Easter Surprise Layered Cake

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Prepare batters by combining each cake ingredient list into 2 bowls. Use electric beaters until thick and smooth. Divide each batter equally into 2 bowls of pure chocolate and pure vanilla.

Take 1/2 cup of chocolate batter and add to vanilla batter and vice versa. Beat each again to fully combine. You should have 4 distinct colour batters.

Pour each batter into 4 greased/paper lined 20cm round springform cake tins. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave for 10 minutes before releasing on a wire rack to cool.

Prepare both buttercreams in 2 separate bowls. Use electric beaters on softened butter until pale before gradually adding the remaining ingredients to each until thick.

Using a 6cm round cookie cutter, remove the centre of each cake and set aside. Stack the cake discs from darkest chocolate on bottom to vanilla on top with 1cm layer of buttercream between each. Spread remaining buttercream over the top and down the sides. Gradually add chocolate buttercream down the sides to the bottom then smooth all over with a palette knife.

Add some of the remaining chocolate buttercream to the inside of the top 2 layers of the stack. Fill the centre hole with Easter eggs/marshmallows to third layer. Crumble 2 of the darkest cake cut-outs to a fine crumb and mostly fill the remainder of the centre hole. Leave a trail of Easter eggs and marshmallows on top of cake, plate and across table.