Chocoholics’ I call You Unto My Nest........

Although Easter is now behind us, I just couldn’t resist in posting these simple little creations. I am somewhat behind in the blogosphere, *my apologies*, I have had family popping in and out and tomorrow other family members will be arriving and staying for a couple of days, so all in all it has been a lovely busy festive period.

I have previously mentioned that here in Britain abundant amounts of chocolate that will have been eaten over this festive period. Chocolate Easter eggs with middles filled with delightful chocolates of all dimensions and flavours, chocolate cakes for high tea, chocolate bunnies and chicks or whatever floats your boat in chocolate form. I can hear chocolate bells ringing in my ears and oh what jubilation this brings to one self-confessed chocoholic – ME!! Oh yes I admit, I do have to pace myself these days, however, the euphoria it still brings to my body and soul, I am still one very contented Mrs R.....!!!

Today, I am showcasing a simple little chocolate treat ‘Chocolate Nests’ that can be whipped-up in minutes. This is a treat that will put a smile on any child’s face not forgetting any adults like me, who after all these years still cannot resist a sneaky bite of one - bawhahaha.........

Chocolate Nests

Makes 4

Ingredients
176g (6 oz dark chocolate
60g 92 oz) butter
3 cereal biscuits, such as Shredded Wheat
60g (2 oz) raisins
18 -24 miniature chocolate sugar coated eggs

Method

Lightly grease a 4 individual Yorkshire pudding tray. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water until smooth, making sure no water splashes into the chocolate. Crumble the cereal biscuits and stir them into the melted chocolate with the raisins so they are completely coated in chocolate. Carefully spoon the mixture into the tins to represent nests and make a depression in the centre of each ‘nest’ with the back of a spoon. Leave to chill until set. Carefully remove each set chocolate nests and fill with miniature chocolate sugar coated eggs *I used Cadbury’s*.

Lastly, sit back and smile in wonder on such beautiful creations you have made. How will you eat yours? Will you nibble at the nest or eat all the miniature chocolate sugar coated eggs first? *Giggle* - I went for the chocolate sugar coated eggs first ;0)

Easter Simnel Cake

A traditional Simnel cake has a seam of marzipan baked through the middle of the cake and the top is traditionally adorned with a circle of marzipan, 11 balls of marzipan placed around the edge (omitting 1 for Judas) to represent the disciples of Jesus. You will find different recipes that have been handed down through generations as to which part of Britain one lives.

My Simnel cake this year is not quite one hundred percent traditional as opposed to my other ‘Simnel cake’. This year’s cake comes from a book I purchased last year and I have had this recipe bookmarked since then. The book in question is called ‘Cakes Galore by Valerie Barrett’, which has many gorgeous mouth-watering cakes to recreate, i.e. Red Velvet Cake, Choco-malt Cake, (the one that has Maltese’s adorned around the top of the cake) to mention but a few.

I am entering this cake into an Easter Cake Bake Round 3 event being hosted by the lovely Julia over @ A Slice of Cherry Pie. This is the third year running Julia has hosted this great event, last year I sadly missed it by the skin of my teeth and vowed I would ensure I entered this year.

Easter Cake

Makes 12-14 slices

Ingredients
500g (1lb 2oz) luxury dried fruit
2tbsp Amaretto
175g (6 oz) softened butter

175g (6 oz) soft light brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
200g (7 oz) self-raising flour
2 tsp ground mixed spice
50g (2 oz) ground almonds
500g (1lb 2oz) ready-made natural almond paste or marzipan
225g (8 oz) ready-made yellow almond paste or marzipan
1-2 tbsp warmed apricot jam
To Decorate
Coloured ribbon
Sugar-coated chocolate eggs

You will also need: a deep 18cm (7 in) round cake tin, greased and lined with greaseproof paper or non-stick baking paper

Method

Put the mixed fruit in a bowl and sprinkle over the Amaretto. Leave to soak for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Beat in the eggs and lemon zest. Fold in the flour, mixed spice and ground almonds, then add the dried fruit mixture and mix well. Set aside. Roll out half of the natural almond paste or marzipan on a sheet of non-stick baking paper to form an 18cm (7 in) circle. Spoon half of the cake mixture into the base of the prepared tin, spreading it evenly. Place the almond paste on top. Spoon over the remaining cake mixture, then level the surface. Bake in the oven for 2-2½ hours, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire to cool.

Roll out the remaining natural almond paste and all but 50g (2 oz) of the yellow paste to form two 18cm (7 in) circles and place the yellow one on top of the natural one. Shape 8 balls from the remaining yellow paste. Lightly brush the top of the cake with warmed apricot jam, leaving a small circle in the centre uncoated. Place the almond circle, yellow side up, on top of the cake and trim the edges. Using a glass, lightly mark a circle in the centre of the cake. Using a sharp knife, cut through both almond-paste layers up to the edges of the circle to make 8 segments. Lift up the pointed end of each segment and peel it back to reveal the natural almond paste underside. Press it gently into the edges of the cake. Place a yellow almond paste ball on top. Tie a ribbon around the cake and fill the centre with sugar-coated chocolate eggs.

Lastly, sit back in wonder of the splendid cake you have created and have an “egg-cellent” slice of Easter cake!

Easter Biscuits

Easter biscuits are made across Britain and traditionally they are served after church on Easter Sunday. They are presented tide in a bundle of three to represent the Holy Trinity.

These little biscuits are part of our traditional heritage here at Easter in Britain and eaten alongside ‘hot cross buns’, ‘Simnel cake’, and abundant quantities of chocolate being in the form of Chocolate Easter Eggs. It's also tradition in my household to have a ‘Easter Nest Chocolate Cake’ .

If you are lucky, you may even find Easter Bunny hiding his Chocolate Easter Eggs for children armed with little baskets to go ‘Easter Egg Hunting’, seeking out Easter Bunnies chocolate Eggs and collecting them to eat, oh what fun!

Easter Biscuits

They will keep well for a week in an airtight container.

Makes around 18-20

Ingredients
150g (5 oz) softened butter
125g (4½ oz) caster sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 egg yolks
250g (9 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp mixed spice
40g (1½ oz) currants
10g (½ oz) mixed citrus peel

You will also need 2 large baking trays lined with non-stick parchment paper. 7cm (3 in) fluted round cutter.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until fluffy and light in colour. Beat in the egg yolks until fully incorporated, and then beat in all the remaining ingredients until it forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about 5mm (approx ¼ in) thickness. Cut out rounds of biscuits with 7cm (3 in) fluted round cutter, re-rolling the trimmings until all used up. Place onto the prepared baking trays leaving a little space apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes until pale and golden. Sprinkle with a little caster sugar over each biscuit from the oven and then leave on a wire rack to fully cool. Stack into a bunch of three and tie each stack with a ribbon to serve and represent the Holy Trinity.

Lastly, sit back in wonder of what delights you have created, and sample these heavenly creations with a glass of cold milk....mmmmmmmm.

Iced Shortbread Biscuits (Cookies)

I assume I am not alone in buying foodie magazines am I? I can guarantee I always find something to catch my eye and bookmark to make for a later date, but in my case I hardly ever seem to get around to it – tut –tut -tut! I must try in future to rectify this more because there are definitely some gorgeous bakes in those glossy pages. Well, I have kept to my word this time as I came across an article called “Baking with Dad” in the April issue of Sainsbury’s magazine which were all Easter treats. I spotted some gorgeous iced shortbread biscuits (cookies) in the shape of butterflies that are so very beautiful I just knew I had to try and recreate them, maybe I haven’t given them full justice they deserve but they were fun to make!

Iced Shortbread Biscuits

You can make these cookies up to 3 days ahead and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 16

Ingredients
150g (5 oz) butter, softened
75g (3 oz) light muscovado sugar
150g (5 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
75g (3 oz) cornflour
Pinch of salt
I medium egg white
200g (7 oz) icing sugar, sifted
Red & yellow edible food colouring (optional)
You will also need
2 baking sheets lined with non-stick baking parchment
Easter cutters of choice

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/300°F/Gas mark 2.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add the flour, cornflour, pinch of salt and mix until it forms a ball. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface to 4mm (approx ¼ in) thick. Cut out shapes with cutters and reroll the dough as necessary. Using a plate knife or fish slice, put the shortbreads onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack before icing.

For The Icing, lightly beat the egg whites, then gradually add the icing sugar and continue beating until it forms soft peaks. To decorate the shortbread, pipe an outline around each biscuit. Separate the icing into two bowls and add a few drops of edible food colouring to each. Stir in a little more water to make a runner icing for “flooding” consistency. Fill the centres of the biscuits with coloured icing and leave to set.

If you are feeling creative, keep a little of the white icing back to add details to the shapes once the coloured icing has set.

Note: this recipe contains raw egg whites.


Lastly, sit back in wonder of what delights you have created, and sample these heavenly creations.

Citrus Cream Cookies

Spring just being on the horizon here in England, these little cookies absolutely reflects that freshness of this season, and would equally be in keeping served with other treats at Easter for afternoon tea.

I do like citrus flavours in my bakes and these citrus cookies truly fit the bill of citrus-ness. I used two different sized cookie cutters to reveal the lush citrus buttercream sandwiched in the centre of each cookie. Certainly the same size cookie cutter could be used however; it will cut down the amount of cookies you can make from the batch of dough.

Citrus Cream Cookies

Makes approximately 12 cookies (depending on size of cookie cutters used)

Ingredients
180g butter, softened
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
80g icing sugar
225g plain flour
40g cornflour
Filling
125g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
160g icing sugar, sifted
Icing sugar for dusting

You will require 2 baking trays lined with non-stick baking parchment
Two cookie cookies the same shape one larger (6cm) one smaller (4 cm)

Method

Add the butter, lime zest and icing sugar and beat until smooth and creamy then fold in the flour and cornflour until fully combined. Tip out onto a surface and knead until smooth then wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes until firm.

Preheat the oven 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/ gas mark 4.

Roll out half the dough between sheets of cling film and using a flower-shaped cutter or cutter of your choice, cut out 12 larger shapes. Add any scraps of dough to the remaining half of dough and roll out as before and cut out 12 smaller size shapes. Leave a gap between each cookie on the prepared baking trays to ensure they don’t stick together when baked. (Make sure the large shapes are on one tray and the smaller shapes on another.) Bake in the preheated oven for 5-6 minutes for the smaller shaped cookies and 7-6 for larger shaped cookies, until lightly browned. Place on wire racks to cool.

To make the citrus buttercream; put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy. Spread the filling on each of the larger cookies and sandwiched together with a smaller cookie. Dust with icing sugar.

Lastly, take a cookie, sit back, eat and enjoy!

Rosie’s Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns,
Hot cross buns,
one ha' penny,
two ha' penny,
hot cross buns.
If you have no daughters,
give them to your sons,
one ha' penny,
two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns

I was in the kitchen this morning getting all ready to bake my Easter Nest cake when hubby requested one of his favourite Easter bakes of hot cross buns. I hadn’t planned on making these today but as Mr R hardly requests any form of baking who am I to disappoint? He had spotted some hot cross buns in our local baker’s window and this must have jolted his request!

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday with the cross standing for the crucifixion of Christ. They date back many years and they are a sweetened spiced currant yeast bun with the cross being made from sweetened flour water or pastry. They are then glazed over with sugar syrup straight from the oven. There are many variations of spices that can be used but I settle for a more traditional approach. I just adore splitting open a freshly baked bun and spreading butter over letting it melt its way through the interior, be warned though, you have to watch for the dribbles of butter that may ooze down your chin :P

Rosie’s Hot Cross Buns

Makes 12 buns

Ingredients

450g (1lb) strong plain white flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

50g (2 oz) butter

7g sachet of fast acting dried yeast

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

25g (1 oz) caster sugar

100g (4 oz) luxury dried mixed fruit and peel, I use Sainsbury’s

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Approx 250ml (9 fl oz) tepid milk

A little extra flour for kneading

For The Cross

3 tbsp strong plain flour

2 tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp water

For The Sugar Syrup

50g (2 oz) caster sugar

3 tbsp water

You will need 2 baking trays lined with non-stick mats, a piping bag with a small plain nozzle.

Method

In a large bowl sift the flour, salt and spices adding the butter and rubbing through with your fingertips. Next, stir in the yeast, lemon zest, mixed dried fruit and sugar. Making a slight well in the middle add the milk a little at a time until you have a soft dough, (you may not require all the milk). Cover over the dough with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

On a lightly floured surface turn out the dough and knead until smooth and elastic. Cut the dough into equal portions of 12 (or less if you want larger buns.) Taking each piece of dough form into smooth balls and slightly flatten making a cross shape with the back of a knife on each one. Place onto the baking trays and cover over with clean tea towels and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.Make the sweetened flour water for the crosses, add the flour, sugar and water and stir through until this becomes a smooth paste. Fill a piping bag and pipe on each bun the sign of a cross. Place the buns into the preheated oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

While the buns are baking make the sugar syrup glaze by adding the sugar and water to a saucepan bring to the boil for about 2 minutes to make sure all the sugar has melted and it has become a syrup consistency.

When the buns are golden brown from the oven brush the sugar syrup glaze all over each one and transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

Simnel Cake

I have always baked a Simnel cake for Easter Sunday teatime to cut into and I have played around with my recipe for a few years now having eventually settled for this one I am sharing with you. Of course the spices can be altered to each individual taste by omitting mixed spice and adding cinnamon instead etc.

I always have bags of dried luxury fruit that also contain dried mixed peel in my store cupboard from Sainsbury’s which I find work for me, but there is no reason why you can’t just add the dried fruit of your choice as long as the weight remains the same. If you haven’t got a kitchen blowtorch a preheated grill will brown the top of the marzipan on the cake just as good. Like my dad would have said to me, “where there’s a will there’s a way”, and he was so right! The decorations are optional and you could even place fresh primroses in the centre of the cake before serving to give it that spring feeling.




Simnel Cake

Ingredients

225g (8 oz) softened butter

225g (8 oz) soft dark brown sugar

350g (12 oz) Self-raising flour

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp mixed spice

400g (14 oz) luxury mixed dried fruit, see above

50g (2 oz) glace cherries, washed, dried and chopped into quarters

Zest of 1 lemon

100g (4 oz) chopped hazelnuts

4 eggs, beaten

3 tbsp milk

3 x 225g (8 oz) blocks of golden marzipan

Icing sugar, for dusting

1 tbsp apricot jam warmed with 1 tbsp water

For Decoration

A yellow ribbon to fit around the cake

A few sugar flowers (optional)

A little furry yellow Easter chick (optional)

23cm (9 in) cake board

You will need a 20cm (8 in) round springform tin double lined base and sides with greaseproof paper.

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.

In a large mixing bowl add the flour, nutmeg, mixed spice, dried fruits, lemon zest and nuts coating them through with your hands.

In another large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg mixture a little at a time beating well in; making sure all is combined into the mixture between each addition. Next add the flour mixture from the other bowl and carefully fold through with a large metal spoon adding the milk lastly, working this through until you have a well combined mixture.

Spoon half the mixture into the prepared springform tin, levelling off with a spatula. Roll out one of the blocks of golden marzipan making a circle slightly smaller than the cake tin size, on a lightly dusted surface of icing sugar. Place the marzipan circle on top of the cake mixture in the cake tin, spreading the remaining cake mixture over the top of the marzipan and smoothing down with a spatula.

Place the cake into the bottom of the preheated oven and bake for 2 hours or until fully baked. You can check by inserting a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean the cake is ready. Leave to fully cool in the tin.

Take the cake out of tin removing all the greaseproof paper and place onto the cake board. On a slightly dusted surface of icing sugar roll out another block of marzipan the size to fit the top of the cake, crimping all the way around the side. With the warmed apricot jam and water spread this over the top of the cake to ‘glue’ the marzipan down. Place the marzipan on top and smooth it down with your hands. Make 11 balls of marzipan out of the remaining marzipan, (you may not require the entire block), sticking these around the edge of the cake. With a kitchen blowtorch slightly brown the top of the marzipan and the marzipan balls or brown under a preheated grill for a few seconds.

To finish off, tie the yellow ribbon around the cake securing the ribbon at the back with a pin but remember to remove before serving. Place the sugar flowers and chick in the centre of the cake to finish off.

Easter Nest Chocolate Cake

Chocolate seems to be on everyone’s mind at Easter time and this recipe I am sharing with you has been one I have been baking for many years now since the age of 11 yrs. I first remember baking this at school and bringing my cake eagerly home to show my mum, gosh I felt so proud of my accomplishment. Like I have said before, food revokes fond memories of places and time. This cake is basically a chocolate Victoria sponge, sandwiched in the middle with chocolate buttercream with the top of one sponge having a hole cut out to make a nest. The top and sides of the cake are smothered in chocolate buttercream. Cadbury’s flakes are used chopped up to represent twigs in the nest and sugar coated chocolate eggs with little yellow furry chicks are placed sat on the eggs for finishing touches.

Rosie’s Easter Nest Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

200g (7 oz) self-raising flour

25g (1 oz) cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

225g (8 oz) softened butter

225g (8 oz) caster sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

For The Chocolate Butter Icing

450g (1lb) icing sugar

25g (1 oz) cocoa powder

50g (2 oz) softened butter

90ml (3 fl oz) milk

For Decoration

2 chocolate Cadbury’s flakes- cut into twigs

Sugar coated chocolate eggs, I used Cadbury’s mini eggs

Fluffy yellow chicks

A 23cm (9 in) cake board

You will also need x 2 20cm (8 in) sandwich tins greased lightly with butter and greaseproof paper based lined, you will also need a 10 cm (4 in) round cutter to cut out the centre of the top sponge.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together into a bowl and place aside. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs together with the milk and vanilla extract in a jug and add a little at a time to the butter mixture, beating until all incorporated. Add the flour mixture and fold through gently with a large metal spoon until fully combined. Divide the mixture equally between the two sandwich tins and smooth the mixture over with a spatula. Place into the preheated oven to bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until fully baked and feeling firm to a gentle touch in the centre. You can also test by inserting a skewer into the centre of the sponge and it should come out clean. Leave in the tins to cool for at least 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finishing cooling. When completely cold remove the base papers. Make the chocolate icing by beating all the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Taking one of the cold sponges cut out a hole in the middle with the round cutter. Place the bottom sponge on a cake board and spread a little of the chocolate buttercream over smoothing it to cover the whole area of the sponge. Place the top sponge on and spread the chocolate buttercream over the top and sides making sure the centre is fully covered in buttercream too. Place the chopped Cadbury’s flakes around the top of the cut out centre to form the nest, then place the sugar coated chocolate eggs in the nest. Finishing off by placing the fluffy yellow chicks sat on the eggs for decoration.