Forget for a moment about how awesome this cake looks. I want to talk about how it tastes! My chocolate layer cake recipe is decadent, moist, and super chocolatey. It’s made from scratch, so you can feel really proud of the end result, and everyone who eats it will be raving and begging you to make it again. This sunflower cake, decorated with peeps chicks, is perfect for Easter, but feel free to serve it whenever you have the need for a delicious chocolate cake. A sunflower cake is welcome any time of the year, or you can change up the decorations for the occasion. This easter cake is very similar to my other chocolate Easter cake that’s topped with toasted coconut and Cadbury eggs. You should also take a look at my other Easter Peep Cake. That one features vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and lots of bunny shaped Peeps.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients In Chocolate Sunflower Cake
Here’s what you need to make this amazing chocolate Sunflower cake. Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Sugar, Flour, Cocoa Powder, Baking Powder, and Salt: I consider all of these ingredients “the dry ingredients” for this chocolate cake recipe. We will mix these up first and then add them to the wet ingredients. Eggs: Two large eggs, at room temperature, are needed for this cake. Buttermilk: Buttermilk in cake recipes makes them extra moist and soft. You can use regular milk if you like. Oil: Fat is needed to make this cake tasty! Canola or vegetable oil is what I normally grab for baking cakes. Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract makes chocolate taste better. Espresso Powder: To make a chocolate cake taste extra chocolately, coffee is the secret ingredient! You can leave this out if you like. It’s optional, but I highly recommend that you try it. Either espresso powder or instant coffee will work. Boiling Water: Mix the coffee with boiling water and add it to the batter. Boiling water helps to dissolve the cocoa powder, making the batter extra smooth.
Chocolate Buttercream: You’ll need softened unsalted butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.
Peeps: Yellow peeps chicks are the petals of this sunflower cake. Chocolate Chips: Milk chocolate chips create the center of the sunflower. You can also use semisweet chips if that’s what you have. Green Frosting: A small amount of canned cake frosting or a quick homemade butter cream tinted green will help you to create grass or leaf details.
How To Make a Chocolate Sunflower Cake
Start by preheating the oven to 375°F/190°C (170°C for a fan oven). Then prep cake pans by greasing them with butter and lining the bottoms with parchment paper.
Recipe Tips
Add a filling: If you’d like, a filling other than chocolate frosting can be used in your layer cake. Try a raspberry jam!Watch out for a sugar storm: When you add the powdered sugar to the frosting, only add a small amount at a time, or it will fly everywhere!Don’t use springform pans. The batter for this ultra rich and moist chocolate cake is thinner than some other cake batters, so it might leak from a springform pan. Save the peeps! Try not to let the peeps hang too far over the side of the cake, or there is a potential for them to fall or slide off. Press them securely into the chocolate frosting so they stay put.
Storing Tips
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 of the fridge 1 hour before serving so that it can soften a bit.
What To Serve With
Make a sunflower cake to serve with your Easter Dinner this year! I have tons of Easter recipes for you to browse, but here are some of my favorites to get you started:
An Easter Ham is a must for the occasion. Make an Instant Pot Honey Glazed Ham, or a classic Honey Baked Ham in the oven.
Tasty side dishes like Velveeta Mac and Cheese, Broccoli Casserole, Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots, and Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole are perfect for Easter.
Need more Easter Dessert ideas? Try making a sweet and salty Bunny Bait snack mix, or tasty Blueberry Cheesecake Bars!
This bright yellow sunflower made from Peeps is the perfect decoration for a delicious chocolate Easter Cake. Pin the recipe for later if you need to, and have fun with this recipe!
© Little Sunny Kitchen
