Easter Egg Nest Cake

Happy Easter!

Above is my Easter Egg Nest Cake from Nigella's "Feast". It actually doubled as a birthday cake for a friend and proved a hit. The point is that the cake should be collapsed but someone is going to point out that you were just disguising a mistake!

The cake is fiddly (chocolate melting, egg separating and whisking) but the end result makes it all worthwhile. And licking the spoon with the chocolate and cream is a bonus! I found another friend collapsed on the couch in ecstacy, this delectable mix of dense flourless chocolate cake smothered with chocolate cream is no ordinary treat.

Nigella's Easter Egg Nest Cake
Cake
125g Butter - unsalted, softened
250g Dark chocolate
6 eggs - 4 separated and 2 whole
175g Caster sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Topping
250ml Double cream
125g Dark chocolate
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Small chocolate easter eggs - ideally sugared eggs

1) Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C and line a springform tin with baking paper
2) For the cake, melt the butter and chocolate and allow to cool.
3) Whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy and gradually beat in 100g of the sugar until peaks form; they should not be stiff.
4) Whisk the 4 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs with the remaining 75g of sugar and the vanilla essence. Fold in the melted butter and chocolate.
5) "Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites" and in three additions, fold in the rest of the egg white mixture.
6) Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40mins until the cake rises and cracks on top, and the centre doesn't wobble.
7) Let the cake cool in the tin. The centre will collapse and form a crater, and the sides will crack.

8) Carefully remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving plate/cake stand.
9) Melt the chocolate and let cool. Whip the cream until it is aerated but not stiff and add in the vanilla essence. Fold the chocolate into the cream topping.
10) Fill the crater with the chocolate cream and spread towards the edge of the cake. Decorate with the chocolate eggs.

Notes
1) My cake took a little longer and I actually cracked the top of the cake myself with a wooden spoon, then returned it to the oven to bake until it didn't wobble.
2) Sugared easter eggs were nowhere to be found and all I could find were mini creme eggs; not as colourful but they did the trick.

Tagged with: Easter Treat and Easter Egg Nest Cake