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
- Melt chocolate over a bain-marie.
- Whilst chocolate is melting, crush the biscuits.
- Add marshmallows and dried fruit to the crushed biscuits.
- Allow the chocolate to cool slightly before pouring over the biscuit mix.
- Stir the chocolate into the biscuit mix until fully incorporated.
- Place in an 8-inch lined tin and press down.
- 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:
- Cream the butter and sugar together until soft, add the egg, then mix the flour in until fully incorporated.
- Chill for half an hour, then line the tart case and blind bake (25 minutes at 170°C).
To make the frangipane:
- Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg, then mix in the flour, ground almonds and cinnamon.
To build the cake:
- 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.
- Fill the rest of the pastry case with frangipane, then bake for 30 minutes at 170°C.
- Roll the remaining marzipan into 11 balls and blow torch the top so the sugar browns.
- 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.
- 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:
- Line a small deep bowl with clingfilm.
- Melt the chocolate.
- Crush the shredded wheat and mix in the chocolate.
- Press into the bowl to make a nest shape and leave to set.
- Line three 8-inch cake tins.
To make the sponge:
- Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla.
- Add the eggs one by one and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix to a smooth batter.
- Divide the mixture into the tins and bake for 30 minutes at 160°C or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave the sponge to cool.
To make the buttercream (whilst sponge cooling):
- Melt the chocolate.
- Cream the butter, sugar and cocoa, then add the melted chocolate and beat until light and fluffy.
To decorate the cake:
- Fill the sponges with buttercream and ice the sides of the cake.
- Place in the fridge so the buttercream becomes firm.
- Remove the nest carefully from the bowl and place on top of the cake (stick down with buttercream).
- 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.