Mini Egg Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
400g light brown sugar
120ml vegetable or rapeseed oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
240ml brewed coffee (still warm)
300g self raising flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
75g unsweetened cocoa powder
240ml whole milk

For the vanilla buttercream:
250g unsalted butter, cut into pieces, softened
560g icing sugar, sifted
50ml whole milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache:
100g dark chocolate
100ml double cream

1-2 bags of mini eggs to decorate

Preheat the oven to 170c or gas mark 3 and grease and base line two 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment.

Mix the oil and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, salt and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.

Once the coffee is warm but not hot, add it to the sugar mixture. Sift together the baking powder, baking soda flour and cocoa powder.

Add half the dry ingredients to the batter, and then add half of the milk. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and then the remaining milk. Whisk briefly to combine, and carefully pour the batter into the muffin cases tapping them to eliminate air bubbles in the batter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Move to a cooling rack until completely cold.

To make the icing, beat the butter for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy

Add the icing sugar in two batches and beat again until fully incorporated. Add the milk and vanilla extract and beat for another 3-5 minutes until almost white.

Sandwich the two sponges together with icing and crumb coat the whole cake with a thin layer and refrigerate until crusted over. 

Generously ice the cake with a long palette knife to get a smooth finish. Refrigerate for around 30 minutes. 

To make the ganache, break the chocolate into small pieces in a bowl.

Heat the cream until it starts to bubble but before it starts to simmer. 

Pour the cream over the chocolate and leave for five minutes then stir well until well combined and glossy.

Put 3-4 heaped teaspoons of ganache into a piping bag with a very small nozzle.

Remove the cake from the fridge and pour the rest of the ganache over the top of the cake; spreading evenly to the edges with a palette knife allowing a few drips to begin.

Using the ganache in the piping bag quickly add some drips round the edge of the cake.

Decorate with some mini eggs and then leave to set for 1 hr before serving.