Easter Chocolate Cake
·Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix them together really thoroughly.
Prepare the wet mixture
Melt the Hera in a saucepan on the stove, then let it cool slightly. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Whisk the cooled, melted Hera into the milk and egg mixture.
Preheat the oven
Preheat your oven to 170 °C.
Combine to make the batter
Add the wet mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir well. You'll get a thick mixture, which you then thin out with hot water. Mix thoroughly — don't worry, the batter will be quite runny.
Pour the batter into the tin
Prepare a springform cake tin, 26 or 28 cm in diameter. Line the base and sides with baking paper, then pour in the prepared batter.
Bake and let cool
Bake for about 90 minutes. Don't be alarmed if the top rises a lot and cracks — the cream will cover it all up later. Let the sponge cool completely, ideally overnight if you have the time.
Make the chocolate cream
Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring it to a boil on the stove. Turn off the heat and break the chocolate into the hot cream. Let it sit for five minutes, then whisk until smooth and glossy. Leave to cool.
Whip the cream
Once the ganache is lukewarm — almost cold — put the mascarpone into a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and add the ganache. Whip on high speed until you get a smooth chocolate cream.
Layer and decorate
Slice the sponge horizontally into four or five layers, however it works out best. Spread cream between each layer — if you like, you can also add some jam. Cover the whole cake with the remaining cream and smooth it out neatly. Decorate with chocolate eggs and chill in the fridge before serving.
