Mars Bar Dinosaur Easter Cake

So, my family decided to leave me in charge of our Easter cake this year.

My only instructions:

1. It must be a chocolate cake

2. It must look Easter-y

3. It mustn't be too elaborately decorated - in fact, they would prefer something simple like plain chocolate bunny sitting on top.

So that's what I was going to do - a nice chocolate cake with a bunny on top.

Until I saw this!!!!

And I knew straightaway that my family was going to deeply, deeply regret putting me in charge of our Easter celebrations.

If you would like to make your own terrifying-ly delicious dinosaur cake - or you can use any kind of chocolate creature - just read on!

Enjoy!

Mars Bar Dinosaur Cake

serves: about 8 servings. (This makes a two layered, 14 cm in diameter cake)

Ingredients:

• 2 Mars Bars

• 5 large, round chocolate biscuits (I used Arnott's Monte's)

• 5 Tbsp unsalted Butter

• ⅔ cup All Purpose Flour

• ⅓ cup Milk

• 3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups of Buttercream Frosting

• 50g Milk chocolate (to drizzle)

• Pink food colouring

• Pastel Sprinkles

• 1 large Chocolate Dinosaur (with chocolate eggs)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C. Grease and line two 14cm round cake tins.

2. Chop up the Mars Bars and melt them in a small pot with the butter until everything is combined (you will still have some of the thicker, Mars Bar filling floating about - that is okay).

3. Set aside to cool.

4. Mix the flour and the cocoa powder, and then add in the milk.

5. Add the eggs to the cooled Mars Bar mix, and then add it in to the flour mixture. Mix well until everything is all incorporated.

6. Pour the batter evenly into the two tins, and bake for half an hour or until risen and firm. Allow the cakes to cool completely before decorating.

7. Buttercream the top of the base cake layer. Lay the five biscuits around the outside edge, leveling out the base. spread some more buttercream over the top of the biscuits, and then lay the second cake on top.

8. Spread and smooth buttercream over the top and sides of the assembled cake. Refrigerate for five minutes to set the buttercream.

9. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at short intervals and drip over the edges of the cake, leaving a center circle uncovered (about 5cm in diameter)

10. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle the pastel sprinkles over the top of the cake.

11. Set the chocolate (using the refrigerator if necessary) and then mix pink food colouring into your remaining buttercream. Pipe eight large swirls around the circumference of the cake, and push a couple of chocolate eggs in between and around those puffs.

12. Finally, place your dinosaur (or chocolate creature of choice) on top of the cake and enjoy!!!

13. RAWR!!!

This cake is so quick and delicious, and it really doesn't require any added sugar once you've melted down that candy. If you'd like to add some more chopped Mars Bar into the finished cake batter you can have double Mars Bar cake!!!!

If you're looking for a more traditional Easter cake design you could always leave out the chocolate dinosaur - I find it's still quite a cute and festive cake by itself.

As always - if you have any comments, queries or requests I am all ears! Just shoot me a message here, via e-mail, over instagram or facebook or twitter and I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as I can!

I'd love to see your own chocolate-y creations, so be sure to tag me in any pictures so I can give you a bog ol' thumbs up!!

Happy Easter!!!