When the Co-operative challenged me to make an Easter centerpiece I had a think about what Easter meant. To me it is a time to be spent with family and signals new beginnings. A Spring style dessert would be fresh and exciting. To my children Easter is all about the chocolate eggs. I therefore decided I would try and combine the two with this more adult looking cake from the outside but with a surprise chocolate egg middle.


Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1lb of Co-operative unsalted butter
1lb of Co-operative self raising flour
1lboz of caster sugar
8 Co-operative medium free range eggs

Lemon curd

3 bags of Co-operative solid milk chocolate foiled easter eggs

For the frosting:
8oz of Co-operative unsalted butter
300g of icing sugar
150g of white chocolate

To finish:
1 packet of Co-operative raspberries
1 bar of Co-operative Fairtrade dark chocolate


You will need to start by making four 8 inch round sponge cakes.


Mix the eggs, caster sugar, and flour together with the butter. I find it easier to melt the butter. Divide the mixture into four and bake at 180C for approximately 15 minutes. Once cooled you will need to cut holes in three of the sponge cakes.


Place the three layers on top of each other with a generous layer of lemon curd sandwiching them together.


Fill the hole with foiled Easter eggs before placing the last cake layer on top.


To make the frosting you need to cream the butter and icing sugar together. Next heat the white chocolate in the microwave at 400W for 2 minutes. Take out, stir and repeat for 20s intervals if necessary. Mix the white chocolate into the butter icing.

Using a blunt knife spread the butter cream all over the cake.


Next I melted half a bar of Co-operative fairtrade dark chocolate and poured it into an icing bag. I cut a small whole at the end and piped the chocolate on the top.


Lastly I added the raspberries with some more drizzled chocolate.


And when you cut inside....



Will you be making an Easter centrepiece dessert? If you are looking for some baking inspiration then take a look at the recipes on the Co-operative site.






I was provided the ingredients for this post by the Co-operative Food.