Easter 2012 - Easter nests, Easter Cake and a great Easter Dessert

I'll let these photos of Easter baking 2012 speak for themselves:

These very more-ish little treats were made by mixing together melted dark chocolate, melted milk chocolate [equal amounts], rice crispies, toasted coconut, butter and syrup.  I kind of guessed the amounts.  I topped them with tiny mini eggs, mini eggs, toasted coconut and hundreds and thousands.

Lemon sponge cake with lemon curd buttercream icing.  Decorated with edible rice paper daisies and mini-eggs

For this cake I used my trusty Victoria Sponge Recipe. Adding lemon zest to the cake and two large tablespoons of lemon curd to the butter cream icing.  I also added some yellow food colouring to the icing to give it a lovely pastel yellow colour.

Lemon Meringue Roulade filled with fresh cream, fresh raspberries and lemon cured - recipe here

Easter Cakes

I made loads of food this Easter Weekend just gone but here are the highlights:

Easter Cake - vanilla sponge with lemon curd buttercream icing topped with edible daisies and mini eggs [made with Doves Gluten Free Flour]

Vanilla sponge cake top with chantilly cream and fresh strawberries [made with Doves Gluten Free Flour]

Recipes to follow soon!

The Easter that was

Easter cupackes made by my own fair hand.  Vanilla sponge with a choice of lemon or chocolate icing.

I followed this recipe.  They come out rich, moist and yet light.  If you like large cupcakes, then I suggest you double the quantity.  The first time I made them I didn't double up and the mixture made 11 smallish cakes.  I add two heaped teaspoons of lemon curd to the butter cream mixture but obviously it's to taste - better to start out with less and add more.

A closer view of my lemon curd icing:

Couldn't resist a shot of these flowers my sister-in-law gave me:

Springy Easter Eggness

Thank goodness Spring is finally co-operating after the longest, coldest winter in living memory!  The crocuses and daffodils which are in full bloom this week really gladden the heart and the eye.

I'm taking a break from my boring lovely job and looking at All Things Easter on the Martha Stewart website.  Something about this site both fascinates and appalls me.  I mean WHO has the time to make all this stuff and why do the Americans seem to make SUCH a big deal about any holiday? For a country that only gets two weeks holiday a year and who are in financial dire straits, they sure seem to have a lot of "me time".   Mmmmm what's that I can taste?  Sour grapes mixed with a dash of envy?  My guests will be lucky if they get some hastily stolen bought daffodils adorning my Easter table.

So back I go to my Easter surfing - escaping into a lalaland of domestic bliss - being transported into a Stepford-wife world via my flatscreen.

We're having family over on Easter Sunday and so far my plans consist of:

• Lasagna for those with tastebuds / Shepherd's pie [sob!] for my in-laws who will only eat tasteless food
• Salad and garlic bread
• Tiramisu - made the proper, pukka Italian way
• Easter cupcakes or possibly one large cake adorned with mini Creme Eggs and a small gold Lindt bunny

Speaking of escape you MUST check out Mowielicious.com - this man is not only gorgeous [see his pic on "about" - I think he looks a bit like Will from Will and Grace] but he takes some of the best food porn pics I've ever seen.  His stunningly beautiful site is also doing a Hotel Chocolat Easter Hamper give-way, so get yourself there without further delay.

Back to me........................     National Lottery are you listening?  Over here .... yes, me, I'm the perfect person to win you.  I would never be bored, I'd find plenty of creative things to do with  my time.  I even subscribe to you online and you haven't looked my way for about a year, you haven't even given me a £10 glance.............. shame on you!

Photos courtesy of:  Flickr.com - creative commons - erbergcanada, anja2010, annamariahorner