Chocolate Hazelnut Easter Egg Cake

Chocolate hazelnut Easter egg cake will sure steal the show at any Easter party. It’s prepared with a soft and moist hazelnut cake, topped with a chocolate ganache and a white chocolate ganache. Easy to make, it’s incredibly delicious and also works for other occasions with a different cake shape!

This Easter egg cake recipe was mainly inspired by Un Déjeuner de Soleil and her stunning 3-chocolate version. As I like to play with textures and flavors, I went for a slightly different Easter egg cake recipe, featuring a soft and moist hazelnut cake base, on top of which I piped a chocolate and a white chocolate ganache.

The result sure looks impressive, but the recipe is incredibly easy to make, and tastes amazing! The hazelnut cake is incredibly moist, with still some texture to it, and the chocolate ganache makes every bite melt in your mouth. I bet you’ll ask for seconds!

Chocolate Easter egg cake

• Made of a moist hazelnut cake base ✔
• A creamy white chocolate ganache ✔
• A chocolate milk ganache ✔

The recipe ingredients

• Hazelnut flour/meal. I use Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Meal, but you can also make it yourself by simply pulsing whole hazelnuts in a food processor until ground. It’s ok if there is still some texture to it.
• All-purpose flour. Combining both hazelnut meal and all-purpose flour allows a great texture and a cake that holds its shape nicely.
• Butter. You need melted butter for the cake, ideally unsalted.
• Sugar. Granulated white sugar will do.
• Egg whites. You need 5 egg whites, beaten until stiff peaks form. Egg whites will act as a leavening ingredient, bringing a light and airy texture to the cake.
• Semi-sweet baking chocolate. I recommend chocolate with about 55% cocoa, cut into small and equal bite-size pieces. Chocolate chips work too!
• White chocolate. Cut into small bite-size pieces, or use white chocolate chips.
• Heavy whipping cream. You need heavy liquid cream to make the chocolate and the white chocolate ganache.

How to make chocolate Easter egg cake?

1. First, prepare the hazelnut cake, transfer to a cooling rack and let it cool.
2. Then, prepare both the chocolate and the white chocolate ganache, and let cool in the refrigerator until very cold (to speed up the process, you can place for 1 hour in the freezer and 1 hour in the refrigerator).
3. Whip up the milk chocolate ganache and then the white chocolate ganache, using an electric hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer to two separate piping bags.
4. Cut the hazelnut cake into an egg shape, and pipe both chocolate ganaches onto the cake. Decorate with small chocolate Easter eggs, and enjoy!

The whipped chocolate ganache

Chocolate ganache is the result of melted chocolate and warm heavy liquid cream, combined together. In order to obtain whipped chocolate ganache, you then need to allow this mixture to cool down in the refrigerator until very cold, usually for 5-6 hours or ideally overnight. Then and only then, you can beat the ganache into a whipped chocolate ganache, both soft and fluffy. Read below the detailed instructions to speed up the process if you’re running out of time.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the different parts of the recipe ahead of time and assemble before serving.

Make ahead parts. You can make and bake the hazelnut cake base the night before, and let cool on a cooling rack at room temperature. It’s also recommended to make both ganaches the night before to allow enough time to cool completely. On the baking day, beat each ganache separately until soft and fluffy. Transfer to two separate piping bags with an open star piping tip for one and a drop flower tip for the other one. Cut the cake into a large egg shape (using a free printable egg template or not), then pipe both ganache onto the cake, as seen on the photos.

If you can’t make the recipe ahead of time, you can speed up the process by placing the unwhipped ganaches for 1 hour in the freezer, plus 1 hour in the refrigerator, until very cool. Then and only then, you can beat up to a whipped ganache and pipe onto the cake.

How to store chocolate Easter egg cake?

Because of the ganache, you can’t really leave the cake out for hours. At the same time, the hazelnut cake will keep its moisture best if stored at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator. For these reasons, I recommend to prepare the recipe parts in advance (the cake and both ganaches), and assemble just before serving.

You can store the assembled chocolate Easter egg cake in a cool (not cold) environment for up to two hours before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container placed in the refrigerator for a day or two, but be aware that the cake will inevitably turn a little dense and dry with time.

Can I make the cake for any other occasion?

Sure you can! Simply use the whole cake and decorate as directed in the recipe, or give the cake any shape you want. It could very well be a classic Birthday cake, a Christmas tree cake, or a heart-shaped cake for Valentine’s Day. Be creative and have fun!

Note that for this Easter egg cake recipe, I used the two remaining parts to create moons (see photos below). This way, nothing goes to waste!

More delicious Easter desserts for you to try…

• Best Ever Carrot Cake
• Perfect Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake
• Best Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Chocolate Pots de Crème

Chocolate Hazelnut Easter Egg Cake

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cooling Time: 5 hours
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Cakes and pies

Chocolate hazelnut Easter egg cake will sure steal the show at any Easter party. It’s prepared with a soft and moist hazelnut cake, topped with a chocolate ganache and a white chocolate ganache.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the hazelnut cake:

• 1 cup (120g) hazelnut meal/flour*
• ⅔ cup (80g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (150g) sugar
• 5.3 ounces (150g) unsalted butter, melted
• 5 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

For the chocolate ganache:

• ⅓ cup (60g) semi-sweet baking chocolate or chocolate chips
• ½ cup (12,5 cl) heavy liquid cream

For the white chocolate ganache:

• ⅓ cup (60g) white chocolate or white chocolate chips
• ½ cup (12,5 cl) heavy liquid cream

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Instructions

For the hazelnut cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) and line an 8 or 9-inch (20-23 cm) non-stick springform cake pan, ideally with removable bottom, with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Mix together the hazelnut meal, all-purpose flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until combined.
3. In a separate medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add one or two Tablespoons to the hazelnut mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two or three additions.
4. Transfer to the prepared cake pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly golden on top and baked through.
5. Let the cake cool down for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely at room temperature. Using a free printable egg template, cut the cake into a large egg shape.

For the chocolate ganaches:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl, and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is completely melted, smooth and glossy.
2. Place the cream in a glass measuring jar, and heat in the microwave until very hot and almost boiling. Slowly pour the cream over the melted chocolate chips, whisking well between each addition, until smooth and combined.
3. Proceed the exact same way for the white chocolate ganache.
4. Cover both ganaches with plastic wrap, making contact, and place in the refrigerator for 5 hours or ideally overnight. To speed up this process, you can place for 1 hour in the freezer and 1 hour in the refrigerator, until ganaches are very cold (but not frozen!).
5. Using an electric hand mixer, beat both ganaches separately into a whipped ganache, soft and fluffy.
6. Transfer each ganache to a piping bag (one equipped with an open star piping tip and the other one with a drop flower tip), and pipe onto the cake. Decorate with small chocolate Easter eggs, and enjoy!

Notes

* You can use hazelnut meal (also called hazelnut flour) or make your very own one, by simply pulsing raw and toasted whole hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground. It’s ok if there is still some texture to it.

Recipe inspired and adapted from Un déjeuner de soleil.

Cakes, Chocolate, Chocolate Desserts, Easter, Nuts, Spring

Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Hazelnut Easter Egg Cake, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!