Sunflower Peep Cake - Little Sunny Kitchen

Go Back

Recipe Image

Notes

Nutrition Label

–+ servings

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C (170°C for fan oven).
Prep 2 x 8-inch/20cm cake pans by greasing them with butter and lining them with parchment paper.
In a bowl sift the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt), add the sugar, whisk and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs with the buttermilk or milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well, then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to just combine (do not overmix, you don't want to work the gluten for a moist cake).
Add coffee powder to boiling water, and stir in. This will thin out the batter.
Pour the batter into the cake pans, and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in cake pans for 10 minutes. Gently turn out on a cool rack upside down, and leave them to cool completely.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy for 3 minutes.
Add the cocoa powder, and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the powdered sugar, and beat for 2 more minutes at medium speed.
Add milk and vanilla extract and beat again for 1 minute.

Fill the cake with buttercream between the 2 cake layers, cover the outside of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. This will lock in all of the crumbs and make the cake easier to frost neatly.
Place the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes, this will harden the butter in the frosting and give it a solid shape. Frost again with the remaining frosting so the cake is fully covered with buttercream.
To decorate the cake, arrange 15 peeps around the outer edge of the cake with their tails pointing outward. Arrange chocolate chips in the center. Use green frosting to pipe stars around the bottom edge of the cake.

If you'd rather not use espresso powder in this recipe, simply leave it out, and use just boiling water in the batter instead.
Use cake pans instead of springform pans as the batter of this cake is thin and might cause leakage.
Before you start, make sure that your baking powder is active and not past its expiry date. To check, add half a teaspoon of baking powder to a bowl with 2 teaspoons of hot water. If the baking powder bubbles, then it's good to go. If not, then it's dead and you need to get a new one.
This cake makes 8 to 10 servings.
Be careful not to let the peeps hang over the edge of the cake too far, or they risk falling off.
To Store: You can bake the cake and wrap it in parchment paper followed by plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days before frosting it. Frosted cakes keep perfectly for 4-5 days covered at room temperature. If it's hot where you are, store it in the fridge but take it out 1 hour before serving.