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Easter Chocolate Cake

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Spring has officially arrived… And Easter is almost here! What I have for you is a decadent, moist Eater Chocolate Cake!!! Excited?

In my home country of Brazil, as in many other Christian countries, Easter is about Jesus’ resurrection which, as you may know, is symbolized by Easter eggs. Yes, you read that right! Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, who rose from the grave….

Easter eggs

It was the early Christians of Mesopotamia who initiated the custom of the Easter egg by staining eggs red in memory of the blood of Christ, shed at his crucifixion. This custom was only officially adopted by the Catholic Church in 1610 A.D. Although traditionally Easter is commemorated with painted or dyed chicken eggs, in modern times chocolate eggs or plastic ones with sweet treats inside have become more common.

In Brazil, unlike in the US, there is no tradition of plastic eggs filled with jelly beans or Easter egg hunts. It’s all about chocolate eggs, which are brought to children by the Easter bunny. This is why our dessert for Easter this year, an extremely moist Easter chocolate cake, is decorated with chocolate eggs… And you can see the Easter bunny in the background of our pictures.

Easter Chocolate Cake

Well, I do hope you enjoy our Easter chocolate cake as much as my family and I did… And most of all, I wish you and your family a very Happy Easter!

xx

“Bless, O Lord! we beseech thee, this thy creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome sustenance to thy faithful servants, eating it in thankfulness to thee on account of the resurrection of the Lord.” (Pope Paul V Prayer)

 

Easter Chocolate Cake

Easter-chocolate-cake
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Easter Chocolate Cake

A moist and decadent chocolate cake decorated for Easter!
Prep Time 17 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 12 minutes
Servings 12
Author Denise Browning

Ingredients

  • For the Cake:
  • 1-1/4 cups whole milk plus 1 Tablespoon
  • 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2-1/4 cups sugar
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 large whole eggs at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
  • 1-1/4 cups buttermilk plus 1 Tablespoon
  • 1 cup canola oil plus 2 Tablespoons
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 in vanilla bean pod splithalf lengthwise and seeds scraped out (optional)
  • 2-1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
  • For the Glaze:
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped, 113.4 g
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, or 1-1/2 sticks
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 1/4 cup sour cream at room temperature

Instructions

  1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F (180 C). Grease and flour a 10-inch/25.4 cm bundt pan and reserve.
  2. To make the cake batter: In a small, stainless steel saucepan, combine milk and cocoa powder together and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs, and egg yolk on low speed for about 60 seconds. Add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds (if desired), mixing on low again just until combined. Add the flour and mix on low for about 15 seconds; then, increase speed to medium and mix for about 45-60 seconds. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed just until combined. The batter will be very loose!!! Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  3. Let the Easter chocolate cake cool completely in the pan over a rack, and invert onto a serving plate.
  4. To make the icing: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl or a double boiler, and set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Please, make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the boiling water!!! When the chocolate has melted completely, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk the melted butter and the vanilla into the melted chocolate until thoroughly incorporated. Sift in half of the powdered sugar, add the sour cream, and whisk to combine. Then, sift in the remaining powdered sugar and whisk until smooth (The glaze should be thick and shiny). Pour the glaze over the Easter chocolate cake, covering it completely, and let cool down. Decorate the Easter chocolate cake as desired and enjoy!
  5. Storage: Easter chocolate cake should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

 

Other great recipes for Easter: 

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Comments

  1. Juliana

    March 25, 2013 at 6:15 pm

    Denise, I love how your chocolate cake rised…looks so pretty all decorated with the Easter eggs…I miss so much the huge Easter eggs that we used to get back in Brazil…it wa so much fun, finding our what was inside in the eggs 🙂
    Have a wonderful week my dear 🙂

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      March 25, 2013 at 6:52 pm

      Thanks a lot, Juliana! Me too…I so miss Páscoa in Brazil that I had to make a dessert filled with chocolate eggs to remind myself all the delicious stuff and fun that I used to have there. My children loved it!

      Reply

  2. Liz

    March 25, 2013 at 6:21 pm

    What a spectacular Easter cake! I love how you decorated it with chocolate eggs (my kids would always pick chocolate eggs over jelly beans :)).

    Reply

  3. Julia | JuliasAlbum.com

    March 25, 2013 at 10:49 pm

    What a gorgeous cake! Was so interesting to read a bit of history you shared here with us about the custom of staining eggs – I didn’t know that. I will have to look into that further, it’s very interesting. And yes, I think I prefer those chocolate eggs on your photos over the plastic eggs filled with jelly beans. 🙂

    Reply

  5. Kate@Diethood

    March 26, 2013 at 8:05 am

    I’m so glad you shared this! Where I come from, Macedonia, we don’t do hunts and bunnies, or chocolates, either… it’s about the resurrection of Christ.

    The cake is beautiful! My husband would be head over heels if this is what he saw on the dessert table for Easter! 🙂

    Reply

  6. Deb

    March 26, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    As a child Easter was always celebrated with sweet treats. My parents held their Christian heritage in high regard and wished to pass their beliefs on to their children. Easter was as much of a celebration as Christmas. I enjoyed learning about the traditions of Brasil. And chocolate cake is always a good thing! Especially at Easter!

    Reply

  9. Purabi Naha

    March 28, 2013 at 2:42 am

    Now this chocolate cake is something really really delicious!! I love using canola oil in my cake recipes as well!!! Awesome recipe and the picture is so good….it makes me drool!

    Reply

  12. The Café Sucré Farine

    March 29, 2013 at 7:20 pm

    Your cake is beautiful and I love your description of Easter. So true and how often we forget what really matters! It’s all about Jesus, isn’t it? Have a blessed holiday!

    Reply

  16. Jill

    April 2, 2013 at 9:40 am

    The cake looks delicious, I know I’m a little late for Easter but may just have to make one anyway. Hope you had a great Easter.

    Reply

      • Jill

        April 9, 2013 at 3:55 am

        Hi Denise, just wanted to let you know that I made the cake with my little boy and it was delicious. We really enjoyed it, will definitely be making it again 🙂

        Reply

        • Denise Browning

          April 9, 2013 at 7:02 am

          Thank you, Jill! I am so glad that y’all enjoyed it to the point of making it again.
          My family enjoys this cake as well. Thank you for stopping by and let me know. I do appreciate it…

          Reply

  20. Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen

    April 17, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    Beautiful Easter chocolate cake, Denise! Just saw this over at PInterest and had to scoot on over to tell you. So pretty and nostalgic! Thank you for including the history of Easter eggs and how the dying of eggs relates to Christianity. And yes…chocolate eggs are much nicer than the plastic ones! Thanks for sharing. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter! xo

    Reply

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