Looking for a show stopping Easter Cake that tastes as good as it looks, then this Praline Easter Cake is for you. Scroll down for the recipe!
Showstopping Easter recipes
It doesn't take an expert to realise that Easter is becoming the new Christmas. Not only are supermarket shelves stocked with rows of Easter eggs but they're now stocking bunting, balloons and even Easter crackers!
I'm not entirely sure I feel comfortable with the commercialisation of Easter. It's a serious religious festival after all. But then again I love chocolate and cake so I'm happy jumping on the bandwagon and creating some tasty Easter treats!!! If you can't beat them, join them.
With that in mind I've developed a recipe for an Easter cake that will impress your guests. This praline Easter cake is made of rich vanilla sponge, Nutella buttercream, chopped nuts and dark chocolate ganache. Oh, and it's topped with praline filled Easter eggs!
How to make a Praline Easter Cake
There are a number of elements to make a cake like this.
You've got the sponges, the buttercream, the ganache and the decoration.
The sponges are made using the traditional creaming method (as opposed to the all in one method). This means that the butter and sugar are whisked together before the eggs are slowly incorporated. The flour is then folded in gently so as to avoid knocking out any air. Once mixed the batter is then divided between the tins and baked until golden and bouncy to the touch.
To decorate, we make a buttercream with a chocolate and hazelnut spread (like Nutella), as well as a dark chocolate ganache.
The butter cream is simply butter, icing sugar and Nutella beaten together until soft and smooth.
The ganache is made by heating cream then pouring it over the chocolate. The heat of the cream melts the chocolate which then becomes a silky ganache.
Once you have your sponges, buttercream and ganache all that's left to do is assemble!
The recipe
My Praline Easter Cake really went down a treat. It's delicious with a cup of tea, a mug of coffee or even a glass of wine after lunch!
Praline Easter Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
- 300 grams butter
- 300 grams caster sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 vanilla pod
- 300 grams self raising flour
- 1 pinch salt
For the buttercream
- 175 grams butter
- 175 grams icing sugar
- 350 grams Nutella or other chocolate spread
- milk optional
For the ganache
- 75 millilitres cream
- 100 grams dark chocolate
For decorating
- Chopped hazelnuts
- Praline Easter eggs
Instructions
To bake the cake
- Begin by lining three 6 inch cake tins with grease proof paper and place to one side.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar for the sponge until pale and creamy.
- Add an egg and continue to beat well.
- Keep adding the eggs one at a time (beat well each time) until the mix has become pale and fluffy.
- Scoop the seeds out of the vanilla pod and beat into the sponge mix.
- Next, sift the flour and salt into the bowl and fold through the wet sponge mix.
- Divide the sponge mix between the three tins.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes at 180C or gas mark 4.
- Take the cakes out of the oven once golden and springy to the touch or a skewer placed in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before attempting to decorate.
To decorate
- To make the buttercream, beat together the butter and icing sugar until pale and creamy.
- Add the Nutella and beat until combined.
- If the buttercream is too stiff to spread and pipe, add a little milk and beat again.
- Stack the three sponge cake layers with a thin layer of the buttercream.
- Cover the cake in a crumb coat before finishing with a smooth layer of buttercream.
- Make sure you save some buttercream for piping the nest.
- Take some chopped nuts in your hand and gently press into the base of the cake.
- Repeat until you have chopped nuts around the whole cake.
- Place the iced cake in the fridge while you make the ganache.
- To make the ganache finely chop the dark chocolate and place to one side.
- Gently heat the cream until not quite bubbling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir.
- Keep stirring until all of the chocolate has melted.
- Remove the cake from the fridge and, using a spoon, drizzle the ganache around the top edge of the cake creating the drip effect.
- Cover the top of the cake with the remaining ganache.
- Using the leftover buttercream, pipe a nest on top of the cake.
- Add a little sprinkling of nuts and the praline eggs.
Nutrition
More Easter treats
I don't know what it is about chocolate eggs - whether they are brightly coloured, filled with white and yellow fondant or speckled - but I love putting them on cakes! Over the years I've found lots of excuses to put mini eggs on cakes...
The Easter recipe collection
For the full range of recipes check out the Easter recipe collection.
Kavey at Kavey Eats says
As a non-religious person, Easter for me is very much a cultural celebration (as is Christmas for that matter) so I wholeheartedly enjoy the traditions that have come to be associated with it, whether or not they make much sense in the context of the religious origin of the holiday. So it's all about chocolate eggs, bunnies, chicks, roast lamb and anything else Easter themed! Your cake looks EPIC!
Emma Walton says
Good point Kavey its certainly a good excuse to meet with friends and family and do something nice for one another and this cake certainly brings people together 🙂
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I'm totally blown away by this cake Emma, it is totally stunning!. Not only is it stunning, but I'd love to tuck into it right now. I'll seriously have to make this for my baking club some time, although I doubt mine will look quite as good.
Emma Walton says
Thank you so much Jac you're too sweet! I'm sure this cake will go down well. My family loved it! The ganache drip hides any uneven buttercream underneath 😉
Cricket Plunkett says
That chocolate drip is pure perfection!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
What a stunning cake. Perfect way to celebrate the day!! This is a chocolate lovers dream....and I know people would be fighting to take home leftovers.
Emma Walton says
Thank you so much Gloria. Your kind words mean a lot!
Choclette says
Everytime I see one of your cakes, I think you've excelled yourself and then I see the next one. This is just fantastic. Love the wooded fairy feel to this one and it sounds delicious too. Happy Easter.
Emma Walton says
Choclette you are the absolute sweetest! Thank you so much! Maybe I should give up on everything else and just do cakes 😛 Hope you've had a lovely Easter!
Choclette says
BTW - I've got a super easy comp over on my FB page. Photo of Easter bake with winner picked by Mary Berry.
Emma Walton says
Ooooooh I'll have to take a look! How did I miss that?!
Choclette says
Oh! And one more thing - sorry! This would be a great entry for We Should Cocoa - just saying!