Easter Egg Nest Cake

"This is another recipe from Nigella Lawson's Feast cookbook in her Easter section. She says that this has been a family tradition for the past couple of years and she doesn't see that changing - ever. I plan to make it next year."
 
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photo by a food.com user photo by a food.com user
Ready In:
1hr 5mins
Ingredients:
10
Serves:
8
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ingredients

  • for the cake

  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 12 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 eggs, 2 whole and 4 separated
  • 13 cup sugar, for the egg mixture
  • 12 cup sugar, for the egg white mixture
  • for the topping

  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup robin egg candies or 1 cup other egg shaped easter candy
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directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.
  • Melt the 8 oz. chocolate with the butter in a double broiler or a microwave and then set aside to cool slightly.
  • Whisk the 4 egg whites until firm, then gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape and gleaming but not stiff. Set aside.
  • In another bowl, add the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with the 1/3 cup sugar and the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture. Lighten the mixture with 1/3 of the egg whites incorporating into mixture. Add 1/2 of the remaining egg whites, and then the last batch incorporating after each addition.
  • Pour into the preapred pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly on the surface. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink when cools and the sides will splinter. You want it to look like a cake with a crater in it.
  • To finish the cake, carefully remove the pan and place on a plate or cake stand.
  • Melt the chocolate for the topping and leave it to cool a little. Meanwhile, whip the cream until it is firming up and aerated but still soft and then add the vanilla and fold in the chocolate.
  • Fill the crater of the cake with the chocolate cream, easing it towards the edges with a spatula. Arrange the robin eggs on top.

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<style>body { background: url("http://static-p4.fotolia.com/jpg/00/07/56/65/400_F_7566547_20ifdfgQw0rkaJfAXx2GIyTtmoXCBOn4.jpg");background-repeat: repeat; }</style> I have changed my name! Formerly Heidi in Seattle but I moved to the burbs so it doesn't quite fit anymore. Besides the name I have chosen is my handle in many places and holds special meaning to me. Invictus is a peom by William Ernest Henley which I discovered whilst in the darkest depths of despair. To this day it is a source of inspiration for me: OUT of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. I absolutely love to cook and bake. I am not a chef by any means and don't desire to be one. I simply love to cook for myself, my husband, and my two kids. My spare time is filled with checking out cookbooks from the library, devouring them,planning meals, and of course being in the kitchen! This site is amazing and I love being able to enter in a few ingredients that I have in my kitchen and come across a wonderful meal for my family. That has saved me a trip to the store more than a few times. The gameroom has introduced me to outstanding recipes that I would not have otherwise tried, and I am happy to say that my family has never eaten better. My tried and true don't make nearly as often of an appearance at my dinner table. We now have so much variety. I post recipes in spurts as I feel the urge to check out a new cookbook from the library. 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