Katrina's Chocky Easter Cupcakes

It’s almost Easter and once again we’ve gone a bit Baking Mad! We decided to run a little competition in the club this month – to bake and blog about an Easter themed recipe. The favourite recipe(s), as voted by our club members and a few special guest judges would win a bundle of baking goodies. We’ve also submitted all of these recipes to BakingMad.com, to join their excellent selection of Easter recipes, such as Hot Cross Buns, EasterCakes, Cake Pops and more!

Easter Goodness in a Bite!

My entry for the Easter  Bake Competition.

When I think of Easter, chocolate, mini eggs and chicks come to mind. So... I thought I would bring them together for extra indulgence!!!

Serves 12-14 (Depending on the size of your cupcake cases)

To make the cupcakes, you'll need:

175g    Plain flour

1/4      Teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2         Teaspoons baking powder

75g     Cocoa Powder

           A pinch of salt

3         Tablespoons butter

300g   Caster Sugar

2         Free-range eggs

250ml  Milk

2         Oranges zest

2         Tablespoons orange juice

For the Butter-cream you'll need:

110g   Butter

240g   Icing sugar

2-3     Tablespoons milk

For the Topping:

1 Family pack size of  chocolate Mini Eggs

1 Pack of matlesers

1 Bar of dark chocolate ( Shaved to make the nests)

Method:

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat your oven to 180°C or Gas mark 4 and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake casings.

Cream the butter an sugar together until the colour becomes pale.

Gradually incorporate both eggs, one at a time.

Then fold in all dry ingredients, the milk and the orange zest and juice into the mixture until smooth.

Using an ice cream scoop fill the cupcake cases with the mixture. 

(The scoop helps to make sure each cupcakes has the same amount of mixture)

Then bake for 20-25 minutes. Once removed allow them to completely cool before adding the butter-cream on top.

To make the butter-cream:

Place the butter, Icing sugar and milk into the mixer and mix until a thick dropping consistency. You can put this on anyway you wish. I used a piping bag!

I also made little Easter chicks for the first time from sugar paste, dyed yellow!

 And used a black and red icing to make their cute little faces. 

I just rolled 3 small round balls for their heads. Then 3 slightly larger ones for their bodies and pointed one end to resemble their tale feathers and then I rolled out 6 balls around the same size as the heads and moulded them to look like wings. I just used a simple icing mixture to stick them together.

They all have their own characters.

The middle looks ready to go for a dive!

Also, for a cheeky added extra I shaved some chocolate. It's so simple and cheap to do! Just place a knife on top of the chocolate bar and repeatedly pull towards yourself.

Once your butter-cream is added, either decorate with the little chicks, mini egg nests or they are just as nice with the butter-cream beautifully piped on top.

Enjoy!

PS - this recipe will also be submitted to http://www.bakingmad.com/ideas/easter-baking  - so keep an eye out for it there! 

Sarah's Easter Magic chocolate cake

It’s almost Easter and once again we’ve gone a bit Baking Mad! We decided to run a little competition in the club this month – to bake and blog about an Easter themed recipe. The favourite recipe(s), as voted by our club members and a few special guest judges would win a bundle of baking goodies. We’ve also submitted all of these recipes to BakingMad.com, to join their excellent selection of Easter recipes, such as Hot Cross Buns, Easter Cakes, Cake Pops and more! 


Sarah’s Easter Magic Chocolate Cake

Here is my submission for the Easter themed competition bake.
Why not delight your family, adults and children alike with
this creative and seriously chocolaty Easter Magic cake!

It comprises of a deep chocolate sponge filled with a rich
white chocolate cream centre, smothered in a dark and milk chocolate ganache,
decorated with cute handmade chocolate figures.

Ingredients for the
cake

175g self-raising flour
50g cocoa
225g golden caster sugar
225g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 tbsp milk

Ingredients for
the filling

125g white chocolate
125ml double cream

Ingredients for
the topping

200g dark chocolate
100g milk chocolate
225ml double cream

To decorate – can be brought in or hand-made in
chocolate moulds

Chocolate bunnies, chicks, eggs, mini sugar shell
eggs, basic icing

Method for the cake:

· Preheat your oven to 180 degree c/gas 4
· Grease and line an 18cm (7”) deep cake tin or 2
sponge tins
· Sieve the flour and cocoa together into a bowl
· Beat the butter and the sugar together until
light and fluffy
· Add one egg at a time to the creamed butter and
sugar with a little flour/cocoa mix and beat in between each addition
· Fold in the remainder of the flour and cocoa – being
careful not to “knock” out the air which has been beaten into the mixture
· Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin or 2
tins (make sure both tins weight the same if you are using two)
· Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins, keeping an eye
and not opening the oven whilst baking.
· Leave the cake/s to cool before turning out on a
rack to completely cool.

Method
for the filling:

· Whilst the cake/s cools, melt the white
chocolate and cream together in a bowl over a pan of hot water stirring occasionally
to combine.
· Be careful not to let the chocolate overheat as
it can turn grainy. Once melted, stir gently and leave the cool and thicken
slightly before spreading it onto one of the cakes or one half of the cake.

Method
for the topping:

· Melt the dark and milk chocolate and cream
together in a bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally to combine.
· Be careful not to let the chocolate overheat as
it can turn grainy. Once melted, stir gently and leave the cool and thicken
slightly before spreading it onto the cake, covering it completely.
· Use a hot pallet knife to smooth off the
surface.

Decorate the top and sides of the cake with chocolate figures which you can make
yourself by melting chocolate and using moulds. You can also add mini “mini
eggs” or a variety of other decorations to finish it off.

PS - this recipe will also be submitted to http://www.bakingmad.com/ideas/easter-baking  - so keep an eye out for it there!