This Easter Speckled Egg Drip Cake is covered in a vanilla buttercream in a gorgeous duck egg blue colour, which is a great background to the speckled egg effect. It is simple to achieve with some cocoa powder, water and a flick of a paintbrush. The cake is decorated with mini eggs and a luscious chocolate ganache drip too. I was inspired by the pretty pastels of mini eggs to colour the vanilla sponge inside pink, purple and yellow. It's makes a fantastic and colourful surprise when you cut into the cake! I also snuck some passion fruit curd between the layers of the Easter Speckled Egg Drip Cake because I think it cuts through the sweetness really nicely, but this is totally optional, or you could swap it out for lemon curd or even your favourite jam.
This post may contain affiliate links. I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the eggs and butter) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use a baking spread like Stork for the cake, and unsalted butter for the buttercream as I find they provide the best results.
- For the best results, use good quality professional food colourings. My favourite brands are Pro Gel and Sugarflair. You can buy these easily online. Other well known brands are Colour Mill and Americolor.
- For all the tips and tricks on how to make a drip cake, including a how to video, check out my Ultimate Drip Cake How To Guide!
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Easter Speckled Egg Drip Cake
To make the vanilla sponges, mix butter and caster sugar together, whisk in eggs, vanilla extract and milk, then add self raising flour. Then separated the batter into three bowls and mix in a little bit of pink, purple and yellow food colouring to create a pastel shade.
Put each of the batters into a cake tin and bake them all for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
To decorate the cake, make a vanilla buttercream by mixing butter, icing sugar, vanilla and blue food colouring together. Stack the cake up, and fill it with buttercream. If you like, you can add some passion fruit or lemon curd between the layers. Then give the cake a crumb coat and put it in the fridge to chill.
Add a final layer of buttercream onto the cake and smooth it out, then mix cocoa powder, vanilla extract and water together to create the "paint" for the speckled egg effect.
To apply the speckle, dip a food safe paintbrush into the cocoa powder mixture. Then hold the brush close to the side of the cake, and use the tip of your finger to flick the bristles of the brush back and spray the "paint" onto the cake. Move the brush all around the cake, and re-dipped it into the mixture every so often, keet flicking the bristles and splattering the cocoa powder paint all over the cake until you are happy. Then make a chocolate drip and add it to the cake. Decorate with more buttercream and Mini Eggs.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How should the cake be stored and can it be frozen?
The cake should be stored in an airtight container in a cool place and will last for 3-4 days. You can freeze the sponges either alone, or decorated. Once the sponges are fully cool, wrap them well with cling film or put them in an airtight container with some baking paper between them. You can freeze the buttercream on it’s own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled. To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it either in an airtight container. Or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don’t it could damage the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.
Can you make the cake with plain/all purpose flour?
Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 5 teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?
Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additonal baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 5 teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add 1 tsp xantham gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for the cake and buttercream. Please check the labels of everything you use if you are serving this cake to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
Can this cake be made with two layers?
Yes! Check out my Easter Chocolate Cake for the measurements for a two layer chocolate cake. Please note, the drip is much more effective with a taller cake so I do recommend the three layers.
Can this cake be made in different size cake tins?
Yes! If you would like to make this cake in different size tins, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the cake recipe.
How do you get the perfect drip?
It's really important to have a good base for the drip, so the cake needs a 'crumb coat' then a top layer of buttercream. Try and get the top layer as smooth as you can so the drip has a nice even surface to drip down. Each layer of buttercream needs to firm up in the fridge and be chilled when you apply the drip. Be frugal with the drip amounts at first and see how far it drips, then you can reduce or increase the amount of drip you release from the piping bag or squeeze bottle as you move around the cake. For all the information, including a tutorial video and step by step instructions with photos, check out my Ultimate Drip Cake How To Guide!
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients
- 8" cake tins
- Mixing bowls
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric mixer
- Piping bags
- Decorating turntable
- Angled palette knife
- Buttercream scraper/smoother
- Cake leveller
- Paint brushes
- Yellow food colouring
- Purple food colouring
- Pink food colouring
- Blue food colouring
- Mini Eggs
The items above are all affiliate links. I will receive a small amount if you make a purchase, this does not increase the price for you at all. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More drip cake recipes...
More Mini Egg recipes...
Easter Speckled Egg Drip Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 500 g Baking spread softened, unsalted
- 500 g Caster sugar
- 9 Eggs large
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 3 tsp Vanilla extract
- 500 g Self raising flour
- Pink food colouring I used Pro Gel
- Purple food colouring I used Pro Gel
- Yellow food colouring I used Pro Gel
For the buttercream
- 550 g Butter softened, unsalted
- 1.1 kg Icing sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- Blue food colouring I used Pro Gel
- 5-6 tbsp Milk or more if needed
For filling (optional)
- 140 g Passion fruit curd, lemon curd, or jam optional
For the speckle "paint"
- ¼ tbsp Cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Water you may not need all of it
For the chocolate ganache drip
- 65 g Dark chocolate
- 75 ml Double cream
OR for cheat's chocolate drip
- 75 g Dark chocolate
- 1 tsp Vegetable oil
For decoration
- 16 Mini Eggs (50g)
- Chocolate strand sprinkles
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line three 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)
- Make the sponge by mixing the baking spread and caster sugar together in a large bowl, ideally using an electric mixer, for 3-5 minutes until creamy and fluffy looking
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract and milk, and whisk until fully incorporated
- Add the self raising flour and whisk in until you can't see any flour anymore
- Divide the mixture between three bowls, use scales for accuracy
- Add purple food colouring to one bowl, pink to the second and yellow to the third. You're aiming for a light pastel shade so add a little at a time
- Put each mixture into it's own cake tin, then bake them for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or remove from the tin and place on cooling racks
- To make the buttercream mix the butter on it's own for a few minutes, then add the icing sugar (which you may need to add in batches) the vanilla extract and milk, and mix until smooth. Use an electric mixer for best results. If the buttercream is too stiff then you can more milk to it
- Then colour the buttercream using blue food colouring, you're aiming for a pastel duck egg blue colour so add a little at a time until you're happy
- If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a knife
- Put one of the sponges on a decorating turntable and spread buttercream all over the sponge. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the sponge using a round piing nozzle
- Fill in the centre of the sponge with some passion fruit or lemon curd, then add the next sponge on top
- Do the same again - spread buttercream over the second sponge, pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge, and add the fruit curd, then add the final sponge on top
- Use buttercream to fully crumb coat the cake, then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up
- Coat the cake with a second and thicker layer of buttercream and smooth it out as best you can using a buttercream scraper/smoother tool. Then put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes to set
- Make the paint for the speckled egg effect by mixing the cocoa powder, vanilla and enough water together to make a thin liquid. You may not need all of the water, so add a little at a time
- Dip a clean, food safe paint brush into the cocoa powder paint. Hold the paint brush close to the cake and use the tip of your finger to flick the bristles so the paint splatters onto the cake. Carry on moving around the cake and splattering the paint, re-dipping the brush into the paint as required, until you are happy
- To make the dark chocolate ganache chocolate drip, put the ingredients into a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 10 second blasts, stirring between each blast, until melted and smooth
- OR To make the cheat's dark chocolate drip, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 10 second blasts, stirring between each blast, until melted and smooth. Stir in the vegetable oil
- Put your chosen chocolate drip mixture into a piping bag or squeezy bottle, if using a piping bag snip a small section off the end with scissors
- Pipe blobs of ganache around the edge of the cake, allowing the chocolate to drip down the sides in varying amounts
- Once the drips are complete, cover the whole top of the cake with chocolate ganache and use a palette knife to smooth it out. Put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes for the ganache to set
- Put the remaining buttercream into a piping bag with your chosen nozzle and pipe swirls all around the edge of the cake
- Decorate with mini eggs and sprinkles
- Move the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand, and dig in! Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for 2-3 days
Video
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the eggs and butter) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use a baking spread like Stork for the cake, and unsalted butter for the buttercream as I find they provide the best results.
- For the best results, use good quality professional food colourings. My favourite brands are Pro Gel and Sugarflair. You can buy these easily online. Other well known brands are Colour Mill and Americolor.
- For all the tips and tricks on how to make a drip cake, including a how to video, check out my Ultimate Drip Cake How To Guide!
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Donna
I've always loved the speckled look, but assumed it was quite complicated! You make it sound so simple. This cake looks fab, perfect for Easter.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
Such a pretty cake! The pastel colours of the sponge are so lovely with the mini eggs.
Sisley White
Your drip cakes are always incredible but I think this has to be the best ever. It's so beautiful.
Jo
I had no idea that making speckled effect is so easy! Your cakes always make me say Wow! Kat and this one is no different. Love the duck egg blue colour, gorgeous drip and lovely buttercream nests with mini eggs on top. Sensational!
Michelle Rolfe
Wow what an amazing looking cake for springtime. We could all use a bit of this in the current climate. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Wow! What a cake - it would make a great centrepiece on Easter Day! Eb x
Mya O Brien
Absolutely fantastic! I was recently looking for an Easter cake to make for my family considering our current state and this one is just perfect! Tremendous job Kat, absolutely incredible! #easter #stayhome #quarantine #besteastercakeever
Yasmine
I love this ! looks tempting 😍
Alice
this cake is wonderful!!! It is hard to make but it is worth it 🙂
Tim
I know lots of nice comments saying how pretty it’s looks , but not many comments about people who actually made the recipe .
It’s seems like a lot of eggs and only a few tablespoons of milk , is this correct ?
Tks.
thebakingexplorer
Hi Tim, yes it is very hard to get people to leave reviews when they make a recipe, unless something went wrong. All is correct and you can watch my video of my making it for extra reassurance. I've made this a few times, and had people on social media make it too. This cake recipe is also very similar to all of my other cake/drip cake recipes, just different decor and flavour. Let me know if you give it a try!