February 24, 2021
Mini Egg Loaf Cake!
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A delicious and easy oil based chocolate cake topped with Mini Egg themed buttercream frosting, and all of the mini eggs!
Mini Egg loaf cake
I mean.. was this recipe ever not going to happen?! Let’s be honest, we all know it was happening. My Creme Egg Loaf Cake is one of your easter favourites so far this year, but I am a Mini Egg fan through and through and I am obsessed!
I always base my recipe ideas from requests (side note, if you ever have a request.. do leave a comment!) and this is one of the ones that was just insanely requested. It’s something I wanted to do for a while, but didn’t just want to make the same as the Creme Egg one and swap the colours/chocolate.
Sponge
I have also had SO MANY REQUESTS for a chocolate cake made with oil… and here it is! This recipe does not use butter, it uses a mixture of vegetable oil and milk to create a lovely (and I will use the word moist here) chocolate cake that is irresistible.
I love making a classic chocolate victoria sponge style chocolate cake and I have absolutely nothing against it – but I wanted to give you guys something different and what a lot of you wanted! So, this recipe is even easier to make, and it almost guarantees a soft cake.
Dry ingredients
Chocolate cake can be naturally a little dry if over baked, whereas this sponge is just delightfully light and does not dry out. It’s also incredibly easy to mix up – if I’m honest, you almost do not want to use a mixer for it as it may over mix the mixture!
You add the dry ingredients (the self raising flour, cocoa powder and light brown soft sugar) to a bowl, and whisk them together to combine them. I like to combine these first so that there are no lumps of sugar and all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Oil and milk
You then add in the eggs, vegetable oil, and full-fat/whole milk. I use vegetable oil as at the moment its the one I use the most of, but sunflower oil also works well. You can try other oils such as olive oil, but they have more taste and can transfer the taste to the end result.
It is VERY important to use full-fat/whole milk in a cake mixture like this. Please use it, please don’t use a lower fat one, as it can cause problems with the bake.
Tri-colour buttercream
For the frosting, it is just another American buttercream frosting, but they are just so easy!! It’s easy to colour the frosting to the three colours I tend to use for a mini egg cake (like in my mini egg drip cake, and my mini egg chocolate cake).
The easiest method to make the tri-colour buttercream is to make all of the colours up as you want – and then get some clingfilm. You can line the colours up on the clingfilm, and then roll the clingfilm up into a sausage. Then, this is easy to snip the end off, and add to a piping bag with your choice of piping tip!
Decoration
This is all completely optional of course, but this is just how I do it! I obviously then add a load of mini eggs on the top – because thats the theme of the bake.
I do not add mini eggs to the cake mixture, because they would just sink! Not worth it in my opinion!! You can add sprinkles as well as or instead of, a chocolate drizzle, the choice as always is yours! I hope you love the recipe! Enjoy! x
Mini Egg Loaf Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 200 g self raising flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 150 ml vegetable oil
- 150 ml whole milk
Buttercream
- 125 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 250 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Purple/pink food colouring
Decoration
- 200-300 g Mini Eggs
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan, and line your 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper!
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder and sugar to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the eggs, vegetable oil and milk to the bowl and whisk briefly until combined again.
- Pour into your tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until baked through. I test my cake with a skewer!
- Leave the baked cake to cool in the tin.
For the Buttercream
- Beat the butter on its own for a few minutes to loosen and make it smooth.
- Add in the icing sugar and beat again! If necessary, add in 1tbsp of boiling water (ONLY IF IT'S VERY THICK)
- Add in the vanilla and beat again.
- Split the buttercream into three - colour one to a purple colour, the second to a pink colour, and leave the other.
For the Decoration
- Add your buttercream to a piping bag - it's easiest to add the buttercreams onto some cling film in lines, roll it into a sausage, and then add into your piping bag.
- Pipe onto your cake using your favourite piping tip, and however you want to pipe it. I did swirls, in rows!
- Add on some Mini Eggs and sprinkles for decoration!
Notes
- All decoration ideas are optional! I just liked how it looked!
- I use this 2lb loaf tin for all my loaf cakes!
- I also using this 2d closed star piping tip!
- This is the pink food colouring that I use!
- And this is the purple food colouring that I use!
- If you would like a chocolate cake made with butter - use the cake from my Creme Egg loaf cake!
ENJOY!
Find my other Easter Recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
Hi Jane,
Sorry if this was asked before, but can you freeze this sponge?
Thanks,
Anne
Yes you can! x
My cake split at the top really badly. It looked more like an open box with a lid on top. Used whole milk from the fridge. Could it be the difference in temp? SRFour used as normal. I know that problem can sometime be caused by too much raising agent 🤔
Loaf cakes do often split at the top, and this is normal! often, it’s also down to over mixing x
Hi does this need to be kept in the fridge? Thanks
Hiya! No, at room temp is fine! x
I don’t know what I’ve done wrong?! The top split during baking and puffed up so is not flat? It was done after 55 minutes apart from this. I cut the top bit off to decorate! First time using oil so maybe this was my issue.
This is a normal thing for loaf cakes – it’s part of the charm!
Hi,
Do you think this cake would work with oat milk or does it need to be whole milk?
Thanks!
Yes this should be fine! Enjoy! x
Hi Jane. I’m looking to make this cake this week but I’ve never made a cake with oil before. I usually use the ‘weighing eggs first’ method but I was just wondering how that works with the liquids or whether this method cannot be applied when not using butter? Any tips you could give me on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Molly
Hiya! Follow the recipe carefully for the best bake! Hope this helps! x
Hello from Russia! I’ve tried to cook this cake last weekend. The recipe is awesome!
Somebody has written it has come dry. When the cake was still warm, I wraped it in a cling film, so it turned out wet and juicy. Maybe this advice can help somebody.
Can I make these into cupcakes instead?
Hiya! Take a look at my mini egg cupcake recipe. Hope this helps! x
Hi jane,
Thank you so much for your help! I tried this with mint buttercream and mint in the sponge and it was delicious! sorry for all the questions but I was wondering if I could adapt it to make a plain sponge by removing the cocoa powder and replacing it with flour? If so would it be a direct swap of 50g of cocoa powder with 50g of flour?
Thank you in advance!
Hey Jane!
I made this cake today and it is AMAZING! The sponge is so soft and delicious! I was wondering if I would be able to be able to adapt this and make it a chocolate orange cake by adding some orange extract and using the buttercream from your chocolate orange loaf cake or would that mess with the texture of the sponge?
Thank you in advance!
Hello! Either would work just fine xx
Dear Jane,
How could I adapt this to make cupcakes as opposed to a loaf cake? Appreciate any advice!
Many thanks x
Hi, I made this and mixed it using a balloon whisk rather than hand held electric whisk – it has come out very dry and crumbly – any ideas if this is might be what made it dry? Or have I overbaked it…?
Hello! I don’t think it would be the whisk/how you have mixed it, I think it might have been over baked so your oven may have been on the wrong setting or left in for a bit too long. Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane, this looks lovely!
I’ve been gifted some mini loaf cake tins, and thought it would be nice to try them out with one of your loaf recipes, and with Easter coming up, I thought this one would be great! How much do you think it might affect cooking time, do you know – obviously less time, but should I just keep watching & poking?!
Thanks so much
Hiii! It would definitely work in a mini loaf tin but unfortunately I have not done it myself so I am unsure on timings x
I cannot wait to make this! However I was wondering how long this cake will last for?
3-4 days! x
Have just made this as muffins instead of a loaf and they came out PERFECT. I’ve always been terrible at making cakes so I thought I’d do muffins, I did the same recipe but cooked them for 20mins at 180c. I’m so chuffed, thank you!
Thanks for sharing, this loaf cake looks a lovely Easter cake to share 🙂
I made this today but struggled with the cake as it took so long to cook in the middle that the outside was so hard. Used a loaf tin. Any tips on how to avoid this in future? Once we got into the middle it’s fine. Just the ends..
It may be worth lowering the temp in your oven and baking for longer instead so it doesn’t over baked the outside xx
Hi Jane,
I came across your Easter Mini Egg Pinata cake and was wondering if you could use this chocolate cake recipe for that cake?
Zohra x
I haven’t tried it personally but I don’t see why not!
Do you post the nutritional information for each recipe? I am making this this weekend but want to make sure I am still tracking my nutrition and calories?
Could you substitute the whole milk for whole oatmilk? And the unsalted butter for flora plant butter?
That should work! x
Just love the sound of this Easter Cake.👏
How would I make this gluten free? Would just substituting the flour for GF flour work?
Thankyou ☺️
I haven’t tried it, but I would imagine it would be okay with xantham gum!
Could I use 2 large eggs instead of 3 medium eggs?
I would say yes, but add a yolk or half another egg!
Using the food colouring you’ve used is it straight forward to colour the buttercream? I’ve had far too many stressful experiences trying to get the buttercream the colour I want! Thanks x
Yep! Just add a little at a time and mix. The colouring I use is super strong so you don’t need much! x
Hi Jane.
I really want to use an oil based cake to make a three tier birthday cake (I was going to do your Nutella cake). Could this sponge recipe be adapted to cater for a 3 tier cake? Maybe using the above ( 3 times) for 3 8inch cake tins? If so do you know roughly how long they would take to bake?
I would use double for a three layer 8″ cake – not sure on timings though yet sorry!!
That looks delicious. Love your blog.
Hi could you add some chocolate chips to the cake mix? If so how many?
I wouldn’t – the mixture is very thin in comparison to regular cake mix so would just sink x
Hi Jane, this looks amazing!!
I was just wondering if I were to bake this into 8 inch cake tins, how many tins would I need?
Thank you!
It would be good for two, but the layers will be relatively thin as the mixture doesn’t rise as much as a normal cake!
Can you use semi skimmed
Milk?
Please read the notes – I really do recommend whole milk x
Hi Jane,
If I want to make a plain sponge base, do I just leave out the cocoa power?
Thank you!
Lisa
I haven’t tested it as plain – but you cannot just leave an ingredient out. It would need the flour added back in at least for the same weight x
I’m going to try this one! Is there any chance you could share a photo or step by step guide about the butter cream? I’d love to do the tricolour, but struggling to visualise it from the instructions (Sorry for being daft!). X x
Hey…love love love all that you do….
I am struggling to visualise this also. I would love a video to see you work your magic on the buttercream. … thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Hi Jane, do I leave the clingfilm on when the buttercream is in the piping bag?
Please can you do a recipe for a flour free chocolate cake
Emma x
Yes you do leave it in the clingfilm – just snip the end of the sausage off!
Hi Jane
Could we instead of using a loaf tray maybe instead use a 7 inch round tin instead
I don’t have a loaf tin
The recipe looks amazing XXX
Yes that should be fine for a two layer 7″ round! xx
Which piping nozzle did you use? 😍
Hiya! I used a 2D closed star, hope this helps! x
Love your recipes trying to find a mini egg cake as my sister has requested it for her birthday hah just wondering if i can use butter instead of oil ?
Please see my linked recipe for a recipe without oil. x
Hi is there anything other than milk that can be used e.g. buttermilk, yoghurt. Have you stopped doing Utube videos – loved watching these – thank you.
For this I have only used milk. x
Hi Jane can i ask how many eggs to use if i only ever use large eggs please? Thank-you for your recipes, they are fab xx
I would maybe use two and a half?! So mix the third up and use half of it (or just try the yolk!) And thank you!! x
Can’t wait to try this one! Will you be adding nutritional information and calories back into your recipes at all?
Hello Jane,
Could this recipe me adapted to make either an 8” cake or cupcakes?
Thank you
Marianne
Hi Jane, absolutely love your site and have made so many of your creations! If I wanted to make this dairy free, could I use almond milk or something? YOu mention the importance of full fat milk so Im not sure I can….. I have been making buttercream with Flora Plant and its surprisingly good!
So for dairy milk it definitely needs the full-fat. I haven’t tried it with dairy free milk (however my vegan sponge cake recipes are fairly similar!), so as long as its a milk such as almond, oat or soya for example it should be fine! xx
OOHHH I’M GOING TO TRY AND MAKE THIS ASAP!!!
THANKS JANE <3
XXX
OOHHH I’M GOING TO TRY AND MAKE THIS ASAP!!!
THANKS JANE <3
XXX
Ignore my last comment, I’ve just read the post properly!! Thank you for all your brilliant recipes, I’ve learned to bake because of your blog! Xx
This looks amazing! Could you use sunflower oil for this instead of vegetable oil?
I have loads of your Easter recipes saved to try in the run up to Easter, this has definitely bee added to my list! Xx