Best Easter Egg Hunt Cake Recipes

EASTER EGG HUNT CAKE

Steps:

• For the devil's food cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment with an overhang on the longer side. Grease the parchment.
• Combine the chocolate, cocoa and instant coffee in a large bowl. Pour the hot water over to melt; let sit 2 to 3 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly.
• Add the sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low to combine.
• Add the buttermilk to the chocolate mixture to cool it slightly more. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and chocolate-buttermilk mixture to the stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low and combine until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, scraping halfway through.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, 58 to 60 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan, then wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Unmold the by unwrapping the plastic, placing a fresh piece of parchment and a wire rack on top of the cake, then turning the cake out of the pan. (Cold sheet cakes are easier to unmold and have less chance of breakage.) Flip the cake onto a serving board. Trim the sides and level if necessary.
• Mix the buttercream with 2 parts green and 1 part yellow gel food coloring until it's tinted light green. Transfer about 1 1/2 cups of the buttercream to a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave it about 5 seconds to soften. Frost the top of the cake and then the sides with the warmed buttercream. Use a scraper to square off the edges. Chill in the refrigerator until the buttercream is no longer sticky, 20 to 30 minutes. Frost the cake a final time and chill in the refrigerator until the buttercream is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Fit a pastry bag with a grass tip. Divide the remaining green buttercream between two small bowls and darken 1 bowl with more green and yellow food coloring. Fill the pastry bag with the two colors, allowing them to mix slightly, then pipe grass on the top of the cake.
• Cut the rolled wafer cookies pieces in half so they are about 1/2-inch higher than the top of the cake. Attach to the sides of the cake with a little bit of extra buttercream, leaving some space in between. Place the chocolate eggs in the grass.

EASTER EGG "HUNT" CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl whip the butter with a hand mixer until completely smooth. Add sugar and "cream" them together until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the egg and the egg yolk and mix until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure everything is being integrated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the almonds, flour, almond extract, vanilla extract and orange liqueur. Stir until thoroughly combined. Stir the rabbit figurine into the filling.
• Place the 11-inch round circle of puff pastry flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a pastry brush to brush the edge with the egg wash. Put the filling in an even mound in the center of the round leaving the edge clean. Gently lift the 12-inch round and place it over the filling and the bottom round so the edges match up. Press down on all of the edges so the egg wash acts as a glue to stick the top and bottom together. Using the tines of a fork, "crimp" around the edges to seal the top shut. Brush the top with any remaining egg wash.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator to firm up slightly as the oven heats, about 15 minutes. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

EASTER EGG HUNT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then finely grind in a food processor. (Leave the oven on.)
• In a large bowl, whip the butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and cream together until thoroughly combined. Add 1 egg and the egg yolk and mix until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Fold in 1/2 cup ground almonds, the flour, almond extract, vanilla extract and orange liqueur with a rubber spatula. Stir the rabbit figurine into the filling, if using.
• Unfold the puff pastry on a floured surface and roll out slightly. Cut 1 piece into an 11-inch circle and the other piece into a 12-inch circle. Place the 11-inch round on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush the edge of the pastry with the egg wash. Spread the almond filling in an even layer in the center, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently lift the 12-inch round and place it over the filling so the edges match up. Press down on all the edges so the egg wash acts as a glue to stick the pastry together. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Brush with any remaining egg wash. Place the cake in the refrigerator to firm up slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Bake the cake until the pastry is golden brown and puffs up slightly, about 35 minutes. (Tent with foil if the cake is browning too quickly.) Let cool before serving; the cake will shrink as it cools.