Daisy Hogg from At The Kitchen, shares with us her top three easy Easter recipes that all the family will love!

Rocky road

400g milk/dark chocolate (leftover Easter eggs)

200g digestives

100g mini marshmallows

100g dried fruit (sultanas, cherries etc.)

Mini eggs/chocolate bunnies/leftover Easter treats to decorate

1. Melt chocolate over a bain-marie.
2. Whilst chocolate is melting, crush the biscuits.
3. Add marshmallows and dried fruit to the crushed biscuits.
4. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly before pouring over the biscuit mix.
5. Stir the chocolate into the biscuit mix until fully incorporated.
6. Place in an 8-inch lined tin and press down.
7. Decorate with leftover Easter treats and leave to set before cutting up.

Simnel cake

200g marmalade

200g marzipan

100g dried fruits

7-inch pastry case:

200g plain flour

100g butter

50g caster sugar

1 egg

Frangipane:

100g butter

100g caster sugar

2 eggs

140g ground almonds

75g plain flour

2 tsp cinnamon

To make the pastry case:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until soft, add the egg, then mix the flour in until fully incorporated.
2. Chill for half an hour, then line the tart case and blind bake (25 minutes at 170°C).

To make the frangipane:

1. Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg, then mix in the flour, ground almonds and cinnamon.

To build the cake:

1. When the pastry case is baked, spread the marmalade on the bottom of the case, sprinkle the dried fruits and crumble 100g of the marzipan on top of the marmalade.
2. Fill the rest of the pastry case with frangipane, then bake for 30 minutes at 170°C.
3. Roll the remaining marzipan into 11 balls and blow torch the top so the sugar browns.
4. To decorate, make a thick water icing (icing sugar and lemon juice, food colouring optional) and pipe a pretty pattern on top of the tart.
5. Finish by placing the marzipan balls around the edge of the tart.

Easter nest chocolate cake 

8-inch sponge: 

330g butter

330g caster sugar

6 eggs

300g plain flour

6 tbsp cocoa

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

Chocolate buttercream: 

400g butter

400g icing sugar

150g chocolate

2 tbsp cocoa

Easter nest:

6 shredded wheat

100g chocolate

Mini eggs/creme eggs to decorate

To make the Easter nest:

1. Line a small deep bowl with clingfilm.
2. Melt the chocolate.
3. Crush the shredded wheat and mix in the chocolate.
4. Press into the bowl to make a nest shape and leave to set.
5. Line three 8-inch cake tins.

To make the sponge:

1. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla.
2. Add the eggs one by one and mix well.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix to a smooth batter.
4. Divide the mixture into the tins and bake for 30 minutes at 160°C or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Leave the sponge to cool.

To make the buttercream (whilst sponge cooling):

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Cream the butter, sugar and cocoa, then add the melted chocolate and beat until light and fluffy.

To decorate the cake:

1. Fill the sponges with buttercream and ice the sides of the cake.
2. Place in the fridge so the buttercream becomes firm.
3. Remove the nest carefully from the bowl and place on top of the cake (stick down with buttercream).
4. To finish the cake, pipe a border around the edge of the cake using a star nozzle and add the mini eggs/creme eggs to the nest.