CAKE
560 g (4 c) cake flour
30 ml (2 T) baking powder
pinch of salt
8 eggs, at room temperature
600 g (3 c) sugar
5 ml (1 t) vanilla essence
500 ml (2 c) milk
4 teabags Carmientea, Sleepy Time, camomile & strawberry
180 g butter
Pink food colouring
ICING
250 g butter, softened
420 g (3 c) icing sugar, sifted
Pink food colouring
TO DECORATE
Strawberry jam
500 g small speckled chocolate eggs
500 g jellied piglets
1. This cake holds a big surprise inside. It’s great fun to cut the cake and a waterfall of sweeties start tumbling out. Nice party trick as well.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease and line 4 x 23 pans.
CAKE
1. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale yellow. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, stir in the vanilla essence.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and teabags to a slow boil, then add the butter and heat till the butter is melted. Remove the tea bags.
4. Let cool, then slowly add this to the batter, stirring gently.
SHADES OF COLOUR
1. Weigh the batter; divide into 4 equal parts, about 475 g each. Pour into 4 bowls. Add a few drops food colouring to the first batter, just enough to make a very light shade of pink… Mix.
2. Add a little more food colouring to the second batter to make a shade darker; add more food colouring to the 3rd and 4th batters, just enough to make each of them a shade darker than the previous one.
IN THE OVEN
1. Pour the batters into the prepared pans and bake for about 18–20 minutes or until the centres of the cakes springs back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool in the pans before turning out.
2. Cool and cut the tops even if necessary.
ICING
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until pale and creamy. Add the icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Reserve about 125 ml (1/2 c) of the icing and colour it in a light shade of pink with food colouring.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE
1. Place the first cake, lightest shade, on the cake stand, top facing down. Spread with jam. Place the second cake, next shade of pink, on top with the bottom facing down. Spread with jam. Place third cake on top, bottom facing up, fill up with some icing, if there is a slight gap between the cakes.
TO MAKE THE CENTRE
1. Take a large long glass and press out the centre of the cake. Fill the hole with some of the chocolate eggs. Spread the cake with jam.
TO COVER
1. Top with the remaining layer of cake, bottom facing up (this makes the lid of the cake).
TO DECORATE
1. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the uncoloured white icing.
2. Use a spatula to apply the reserved pink icing over the white icing to create a marbled effect.
3. Decorate with jellied sweets and rest of chocolate eggs.