Chocolate Easter Cake With Buttercream Icing - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 sticks butter, softened or margarine
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 None eggs
2 sticks butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp cherry jam
None None chocolate mini eggs, to decorate
None None coarsely grated plain chocolate, to decorate

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350\u00b0F. Grease 2, 8 inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Mix the cocoa powder in a bowl with 4 tbsp of boiling water to make a thick, smooth paste, adding a little extra water if the mixture is too dry. Set it aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs and cocoa paste using an electric mixer for 2-3 mins, until the mixture is soft and creamy. Divide the batter equally between the two pans and level the surfaces with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for about 35 mins, until springy to the touch and slightly shrinking from the sides of the pan. Leave the cakes to cool for 5 mins in the pans before turning out onto a wire rack.
Meanwhile, combine the butter and powdered sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Mix in 1 tbsp of boiling water until the mixture is soft, light, and spreadable.
If the cakes have risen in the middle cut the tops off to make them level. Place one cake, upside down, on a plate or board, spread the jam over it and spread about a quarter of the buttercream on the jam. Put the other cake on top, right side up, and spread the remaining buttercream over the top and sides of the cake, making a swirly pattern with a small round-bladed knife. Arrange the mini eggs on the top and sprinkle the cake with grated chocolate.