Maltesers Indulgence Easter Cake

This cake is a real celebration of Easter and for me, chocolate is the key to a happy Easter, especially with my two girls, Bridget and Beatrice. This cake is not frugal, nor healthy - it is truly decadent, indulgent and calorific, but it is also absolutely delicious and fun to make with kids or solo. It takes a little more time than an ordinary sandwich cake, but is well worth the effort.

If you do want to shave off a few calories, you could make it without the vanilla sponge layer, but the height does help to make a hidey hole for the Maltesers which pour out as you slice into the cake. 

Malteasers Indulgence Easter Cake

Here's how:

For the chocolate sponge:

• 8 tbsp boiling water
• 50g cocoa (sifted)
• 4 eggs
• 60ml milk (use full fat if possible)
• 180g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 115g butter (room temperature)
• 270g caster sugar

For the vanilla sponge:

• 2 eggs
• 120g butter (room temperature)
• 120g caster sugar
• 120g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

The chocolate buttercream:

• 100g milk chocolate
• 200g butter (room temperature)
• 450g icing sugar
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder
• 4-6 tbsp milk

To decorate/adorn:

• x3 large packs of Maltesers or 1 share bag
• x6 Maltesers Bunnies

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line x2 20cm round sandwich tins and set aside.

Make the vanilla sponge first by simply using the all-in-one method, literally put the butter, caster sugar, self-raising flour, baking powder, vanilla essence into a mixing bowl, crack in the two eggs and mix well to form a cake batter. 

Pour into one of the lined cake tins and tilt the tin to ensure the cake batter covers the entire bottom and is well spread out. 

Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown, risen, and you can stick a skewer inside without any wet crumbs coming out. 

Remove from the tin, place onto a wire race or a board to cool. Re-line the cake tin, firstly removing any cakey debris. 

While the vanilla sponge is in the oven, set to work making the chocolate sponge. First place the cocoa into a mixing bowl, and pop the 8 tbsp boiling water into the bowl too, using a wooden spoon to stir and making a bit of a paste. It shouldn't be too dense, and should have some movement, so if you need to add a little more boiling water, do so, 1 tbsp at a time until you're happy with the consistency.

Now add the rest of the cake ingredients; the butter, eggs, milk, sugar, baking powder and self-raising flour and mix well with the wooden spoon until a batter is formed. 

Now pour the batter into the two sandwich tins, as evenly as you can (you can use scales to be precise but I don't bother for an 'at home' cake and gauge it by sight instead.

Again tilt the tins to ensure the batter is all over the tins and spread out well then place into the centre of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. 

Again, use a skewer to ensure the cake is cooked through, and if not return to the oven for a further five minutes.

Gently remove from the tins after a few minutes and turn out onto a wire rack or a board to cool and leave for 20-30 minutes so they're cooled through.

For the buttercream, first break up the milk chocolate (we used an Easter egg) and melt in a bowl over a pot of boiling water or in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, then set aside.

Now in the final mixing bowl (or the one you've washed up twice) combine the butter, with the icing sugar and cocoa. If you can, sieve the icing sugar and cocoa in, as it will make the buttercream less grainy - but I was lazy yesterday! Add the milk and stir well with a wooden spoon. You want it to be loose and easy to spread with a knife or palette knife, so add more milk a tbsp at a time if it feels a little too thick. Pour in the melted chocolate and give a final stir then set aside.

To assemble the cake, use a cake stand or whatever you want the cake to sit on, and place the bottom layer (whichever one is tattiest) of chocolate sponge on the stand. Use a cookie cutter and cut out a round right in the centre of the cake. Remove the centre sponge piece, (if you have small children I'm sure they will help to get rid of the cake!). 

Now spread the rest of the top of the bottom layer of chocolate sponge with a thin layer of the chocolate buttercream.

Next cut out the centre of the vanilla sponge and place the remaining outer circle on top of the chocolate sponge on the cake stand. Now you should have the two layers, with a big, deep hole. Fill with two thirds of the Maltesers. 

Maltesers Indulgence Easter Cake

Now spread the vanilla sponge on top with the chocolate buttercream and place the final, full chocolate sponge on top. It may dip a little in the centre, but don't worry about that.

Now spread the chocolate buttercream all over the cake, using the back of a knife or if you have one, a palette knife to get it as neat as you can. Any remaining buttercream pop into a small Tupperware dish and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks for any cakes you might want to ice.

Now to tidy the stand, so if you are like me, you may have made a little mess of the stand with the chocolate, use some kitchen roll or tissue to mop up any spillages and make neat and then you can pop on the final decorations.

Add the x6 Malteser Bunnies around the outside, they should stick to the buttercream without anything extra needed.

Bash up the remaining Maltesers with the end of a rolling pin so they're all crushed and then scatter over the top of the cake. Enjoy!

If you love a chocolate bake like us here are a few other recipes you may enjoy:
Mini Egg Brownies
Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Rich Mocha Cake
Simple Double Chocolate Traybake
Triple Chocolate Cookie Brownies

Halloween Chocolate Cupcakes

Halloween Chocolate Cupcakes

These Halloween cupcakes are super fun to make with the children over the half term or if you're having a spooky themed soiree. Whilst the bright orange, spider-topped cakes are definitely geared towards the little ones, the glossy, rich and decadent chocolate ganache topped selection will hit the mark for the grown ups.

You could use any food colouring for the spider-topped cakes, we just went for orange as it's synonymous with Halloween and you could also use sweet laces for the spider's legs rather than icing pens if you prefer.

For the icing I'm afraid I jotted down my measurements in tablespoons as I threw it all together, which I've given below, which are hopefully easy enough to translate.

We grabbed a little Halloween baking set from Poundland which included two dozen spooky cake cases, and a variety of eerily topped cocktail sticks; perfect decorations for cupcakes.

The below makes six of each cake.

Halloween Chocolate Cupcakes

Here's how:
The cakes:

• 120g room temperature butter
• 170g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 170g caster sugar
•  2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp milk

For the spider topped cakes' icing and decor:

• x6 Giant Chocolate Buttons
• Black icing pen
• Red icing pen
• Blue and/or green icing pen
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 tbsp icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• Orange food colouring gel

For the chocolate ganache icing:

• 60g dark or plain chocolate 
• 1 tbsp double cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• Drop of vanilla extract

Firstly pre-heat the oven to a low 160 degrees and line a muffin or cupcake tray with a dozen cake cases.

The cupcakes follow the super easy all-in-one method, which is great for kids! Add everything into a mixing bowl and mix well until a smooth cake batter is produced.

Divide between the cake cases and place into the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until well risen and you can pop a skewer or cocktail stick inside and it comes out dry.

Once out of the oven, place the baking tray somewhere away from the oven and after five minute, remove the cakes and place onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

For the chocolate ganache, break up the chocolate and place into a small bowl with the butter, cream and vanilla. Place over a pan of boiled water on a low simmer and allow to gently melt down, use a wooden spoon to stir and ensure everything is fully melted. Then remove from the heat, set aside and allow to cool for five minutes until it's easy to handle. 

In the meantime, make the orange butter cream by combining the icing sugar, softened butter, vanilla  and mix well. Add the milk sparingly until the buttercream is at the consistency you'd like. Now add a drop or two of the orange food colouring gel, and then mix thoroughly. Repeat this process until you are happy with the hue and then spread over six of the cupcakes as smoothly as you can. 

Pop a Giant Chocolate Button in the middle of each of the orange-topped cakes and then simply add the eyes, mouth and spider's legs using the icing writing pens. 

For the remaining six cakes, use a spoon to pour over the thick and glossy ganache and allow to cover entirely. These are supposed to be rich and decadent, so don't scrimp here. Complete these by adding in a Halloween themed stick, right down into the cake so it stays in place. Enjoy!

If you are in need of further Halloween baking inspiration check out these Mummified Sausage Rolls, Chocolate Spider Biscuits or Halloween Biscuits that are are all great to make with the children this half term or in the lead up to 31st October. 

Boozy Chocolate and Orange Brownies

We love chocolate brownies in all their various forms in our house, but these boozy chocolate and orange brownies are strictly for grown ups. 

They're rich, decadent and the intensity of the chocolate flavour, if you use a good chocolate is just wonderful. If you follow the below, you end up with a glossy topping that is slightly cracking, but a soft and squidgy, fudgey centre - just wonderful. 

I tend to use Cointreau as it's something I always have in stock, but you could substitute for another orange liqueur such as Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Blue Curacao or Mandarine Napoleon. You could equally switch for a shot of Tia Maria or whisky if you prefer, in terms of taste, but the chocolate and orange works really well together. 

Boozy Chocolate and Orange Brownies

Here's how:

• 185g salted butter
• 200g dark chocolate of at least 85% cocoa solids
• 80g plain flour
• 50g cocoa
• 3 eggs
• 275g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 orange 
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbsp Cointreau or alternative orange liqueur
• 50g white chocolate
• 50g milk chocolate
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Fill and boil the kettle and then pour into a small saucepan on a low heat. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a baking tin or dish and set aside.

Break up the dark chocolate and place into a bowl with the softened butter and gently melt over the saucepan. 

Once fully melted, remove the dark chocolate and butter from the heat. Grate the orange zest and add to the chocolate alongside the Cointreau, mix to combine and then set aside away from the hot water and allow to fully cool.

Roughly chop the white and milk chocolate into small chunks and set aside. 

Sift the plain flour and cocoa into a small bowl and set aside for a moment. 

Now in a mixing bowl add the sugar and eggs and whisk vigorously - if you have an electric whisk, it will take about five minutes, or by hand a good eight to ten. You want there to be a thick and creamy feel to the texture, as if you was making mousse. 

Now gently pour in the chocolate mixture and combine as carefully as you can, trying not to knock the air out that you have just painstaking whisked in. 

Once combined, sift over the cocoa and flour, now use the figure of eight method of mixing in, again being careful to be as gentle as possible.

Once it has formed a wet batter, add the chocolate chunks and stir through - try not to over-work here as you will knock the air out. 

Now pour into the greased, lined baking tin ad try to even out as best you can.

Place into the oven, on a middle shelf and allow to bake for 28 minutes exactly. 

Remove from the oven and give a good bang, if there is no wobble in the middle, the brownies are done, if there is a wobble return for a few more minutes then check again.

Once out of the oven, keep in the tin and place somewhere cool. Allow the brownies to cool completely before you attempt to remove them.

Cut into your preferred sized portions whilst still in the tin, and before serving dust with a little icing sugar for a final flourish. 

These will keep in an air tight container for up to a week, however I doubt they last that long; they are very moreish. Enjoy!

A few other bakes you might like to try:
Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Cake
Apple Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Coffee & Walnut Traybake with Vanilla Latte Icing
Peach Upside Down Cake
Lemon & Honey Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries
St Clement's Drizzle Cake

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake

My daughters love to cook with me but over all else, they love to bake. This morning, before heading out for the weekly shop, I gave my eldest, Bridget, Mary Berry's Baking Bible to rifle through and select something for us to bake together this afternoon - she chose this Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake.

It is a fairly simple bake and results in a lovely crumbly texture with a rich iced finish. It went down incredibly well in our household - whilst I'm more of a Lemon Drizzle Cake girl, everyone else loves a chocolate cake.

I took this from Mary Berry's Baking Bible in the 'chocolate cakes' section - aside from a couple of very minimal modifications, this is Mary's to the letter.

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake

Here's how:

• 225g softened salted butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self raising flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1.5 level tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1.5-2 tablespoons warm water

For the icing:

• 150g dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons water
• 100g butter
• 80g milk chocolate

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a 3 pint ring mould generously. I use a silicon mould as find them easier to remove cakes from after baking that metal tins.

Omitting the cocoa powder and water - place everything else into a mixing bowl and fold in and mix well.

Once everything is well mixed, take a tablespoon and place 1 scooped tablespoon of the cake batter in the mould, and then repeat around the circular mould with small gaps in between each mound of batter. Use about half of the batter - this will help with the marbled effect.

Now pop the cocoa into a tea cup or mug and add the water and mix well, to an almost paste like consistence. Now add this to the remaining cake batter, and spoon over the batter in the gaps and all around until it is all in the mould.

Place the mould onto a baking tray and into the oven for 30-35 minutes. Test with a skewer that the cake is cooked through, and if so remove and leave in the mould for 5-10 minutes to cool a little. Then turn out carefully to cool completely - I place onto a wide chopping board as it's an easy place to ice the cake shortly.

For the icing, break the dark chocolate up and place into a bowl, with the butter and water. Place above a small saucepan of boiling water and allow to slowly melt, stirring with a wooden spoon to help it on its' way.

Once melted, it should have a beautiful glossy sheen to it, then spoon or pour over the cake to completely cover it. Now set aside somewhere cool and allow it to set for about an hour.

For the final part, break the milk chocolate into another bowl, and then place above the saucepan with recently boiled water. Once melted, transfer it to your piping vessel - you can of course use a piping bag, but I don't have much luck with them, so I just used a food bag and snipped a small hole in it.

Then finally drizzle over the cake in any pattern you'd like - the beauty of a homemade cake is the rustic appearance so let the children get involved and go crazy. Enjoy! 

Here are some other cakes and bakes you could attempt with your children as an activity during the holidays:
Simple Double Chocolate Traybake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Guilt Free Apple Cake
Pig Face Cupcakes
Chocolate Cornflake and Marshmallow Cakes
Banana and Berry Breakfast Muffins
Deliciously Ella Sweet Potato Brownies
Monte Carlos Biscuits
St. Clement's Drizzle Cake