Bunny-shaped chocolates and Mini Eggs can get a little dull after a while, so why not take things up a notch and make your own Easter dessert this year?
Whether you're a chocolate lover or an Easter egg aficionado, these recipes from Great British Chefs will make you want to satisfy your sweet tooth on your terms.
Prep time: 1 hour plus chilling time
Granola
2 tsp of vegetable oil
125ml of maple syrup
2 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
300g of rolled porridge oats
50g of sunflower seed
4 tbsp of sesame seeds
50g of pumpkin seeds
100g of flaked almonds
100g of chopped walnuts
White chocolate Easter eggs
2 white chocolate Easter eggs
160g of low fat vanilla yoghurt
1 tbsp of honey
100g of raspberries
- Place your chocolate egg in the fridge to harden for a few hours.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 4
- Mix together the oil, maple syrup, honey and vanilla together in a large bowl.
- Add the rest of the granola ingredients and mix all together.
- On a large baking sheet, pour on the granola and spread out evenly. Toast in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir before toasting for a further 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the fridge. Unwrap carefully and split them in half with a blunt knife, taking care so not to break them. If any little bits do break off, reserve them for decorative use later.
- In the yoghurt, mix in half the raspberries and place a small dollop in the centre of each plate.
- On each dollop, balance each chocolate egg cup, before filling them with the remaining yoghurt.
- Sprinkle a few large tablespoons of granola onto each egg. Finish with the reserved raspberries, some honey and any broken chunks of chocolate egg.
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Cooking time: 50 minutes
160g of butter
200g of plain chocolate
225g of caster sugar
3 eggs
55g of plain flour
55g of cocoa powder
100g of white chocolate buttons
100g of hazelnuts, chopped
icing sugar for dusting
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC/Gas mark 3.
- In separate bowls, melt the butter and the plain chocolate.
- Whisk together the sugar and eggs, before adding the melted butter and plain chocolate. Stir well until fully combined.
- Line and grease a Swiss roll tin. Add the sieved flour, cocoa, white chocolate buttons and chopped nuts to the brownie mix.
- Stir well before pouring into the tin. Bake in the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Once cooked, leave to cook slightly, before cutting into small squares. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Cooking time: 50 minutes, plus 2 hours chilling time
80g of caster sugar
460ml of double cream
6 gelatine leaves
1 orange, zested
6 egg yolks
80g of 70% bitter chocolate
80g of 70% cocoa powder
300ml of whole milk
- In cold water, soak the gelatine. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and caster sugar.
- Add 300ml of the double cream to a pan, alongside the milk and orange zest, and bring to the boil. Pour the mix onto the egg yolks and sugar, before returning to the pan and cooking over a low heat until the mix begins to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and set aside. Finely chop the chocolate before stirring it into the mix, as well as the gelatine and cocoa.
- Rest the pan over a blow of ice to cool the mix. In the meantime, semi-whip the remaining 160ml of double cream.
- Once the custard mix is at room temperature, fold in the cream until fully incorporated. Transfer to a bowl and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
Cooking time: 1 hour
Chocolate cake
300g of dark chocolate
150g of unsalted butter
5 medium free-range eggs
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
100g of caster sugar
butter for greasing
Dark chocolate topping
200g of dark chocolate
100ml of double cream
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
- Prepare the cake tin, greasing the inside with a little butter. Line the base of the tin with a cut out circle of greaseproof paper.
- Break the chocolate into pieces and add to a heatproof bowl with the butter. Fill a small saucepan with water up to 3cm high. Bring to a simmer. Place the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water/spill into the bowl.
- Gently stir the chocolate and butter until it is all evenly melted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, break in the eggs. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until just combined.
- Add the sugar and whilst on full power. You want to end up with a mixture that reaches a pale, thick, mousse-like consistency with plenty of air. It should be about 5 times the volume of the original mixture.
- Pour the melted chocolate mix onto the mousse, and carefully fold together with a spatula or metal spoon. Be careful not to beat the mix. Once fully combined, there shouldn’t be any chocolate left at the bottom.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for at least 35 minutes, or until once firm to touch and the centre is slightly moist under the crust.
- Remove from the oven and leave the tin to stand on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge of the tin before leaving to cool. Once cold, remove from the tin by undoing the spring tin before carefully turning the cake upside down onto a flat plate/cake stand. Gently remove the greaseproof paper.
- To make the topping, break up the chocolate into a large heatproof bowl alongside the cream.
- Repeat the same method as in step 3, melting the chocolate and cream over simmering water. Once the mix is half melted, remove from the heat and beat together until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate sauce evenly over the cake. Leave the sauce to firm until set, and then serve.
Recipes are courtesy of Great British Chefs, visit their website for more irresistible recipes.