Easter Moss Cake

Preheat the oven 165C fan forced. Grease and line the base and sides of 2 x 20cm round cake tins. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar until light and creamy. Approx 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time mixing in between. Add lemon juice, zest, and thyme and oil mixing until combined.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add 1/3 of the flour mix at a time to the batter, gently mixing in between.

Divide the mixture evenly between cake tins. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown or an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

In a glass or metal bowl over a saucepan of gentle simmering water, whisk the egg white and sugar until it reaches approx. 65 °C or the sugar has fully dissolved when rubbed between your fingers.

Using a hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg white mixture for approx. 7 minutes until thick and creamy. Gradually add the butter to the lukewarm whipped egg white and continue to whisk until it forms a smooth, even cream.

Add lemon juice, zest and seeds from vanilla pod. Mix until combined. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a medium heavy based saucepan over a low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved before bringing up to a medium heat and boiling for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Separate egg yolks from whites. Whisk the egg yolk with honey in a bowl using the whisk attachment on hand or stand mixer until light and creamy. Set aside. In a new bowl, using the whisk attachment on hand or stand mixer, whisk egg white, salt and icing sugar until thick. Fold the egg yolk into the whipped egg white mixture. Sift in flour and baking powder and carefully fold into the egg mixture. Fold through green food colour to colour the mixture. In a small bowl add a few tablespoons of batter and colour with black food colouring, then gently marble into green batter.

Pour the mixture into four microwave-friendly containers and cook in the microwave at 800 W for approx. 1 ½ minutes. Set the moss aside to chill and form into clumps of various sizes.

Cut each cake into two layers, to create 4 layers of cake. Place one layer onto a serving tray/stand. Brush with lemon syrup, a light layer of lemon curd and a light layer of buttercream, add next cake layer then repeat for the remaining layers. Place into fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

Remove from fridge and spread remaining buttercream over the sides of the layered cake and stick clumps of “moss” over the entire surface of the cake.

Take a glass bowl and turn it glass upside down, cover with foil and freeze. Finely chop the chocolate and place into microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments until melted.

Break the glass noodles into approx. 2 cm long strips and fold into the melted chocolate carefully using a spatula.

Use your hands or a fork to place the glass noodles around the glass and then place back into the freezer to set.

Carefully remove the nest from the foil and place on top of the moss cake. Fill with Easter eggs.