Heat the oven to 170ºc/150ºfan and line two DEEP 20cm/8inch cake tins with baking parchment – leave to the side.
In a stand mixer, beat together the unsalted butter and aster sugar until light and fluffy.
Add in the self raising flour, eggs and vanilla extract and beat again briefly until combined – try not to overbeat!
Divide the mixture between the two tins and smooth it over – bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake is golden and when the cake springs back (skewer should also come out clean).
Once baked, leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove and leave to cool fully on a wire rack.
For the Decoration!
In a stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter on it's own, with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes so it's supple.
Add in the icing sugar, and vanilla extract, and continue to beat so it combines.
Keep beating the buttercream for 5-6 minutes on a medium speed so it starts to get fluffier and lighter. If too thick, add one tablespoon of boiling water at a time till its smooth enough.
Decoration
Once the cakes have cooled, level them off so that they are flat, and then divide the cakes into two – so I end up with 4 layers.
Add the first layer of cake to your board with a small spoonful of buttercream underneath to act as a glue.
With the first layer of the cake, spread some of the buttercream onto the top of the first layer and sprinkle on 1/3 of the crushed mini eggs.
Add the second cake on top, and then top again with some of buttercream and mini eggs etc until you reach the top layer. Only use about 1-2 tbsp of buttercream per layer so that you have enough to decorate with!
Using a small amount of buttercream, do a crumb coat on the cake by smoothing as little as possible around the edges and top of the cake with ana angled spatula. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes after this.
Once chilled, spread more buttercream around the edges and top of the cake, and smooth with a large metal scraper until you have a smooth edged finish. Chill the cake again for 30 minutes.
Once finished, make the ganache – add the dark chocolate, milk chocolate and double cream to a small bowl/jug and heat on a low heat in the microwave until smooth (stir often).
Gently pour/pipe the ganache around the edge of the cake to cause the drips, and pour the rest onto the top and smooth over/create a pattern.
Pipe on any leftover buttercream how you like, add an Easter egg (I did half standing up, and then the other half broken into shards like it had exploded), and add mini eggs all over.
Notes
If your ganache isnt fully melted after the mixing the chances are that the cream wasn’t hot enough – heat it for 10 seconds at a time in the microwave until its smooth. Its important to leave it to cool before decorating the cake otherwise it might melt the cake.
As its for easter, you could easily dye the frosting a pale shade of pink, blue, etc – add in a little of colouring as you’re whipping the frosting up!
All of the decorations are completely optional – but I love this style of cake! (You can also make half of the recipe to make a smaller cake, as this is a beast… but it really is a showstopper!)
I bake the cake at 150ºfan in my oven as its a deeper cake, and it makes it bake flat. It also tends to stay moister. If you’re in a rush you can bake it at the usual temperatures, but adjust the baking time accordingly.
This cake will last in an airtight container for 3 days, at room temperature.
Recipe updated February 2022 - notes on the post for the original recipe.