Hand-made chocolate bunny heads

For the past couple of years I have made chocolate bunny heads filled with hand-made honeycomb, both of which can be found on my 'in my kitchen' page. This year I wanted to keep them simple with three layers of chocolate in white, milk and dark. I also coloured their eyes with blue chocolate and their noses with pink chocolate.

Hand-made chocolate bunny heads
What you will need

• Mini non-stick cake pan, 6 cavity - bunnies
• 100g White chocolate drops
• 100g 40% milk chocolate drops
• 100g 70% dark chocolate drops
• Pink powder food colouring
• Blue powder food colouring

Instructions

1. Temper (melt) 2 tbsp white chocolate
2. Place 1 tbsp of the melted white chocolate in small bowl and stir in pink food coloring until colour is even
3. Place a small drop of pink chocolate into nose of bunny moulds
4. Place 1 tbsp of the white chocolate in small bowl and stir in blue food coloring until colour is even
5. Place a small drop of blue chocolate into eyes of bunny moulds
6. Lightly tap moulds so chocolate lays flat and air bubbles are removed, and leave to set
7. Temper (melt) rest of white chocolate
8. Pour into bunny moulds so white chocolate is about 1 cm deep, tap lightly to remove air bubbles and leave to set
9. Temper (melt) milk chocolate
10. Pour into bunny moulds, tap lightly to remove air bubbles and leave to set
11. Temper (melt) dark chocolate
12. Pour into bunny moulds, tap lightly to remove air bubbles and leave to set
13. Turn out chocolate bunny heads

I packaged mine in pink bow cookie bags from Etsy seller Avenue 55 and added a few mini mini eggs to keep them in place!

I also made one without white chocolate for my friend who isn't so keen on it!

Have a sweet day!

Gluten free mini decadent chocolate nests

Mini decadent chocolate nests (makes 48 mini size cupcakes)
Ingredients

• 200g (7 ounces) 70% dark chocolate chips
• 100g (3.5 ounces) gluten free cornflakes, lightly crushed
• 50g (1.7 ounces) raisins
• 50g (1.7 ounces) almond slivers
• Edible gold glitter
• Mini mini eggs

Mini mini eggs from Tesco

Method

1. Melt chocolate in microwave on low power for about 1-2 minutes (the exact amount of time needed will depend on the type of chocolate being used so remove and stir the chocolate every so often to ensure it heats evenly)
2. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from microwave and gradually pour into bowl of crushed cornflakes, almonds and raisins
3. Stir chocolate, cornflakes, almonds and raisins until the dried ingredients are completely covered in chocolate
4. Spoon mixture into cases and make a hole in the center
5. Sprinkle with edible gold glitter
6. Fill hole with mini eggs and leave to set

I served four of them on my gold spot cupcake stand as part of my Easter table

I packaged up the rest in pretty egg boxes, for all the details and where to buy check out here

For free downloadable Easter labels see here

Have a sweet day!

Mini gluten free berry chocolate cupcakes

Mini gluten-free berry chocolate cupcakes (makes 48 mini size cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 125g (4.5 ounces) butter, softened
• 2 tbsp Hotel Chocolat organic cocoa powder
• 150g (5.2 ounces) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 225g (8 ounces) gluten free self-raising flour
• 60 ml semi skimmed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 100g (3.5 ounces) 70% dark chocolate chips
• 200g fresh raspberries, pureed

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F)
2. Line cupcake tin with paper cases or tray with silicone cases
3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour
4. Beat in eggs, flour, milk and vanilla extract
5. Fold in the dark choc chips and raspberries
6. Pipe batter into cases
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till cakes bounce back when lightly pressed
8. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool

To decorate (for 48 mini sized cupcakes)
Ingredients

• Chocolate buttercream
• Desiccated coconut
• Fondant flowers
• Jelly beans

For instructions on how to make fondant flowers click here

Instructions

1. Fill piping bag fitted with star nozzle full of chocolate buttercream
2. Pipe a nest on top of cupcakes
3. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut
4. Push fondant flower into side of nest and three jelly beans in the centre of the piped nests

I served eight of them on my gold spot cupcake stand as part of my Easter table

I packaged up the rest in pretty egg boxes, for all the details and where to buy check out here

Have a sweet day!

Gluten free strawberry & almond cupcakes

For my bunny topped cupcakes I made gluten free strawberry & almond cupcakes with a poured fondant top, and they tasted a bit like bakewell tarts! I sprinkled them in gold glitter and adorned with them roll-on fondant icing.

To avoid confusion with my American readers... in the UK the term fondant actually refers to icing that is used for pouring and dipping; the glossy, sticky stuff found on iced buns and fondant fancies. This is what I used to ice my cupcakes. I used roll-on icing for the bunnies and flowers which is called fondant icing in the US and is the same as sugar paste.

Gluten free strawberry & almond cupcakes (makes 20 cupcake size cakes)

Ingredients

• 100g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 500g gluten-free self-raising flour
• 50g ground almonds
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 tbsp strawberry jam

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 165C/325F
2. Line baking tray with cases
3. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
4. Beat in eggs one at a time until batter is smooth
5. Fold in the sifted flour, ground almonds and almond extract with a metal spoon
6. Pipe batter into cases
7. Divide jam between the cases and, using a cocktail stick, swirl into batter
8. Bake for about 20 mins until cakes bounce back when lightly pressed
9. Place cakes on rack until cool

To decorate (for 24 cupcake sized cakes) Ingredients

• Fondant icing
• Edible gold glitter
• Fondant bunnies
• Fondant flowers

For instructions on how to make fondant flowers click here and for instructions on how to make fondant bunnies click here

Instructions

1. Make up fondant icing as per instructions on packet
2. Pour fondant icing on to top of cakes and sprinkle with glitter
3. Place fondant flowers and bunny on to iced cakes
4. Leave icing to set

I served mine in mini butter dishes as table settings for my Easter tea and cakes

Have a sweet day!

Gluten free banana chocolate chip cupcakes

On Sunday we had Easter tea and cakes followed by an Easter egg hunt in the garden! For the next few days I will be sharing with you my Easter recipes and then it is on to pastures new! I hope you enjoy the recipes and can use them for other occasions too!

This Easter I decided to make gluten free banana and choc chips cupcakes, with a white chocolate buttercream piped nest sprinkled with coconut, adorned with fondant flowers and filled with a handmade chocolate egg. They went down a treat and I will definitely be making them again. They were super moist and had just the right amount of banana versus choc chips. The ultimate compliment was that I was told they didn't taste gluten free!

Gluten free banana chocolate chip cupcakes (makes 24 cupcake size cakes)

Ingredients

• 125g (4.5 ounces) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 150g (5.2 ounces) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 225g (8 ounces) gluten free self-raising flour
• 60 ml semi skimmed milk
• 100g (3.5 ounces) 40 % milk chocolate chips
• 2 fresh bananas, chopped

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F)
2. Line and grease tin
3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour
4. Beat in eggs, flour, milk and vanilla extract
5. Fold in the dark choc chips and chopped banana
6. Pipe batter into cases
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cakes bounce back when lightly pressed
8. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool

White chocolate buttercream (for 24 cupcake size cakes)
Ingredients

• 225g (1 cup) white butter, softened
• 225g (8 oz) white chocolate drops
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 110g (1 cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Method

1. Melt white chocolate
2. Whip butter until light and fluffy
3. Add melted chocolate to whipped butter
4. Beat in icing sugar and salt

To decorate (for 24 cupcake sized cakes)

Ingredients
• White chocolate butter frosting
• Desiccated coconut
• Chocolate eggs
• Fondant flowers

For instructions on how to make fondant flowers click here

Instructions

1. Fill piping bag with the white chocolate frosting and pipe in a swirl on top of cakes to resemble a nest
2. Place one chocolate egg in centre of icing
3. Place three fondant flowers on outside edge of piped nest
4. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut

Hope you all had a great Easter!

Happy Easter

Hand-made chocolate egg

Bunny jars for Easter

Gluten free Banana choc chip cupcakes

Hand-made Chocolate egg lollipops

Gluten free Banana choc chip cupcakes

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!

Hand-made chocolate egg

I have never made a big chocolate egg... until now! But when a certain little person said they would love a blue egg for Easter, their wish was my command!

Chocolate egg
What you will need:

• Large egg mould
• White chocolate drops
• Aqua chocolate food colouring
• Green dusting powder

Instructions

1. Temper (melt) white chocolate
2. Stir in blue chocolate food colouring a little at a time until you have desired colour. Stir well so colour is even
3. Fill mould full of melted chocolate, let it sit for a few minutes.
4. Then pour the liquid chocolate out. Some of the chocolate will have solidified on the inside of the mould
5. Leave to set. Refrigerating speeds up this process and can make it easier to turn out
6. Carefully release the eggs from the plastic moulds

I filled mine with coloured candy and a little white rabbit then wrapped it tightly in cling film and tied a pretty ribbon round it.

For now the bunnies are looking after the egg!

Have a sweet day!