 eggs

370ml milk

170g unsalted room temperature butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Chocolate Icing:

400g full fat cream cheese

400g icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100g of cocoa powder

150g unsalted butter softened

Decoration:

Mini eggs

Chocolate flakes

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan/ gas mark 4. Grease the sides of a 30cm springform tin and line the base with greaseproof baking parchment.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixture cream together the butter and sugar and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb and mix to combine. Finally add the milk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder and mix everything together to form a batter. Pour the cake batter into your prepared tin and pop into the oven to bake for between 40 -50 minutes – all ovens can vary.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing and allow to cool completely. You can do this the day ahead but store in an airtight container before you make the icing and decorate the cake.
To make the icing bung everything into a bowl and using an electric mixer, combine all the ingredients until you have a smooth, rich, luscious icing. This makes plenty of icing!
Spread the icing on top of the cake sponge and using a spatula, spread evenly across the top of the cake, you can if you want ice the sides of the cake. Keep two tablespoons back to place on top in the centre of the cake and place the mini eggs on this mound to create some height! Scatter crumbled flake bar generously on top, serve with some lightly whipped cream and enjoy!