Easter Egg Surprise Cake
Who doesn’t love cake!? It’s even better when you have a lovely little surprise inside, and nothing goes better with Easter than jelly beans. Ok, truth be told, jelly beans are my least favorite (haha shhh), but they are my son’s and husband’s favorite. So, this one is for them…and I’ll eat the cake!
You can do this with just about any cake recipe, but this one, in particular, is pretty sturdy and will hold the “egg” shape really well. I made this “DIY meets food” idea on Home and Family a couple of years again and it is still one of my favorites.
If you want to do this super fun cake recipe but don’t have the “egg” cookie cutters, you can create the shape with simply using a knife.
Ingredients
2 ¾ cups cake flour
1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
4 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla paste
Non-stick cooking spray
4 cups white buttercream frosting, divided
Food coloring
Jellybeans or any candy of choice
Green food coloring
Sweetened coconut flakes
Special Equipment
5" egg shaped cookie cutter
3" egg shaped cookie cutter
Directions:
Yields: 2 three-layer 5” cakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 18” x 13” x 1” sheet tray with parchment paper and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the butter until the consistency becomes an even crumb.
3. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the whole egg until combined.
4. Whisk the milk and vanilla paste together in a small bowl. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients in 1/3 increments, beating 1-2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl each time as well.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and smooth over with a small offset spatula into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the sheet tray and cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Once the cake is cooled, use the 5” cookie cutter and cut out 6 large eggs.
7. Using the 3” cookie cutter, cut out the centers of 2 of the 5” eggs.
8. Place ½ cup of the buttercream into a piping bag or plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
9. Use a solid 5” egg cut out for the base. Pipe a thick line of frosting around the surface perimeter. Place a 5” egg with the center cut out over the frosting. Pipe another line of frosting over the top of the next layer and repeat until you have assembled a solid base with two cut out layers.
10. Add a layer of frosting to the inside of the cake.
11. Fill the empty cavity with jelly beans. Pipe another line of frosting onto the cake layer and top with solid 5” egg cut out.
12. Place the cake into the refrigerator for at least one hour.
13. Use a serrated knife to bevel the sides creating an “egg-like” shape.
14. Coat the entire cake with a thin crumb coat of frosting and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
15. While the crumb coat is setting, mix the colors for your icing with the remaining buttercream.
16. Once the crumb coat is set you can frost and decorate the cakes to your liking.
17. Decorate to your liking – using a star, flower and/or regular tip to create different detailing.
18. Place cakes in sweetened coconut flakes to create a “grass look.”
