Lemon and White Chocolate Tart with Easter Nest

We bring you a lemon and white chocolate cake that, with a butter frosting and a beautiful decoration in the shape of a white chocolate nest, becomes a true little beauty to bring to the table on Easter, or any day you want to make an anniversary cake.

This is an easy-to-make cake, because it's nothing more than a lemon sponge, but dressed up to look its prettiest. The combination of lemon flavor with white chocolate is always a success, and it becomes an incredibly moist and melting bite when you have it with that smooth butter frosting.

I encourage you to make this cake for your celebrations; you'll see that you make everyone fall in love. And I think this recipe also has two great advantages:

• It's an easy mona to make and lighter than traditional filled monas.
• It's a great way to make the most of your Shallow Casserole, as this is an excellent demonstration that your non-stick Shallow Casseroles are also perfect molds: they are oven-safe utensils and, in fact, due to their construction, they distribute heat wonderfully well throughout the batter, so you can use your Shallow Casserole to bake baked goods without any fear.

Let's get to the recipe! Happy celebrations with this lemon cake covered in love.

Le Creuset low casserole with lid

Ingredients

For the cake

• 235 g unsalted butter
• 235 g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 235 g cake flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 4 XL eggs
• 100 g white chocolate, chopped

For the buttercream

• 50 g unsalted butter
• 100 g lemon curd
• 250 g icing sugar

For the nest

• 100 g white chocolate
• 50 g vermicelli sprinkles (Chinese rice or vermicelli noodles)
• 100 g mini chocolate eggs

For decoration

• White chocolate shavings
• Lemon zest

Le Creuset large spatula, Le Creuset spoon spatula, Le Creuset ceramic bowl and Le Creuset mini ceramic casserole

Method

Prepare the lemon sponge base:

1. In your KitchenAid with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
2. Add the lemon zest and juice and beat again for 30 seconds; the mixture will split, but that's normal.
3. In a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder. Crack an egg and add it to the lemon and butter mixture, along with a tablespoon of flour. Beat vigorously for about 20 seconds until all the ingredients are incorporated. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
4. Sprinkle the remaining flour and beat until well combined.
5. Add the chocolate: Use a spoon to fold in the white chocolate little by little.
6. Grease the Le Creuset Shallow Casserole lightly with butter or non-stick spray before pouring the cake batter into it.
7. Place the Shallow Casserole in the oven, preheated to 190 ºC, and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. If the cake browns too much and is not done enough, simply cover it with aluminum foil and put it back in the oven for the remaining time.
8. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely with the Shallow Casserole placed on a cooling rack.

Prepare the buttercream:

1. To make the buttercream, simply place all the ingredients in a bowl or the KitchenAid and mix with the whisk attachment or beaters, and beat until you obtain a light and fluffy cream.
2. Chill in the fridge to set.

To make the edible nest

1. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler, or heat it in short bursts in the microwave.
2. Once melted, break the vermicelli into pieces of about 10 cm and pour the chocolate over them until they are completely coated.
3. Line the inside of a small bowl with cling film. Using a spoon, place the vermicelli in the bowl, spreading them well up the sides to create the shape of a nest, making sure there is a hollow in the center to place the eggs. Refrigerate until set.

Note: If you want to make a nest without vermicelli, completely smooth, you can inflate a balloon and spread chocolate over the bottom end, forming the part of chocolate into a bowl shape. Let the chocolate cool and when it's set, pop the balloon to leave a perfect chocolate nest bowl.

Assembling the cake:

1. When the cake is baked and ready to assemble, spread the lemon buttercream over the top of the sponge, smoothing with a spatula.
2. Sprinkle the entire edge of the cake with chocolate shavings and lemon zest.
3. Remove the nest from the bowl where it was chilled and peel off the cling film. Place the nest in the center of the cake and finish by placing the mini chocolate eggs inside it.

Note: Make sure the sponge is completely cool before decorating, or the buttercream and nest will melt or lose structure. It will take at least a couple of hours to cool completely, so bake the sponge a little in advance.

Le Creuset low casserole with lid