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Home Recipes Easter Food Easy Surprise Easter Egg Cake

Easy Surprise Easter Egg Cake

1 hour 22 minutes
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By: Britni Vigil
4/12/2022Updated: 4/12/2022
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This gorgeous Easter egg cake combines three layers of white cake, vanilla frosting, and a fun Easter egg surprise inside. It’s the most colorful and fun Easter cake you’ll ever make!

Easter egg cake on a cake plate

Ever since I made these St. Patrick’s Day pot of gold cupcakes, I’ve been obsessed with making “surprise” baked goods. And when I say surprise baked goods, I mean ones that you open up and find something you weren’t expecting to find.

Kind of like my green velvet cupcakes (or the previously mentioned St. Patrick’s Day ones).

It’s kind of like a piñata – you have to break it open to see what fun is hidden inside!

Not only is this Easter layer cake full of fun sprinkles and mini chocolate Easter eggs, the cake and frosting themselves are both delicious. It starts with a box cake mix but you’d never know why the way the final cake tastes!

Or why the way the cake looks – it’s decorated with frosting, mini eggs, and sprinkles for a beautiful look that doesn’t require fondant (not my favorite).

So let’s get to baking – this will be the perfect ending to your Easter menu, right after the glazed ham, strawberry fluff, and homemade rolls! Or it would be a fun surprise for the Easter bunny to bring after doing this Easter bunny hunt!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Easy – this may look like a fancy DIY cake, but it’s really easy. Just a box cake mix (with a few little additions) plus a homemade pastel colored buttercream make this one as simple as they get!
  • Cute – this cake really is beautiful to look even without knowing about the fun inside!
  • Hidden surprise – filling the cake with eggs, sprinkles, and other treats makes this one about as fun as a cake can be! Kids and adults will love it (but really the kids!).

Ingredients

ingredients for an Easter egg cake with labels

Ingredient Notes

  • Milk – whole milk will give you the best flavor but if you don’t have that, you can use any type of milk or even water.
  • Yogurt – I recommend a plain Greek yogurt but if you don’t have plain, vanilla works as well. Or you can always use sour cream in a pinch as well.
  • Cake mix – any white cake mix will work, just choose your favorite brand.
  • Lemon juice – this is optional but gives the cake just a bit more flavor. If you don’t have lemon, you could also substitute lime or just leave it out altogether.
  • Vegetable oil – you can use either this or canola oil (or even avocado oil if you want the more expensive route), just make sure not to use something like olive oil or coconut oil that will change the flavor of the cake.

how to make a surprise easter egg cake

While this cake overall is a bit time consuming (you’re making a layered cake after all), none of the steps are difficult. They just take a while.

1 – Bake the Cakes

Get started by lining four 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spraying the parchment paper with baking spray. By lining with parchment paper, you’ll be able to easily pop the cakes out of the cake pans once they’ve cooled!

Preheat the oven to 350°F, or two ovens if you have two ovens and can cook all the cakes simultaneously!

To make the cake batter, you will need to combine the cake mix, egg whites, milk, water, vegetable oil, yogurt, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated into a smooth batter.

Easter egg cake batter in a metal bowl

Pour the batter evenly between the four prepared cake pans. Place in oven and bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I typically like to split the cakes between two ovens if you have two ovens, if not, you can bake them all at once in one oven, just watch them closely.

Remove pans from the oven and place on racks to allow them to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream frosting.

four round cake pans with white cake

2 – Make the Frosting

To make the frosting, first cream the butter, vanilla, and salt together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Then slowly add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time until the frosting reaches the consistency you want.

You will be spreading the frosting and piping it, so I recommend something that’s a little thicker but not too thick.

metal bowl with white frosting

Get out three bowls and place 1 cup of frosting in each bowl. Add a drop or two of pink food coloring to one bowl, yellow to the second bowl and green to the third bowl. Mix until each color is uniform and the shade you want. Leave the remaining frosting white to use later.

3 – Fill the Easter egg cake

After the cakes have cooled completely, remove them from the pans and cut a 3″ – 4″ circle out of the center of two of the cakes. You can use a sharp knife with a parchment circle as your guide or use a large circle cookie cutter.

white cakes with holes cut out of the middle

Take one cake without a hole in it and place it as the bottom layer on your cake stand. Frost the top of it with the leftover white frosting.

white cake on a white plate

Next you’ll take one of the cakes you cut a hole in and place it on top of the base layer, frost the top with white, then add the second cake with the hole in it and frost the top of it with white as well.

This will give you a nice hole to add your Easter egg surprise inside!

white cake with holes in them stacked on top of each other

For the inside surprise, fill the hole with mini robin eggs, sprinkles, and mini pastel baking chips. Just fill until right below the top of the hole – don’t fill above the hole or the top layer of the cake won’t sit flat.

white cake with a hole filled with Cadbury eggs

To hide the surprise filling, add the final cake on top.

4 – Decorate the Cake

Frost the top and sides of all four layers of the cake with the remaining white frosting. This will be your base layer that sits underneath the pastel swirl layer on top.

Easter egg cake frosted with white cake

Once you have frosted the entire cake in white, place dollops of about 2-3 teaspoons of alternating pastel colored frosting all over the sides of the cake (kind of like I did with this swirled Easter cake).

white cake with pastel frosting splotches

Using an offset spatula or bench scraper, smooth the frosting dollops around the sides of the cake in a marble-like pattern. Only smooth it enough to pull the color around. If you overdo it, you’ll end up with the frosting blending into one color, ruining the pastel swirl look completely.

white cake with pastel colored frosting

Place any remaining colored frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip and pipe stars around the top edge of the cake.

Then add chocolate Cadbury Creme Eggs to the top of the frosting dollops on top of the cake.

top of Easter egg cake with chocolate eggs on top

Serve the cake immediately or store it until you’re ready to serve! Serve in small slices since the cake is so tall and rich!

slice of cake in an Easter egg cake

You can either serve each slice with some of the goodies from the inside or just put those in a bowl and let people enjoy those separate from the cake or on their own!

slice of Easter egg cake

And don’t forget to make sure the kids are watching when you slice it so they can see the surprise center!!

Easter egg cake with eggs coming out of the center

Expert Tips

Store cake in an airtight container (or under a cake cover) at room temperature for up to three days.

Do not over mix the cake batter, just mix until the cake mix has become incorporated into the other ingredients. Over mixing can cause the cake to become rubbery and crumbly, not soft and moist like you want.

Use cake strips to get the cakes to rise as evenly as possible with a flat surface. If you end up with a round surface, you can use a bread knife to cut off the rounded portions.

Recipe FAQs

What if my frosting is too thick?

Add in one tablespoon of milk and stir to see if you get the consistency you want. If not, add another tablespoon of milk and try again. If the frosting becomes too thin, add 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time until it’s thick enough for you.

How do you make an Easter egg cake?

Bake four round cakes, layer them on top of each other, and fill the center with mini Easter eggs and other Easter sprinkles and treats! Then frost and top with more Easter eggs for a delicious Easter egg cake that everyone will be raving about!

How do you decorate a cake with eggs?

Decorating a cake with eggs is as simple as piping frosting onto the cake in stars (using a star tip) then adding chocolate Easter eggs on top of the frosting. Press them in gently so the Easter eggs don’t move when you move the cake.

Easter egg cake on a cake stand

More Easy Easter Desserts

Finish your Easter dessert table with these other delicious Easter treats!

  • Easter nest recipe – these 3-ingredient chocolate nests are easy to make and delicious to eat!
  • Easter Oreo truffles – another easy 3-ingredient Easter dessert that combines Oreos, cream cheese, and candy melts!
  • Easter bunny cupcakes – simple vanilla cupcakes get a fun Easter upgrade with the addition of marshmallow bunny ears!
  • Peanut butter eggs with cream cheese – a super simple homemade peanut butter eggs recipe, even tastier than Reese’s eggs!
  • Easter bark – a delicious s’more like chocolate bark that gets an Easter twist!
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Print Rate
5 from 3 votes

Surprise Easter Egg Cake

This gorgeous Easter egg cake combines three layers of white cake, vanilla frosting, and a fun Easter egg surprise inside. It’s the most colorful and fun Easter cake you’ll ever make!
Easter egg cake on a cake plate
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 22 minutes
Total: 1 hour 22 minutes
Serves24 slices

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 boxes white cake mix
  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup yogurt
  • 2 TBS lemon juice

Frosting

  • 2 ½ cups butter (softened at room temperature)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 7 cups powdered sugar
  • pink, yellow, and green food coloring

Filling and garnish

  • 1 cup mini robin eggs
  • 1 cup sprinkles
  • 1 cup mini pastel baking chips
  • mini Cadbury Creme eggs (optional garnish for top)

Instructions

Cake

  • Line 4 9" cake pans with parchment paper and spaying with baking spray. Preheat the over to 350°F.
  • Combine the cake mix, eggs, milk, water, vegetable oil, yogurt, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated into a smooth batter.
    2 boxes white cake mix, 6 egg whites, 1 cup milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1/3 cup yogurt, 2 TBS lemon juice
  • Pour the batter evenly between the four prepared cake pans. Place in oven and bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pans from the oven and place on racks to cool.
  • After the cakes have cooled completely, remove from the pans and cut a 3" - 4" circle out of the center of 2 of the cakes. Use a sharp knife with a parchment circle as a guide or use a large circle cookie cutter.
  • To assemble and frost the cake, take one cake without a hole in it and place it as the bottom layer on your cake stand and frost the top with white frosting.
  • Place one of the cakes with a hole in it and place it on top of the base layer, frost the top with white, then add the second cake with the hole in it and frost the top of it with white as well.
  • Fill the hole with mini robin eggs, sprinkles, and mini pastel baking chips then add the final cake to the top then frost the top and sides of all four layers with the remaining white frosting.
    1 cup mini robin eggs, 1 cup sprinkles, 1 cup mini pastel baking chips
  • Once the entire cake is frosted in white, place dollops of about 2-3 teaspoons of alternating pastel colored frosting all over the sides of the cake.
  • Using an offset spatula or bench knife, smooth the frosting dollops around the sides of the cake in a marble-like pattern. Only smooth it enough to pull the color around. Don't smooth too much or the frosting will blend into one color.
  • Place any remaining colored frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip and pipe stars around the top edge of the cake, top with Cadbury Mini Creme Eggs.
    mini Cadbury Creme eggs

Frosting

  • To make the frosting, first cream the butter, vanilla, and salt together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Next slowly add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time until desired consistency.
    2 1/2 cups butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 7 cups powdered sugar
  • Place 1 cup of frosting in each of three bowls. Add a drop or two of pink food coloring to one bowl, yellow to the second bowl and green to the third bowl. Mix until each color is uniform and the shade desired. Leave the remaining frosting white to use later.
    pink, yellow, and green food coloring

Tips & Notes:

Store cake in an airtight container (or under a cake cover) at room temperature for up to three days.
Do not over mix the cake batter, just mix until the cake mix has become incorporated into the other ingredients. Over mixing can cause the cake to become rubbery and crumbly, not soft and moist like you want.
Use cake strips to get the cakes to rise as evenly as possible with a flat surface. If you end up with a round surface, you can use a bread knife to cut off the rounded portions.
Ingredient Substitution Notes: 
  • Milk – whole milk will give you the best flavor but you can use any milk or water if necessary. 
  • Yogurt – I recommend a plain Greek yogurt but if you don’t have plain, vanilla works as well. Or you can always use sour cream in a pinch as well.
  • Cake mix – any white cake mix will work, just choose your favorite brand.
  • Lemon juice – this is optional but gives the cake just a bit more flavor. If you don’t have lemon, you could also substitute lime or just leave it out altogether.
  • Vegetable oil – you can use either this or canola oil (or even avocado oil if you want the more expensive route), just make sure not to use something like olive oil or coconut oil that will change the flavor of the cake.
Nutrition Notes - these nutrition facts are calculated assuming that you are eating all of the candies, sprinkles, chips on the inside of the cake and the ones on the outside. Since this is likely not the case, the nutrition facts for this recipe are slightly skewed. 

Nutrition Info

Calories: 507kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 518mg, Potassium: 68mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 59g, Vitamin A: 611IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 118mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Author: Britni Vigil
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Did You Make This?Tag @PlayPartyPlan on Facebook and Instagram and hashtag it #playpartyplan so I can see your creations!
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