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Speckled buttercream Easter cake tutorial

Learn how to create a speckled effect cake in this easy decorating tutorial by Dani Brazier, perfect for Easter and spring birthdays.

Image credit: Dani Brazier

Brought to you by Dani Brazier from Blue Door Bakery

"A super centrepiece for a spring birthday – one that all ages can admire. The speckled effect, like that of an egg, works wonderfully with the little nest on top decorated with yummy chocolate eggs!" – Dani Brazier.

This project originally featured in the March 2021 issue of Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine. Be sure to subscribe to receive the latest issue to your door or digital device for year-round inspiration!

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You will need

Edibles

6in round cake
Buttercream (recipe of your choice)
Brown petal dust
Rejuvenator spirit
Teal food colouring (Colour Mill)
30g dark chocolate
Mini chocolate eggs for decoration

Equipment

8in round white cake board
Small paintbrush
Grass nozzle
Piping bags
Baking paper
Side scraper
Cake leveller
Palette knife
Turntable

Instructions

Stacking and crumb coating

Start by slicing your cake into four pieces. Using a cake leveller for this makes the job really easy.

Stack your cake on your 8in white cake board using buttercream. Stick some buttercream on the board first to attach the first cake then add around one heaped tablespoon of buttercream in between each layer.

Add a rough layer of buttercream all over the cake. Make sure you fill in the gaps between the layers. Using a side scraper, hold this straight and level against the cake gently, then turn your turntable scraping away the excess buttercream.

Fill in any gaps and scrape again until the cake is smooth. Using a palette knife, on the top of the cake, smooth the outside edge into the middle to sharpen. Pop the cake in the fridge for 30-40 minutes to set.

Cover the cake

Take out two heaped tablespoons of buttercream and save for later. Colour your remaining buttercream a pastel shade of green using the teal Colour Mill. Add a much thicker layer of buttercream all around your cake.

Start by smoothing over the top of the cake, then smooth around the sides of the cake. By doing the top first, this will achieve a rough top edge to the buttercream.

Add the speckled effect

Mix up a little brown petal dust and rejuvenator until it's at milk consistency. Take a small paintbrush and dip this in the brown mixture. Flick this over the cake for a speckled effect.

How to make a chocolate nest

Melt 30g of chocolate in your microwave and add this into a piping bag. I fold my piping bag over a glass to make it easier to add the chocolate into it.

Snip a tiny bit off the end of your piping bag and pipe some small branches onto some baking paper. Place this in the fridge to set for 15 minutes.

With the small amount of buttercream you put aside earlier, add a little cocoa powder to turn it brown. You can microwave this for a few seconds to soften it if needed. Add this buttercream into a piping bag with a grass nozzle in the end.

Pipe a circle of this buttercream on the top of the cake. You can mark the top of the cake using a circle cutter or template if you find this easier.

Keep building up the layers of this nest shape until it is tall. It also doesn’t need to look neat. The messier, the better!

Take the chocolate branches out of the fridge. Peel them off the baking paper and place them around the buttercream nest. Fill your nest with yummy chocolate eggs to finish.