Easter Cake: the mouthwatering recipe for a festive cake

This easy-to-make Easter cake is as beautiful as it is delicious. It has a gorgeous robin's egg blue buttercream and cute crunchy coconut nest filled with mini chocolate Easter eggs as a decoration. This is one cake to make when you seriously want to impress your guests.

Easter egg cake has a lovely chocolate flavor with a soft, moist, tender crumb. Serve it after your Easter meal, and don't be surprised if it quickly disappears!

Easter Egg Cake Ingredients

Before you get started, gather up your ingredients. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature, especially for the butter.

To make the cake batter, you'll need flour, sugar, butter, eggs, buttermilk, chocolate and vanilla.

Baking powder and baking soda are also a must, as they'll leaven your cake and make it soft and fluffy.

For the buttercream, you'll need powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, milk, and blue food coloring. If you like you can add cookie crumbs or swap out the vanilla for a different flavored essence to give your Easter egg cake a unique spin.

Finally, you'll need some toasted coconut, cocoa powder, and mini chocolate eggs to decorate and assemble your cake.

How to Make Easter Cake

Whether you're a cake baking pro or still finding your feet in the kitchen, making this stunning Easter egg cake isn't too difficult. Follow the directions below and check out our handy tips, and you can't go wrong! Let's get started.

Making the Cake

To make your cake, start by heating your oven to 340F and greasing your cake pans generously with butter. Dust the pans with cocoa powder – this will make it easier to remove the cakes once they're done baking. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Melt chocolate in the microwave.

In a second bowl, beat the butter and eggs until smooth. Stir in the chocolate mixture, the flour mixture and buttermilk until just combined – don't overmix the batter!

Finally, divvy the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake your cakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Take them out of the oven and set the pans on racks to cool to room temperature. Make sure to let them cool completely, otherwise, you'll struggle when decorating with the buttercream.

Making the Buttercream

Now we're onto the buttercream! Whisk the butter until it becomes airy. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk. Once the buttercream is nice and smooth, add the cookie crumbs if using and enough blue food coloring until the buttercream turns robins egg blue. Put the buttercream into your piping bag, then let's put the cake together!

Assembling the Cake

Now we come to the fun part. Spread the buttercream between each cake layer, then stack the cakes on top of each other. Spread the buttercream on the entire outside of the cake. Smooth it out so the buttercream is even.

Decorating the Easter Egg Cake 

Refrigerate the cake for 10 to 15 minutes so the buttercream can firm up. Finally, make a buttercream ring on top of the cake. Put the toasted coconut flakes on the ring to form a nest. Gently put the eggs inside the nest. That's it! Your beautiful Easter egg cake is ready to be served.

Can You Make Easter Cake Ahead of Time?

Absolutely! You can make and assemble the cake, then freeze it for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

Tips for the Best Easter Cake

Be sure to measure all of your ingredients properly. This is the number one rule for successful cake baking.

Your cakes are done baking when the middle of the cake is springy to the touch.

Use high-quality cocoa powder for decorating your Easter cake. You'll taste the difference.

Want to change the color of your buttercream? Choose your preferred color and follow the instructions outlined in the recipe.

For a delicious, tasty twist on this recipe, make a vanilla Easter cake instead of a chocolate one. Simply leave out chocolate to the cake batter.

If you prefer a style of buttercream that's less sweet, use Italian meringue buttercream instead of American buttercream.

How to Store Easter Cake

Keep your Easter cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

More Cake Recipes You'll Love

• Bellini cake
• Piñata cake
• Funfetti cake

Instructions

For the cake

Preheat your oven to 340F. Grease cake pans with butter, then dust with flour.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl.

Mix.

Dust the bottom and sides of a pan with extra cocoa powder.

Add the chocolate in small heatproof bowl and let it melt in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

In a second bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the butter mixture and fold together until just combined.

Gradually add half the flour mixture. Start mixing with the mixer set to low speed.

Pour in the buttermilk.

Go on mixing, then add the remaining flour mixture until well combined.

Pour the batter evenly between the cake pans.

Smooth out the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set on racks to cool completely.

For the buttercream

Cream the butter until airy and light.

Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk.

Add chocolate cookie crumbs if using.

Once smooth, add blue food coloring.

Mix well until the buttercream turns robins egg blue. Put the buttercream into a piping bag.

To assemble the cake

Spread the buttercream between each cake layer. Stack the cakes on top of each other.

Spread the buttercream on the entire outside of the cake. Smooth with a spatula or dough scraper. Place in the fridge and chill the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the buttercream.

Make a ring of buttercream on top of the cake. Place the coconut flakes on the ring to form a nest. Set the eggs inside the nest, and serve.

Notes

Use 6-inch cake pans to make your Easter cake. For 9-inch cake pans, triple the recipe.