Ingredients

• 225g plain flour
• 300g caster sugar
• 85g cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bread soda
• 2 medium eggs
• 250ml milk
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250ml boiling water

For the Chocolate cake topping:

• 400g dark chocolate
• 200ml single cream

For the Speckled egg truffles:

• 225g dark chocolate
• 110ml single cream
• 100g white chocolate
• few drops blue food colouring

For the Birds nest:

• 80g dark chocolate
• 30g raw vermicelli noodles or shredded wheat

Tools

• Titanium Chef
• kMix

Method

For the Speckled egg truffles:

1. To make the speckled egg truffles, simply place the cream and chocolate in a bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir until everything is melted and combined. Place in a container in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to firm up.

For the Cake:

1. For the cake, line the base of a 8” round loose bottom cake tin with parchment paper.
2. Butter and flour the base and sides of the tin.
3. Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan
4. Using your Kenwood mixer fitted with the K-beater, add all the ingredients except the boiling water to the bowl and mix.
5. Once combined, carefully add the boiling water and mix until everything is smooth.
6. Pour this batter into the tin and bake in the preheated oven for 60/70 minutes.
7. Once baked allow to cool in the tin before removing.

For the Birds nest:

1. For the birds nest, if using vermicelli noodles, this display will not be edible but only for garnish. If you wish to have an edible nest, use broken up shredded wheat. Mix the noodles or shredded wheat with the melted chocolate.
2. Line a small bowl with cling film and press the chocolate noodles into the bowl to create a nest shape and chill.

For the Chocolate cake topping:

1. For the chocolate cake topping, simply combine the cream and chocolate in a bowl over a pot of gently simmering water or melt in the microwave.
2. Once melted, allow to cool to room temperature and spread over the top and sides of the cooled cake.
3. Keep a tiny bit of the chocolate topping back to decorate the speckled eggs.
4. To finish the speckled egg truffles, melt the white chocolate and add a few drops of blue food colouring.
5. Using a teaspoon scoop out 8-10 truffles and roll into an oval egg shape and dip in the melted chocolate. Take a small pastry brush and dip in the chocolate ganache topping and skite the eggs to give a speckled effect. Keep chilled until needed.
6. To serve, carefully remove the chilled nest from the bowl and pop on top of the cake and garnish with the speckled egg truffles.