Chocolate Easter Egg Nests

This is a really quick and easy no bake treat for Easter. I love eating these but have never made my own so decided to give it a go this year. It's cornflakes set in melted chocolate, golden syrup and butter and topped with mini eggs. They look really cute especially in colourful cases. I've made 3 batches of these already and may make more for Easter.

I'm sending this to The Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... which has the theme of 'fun' this month. These are really fun to make and eat and the kids can join in the fun of making them. 

I'm also sending this to Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and Kat from the Baking Explorer.
The theme this month is 'Spring into Easter' and these definitely scream Easter.

And to Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme this month is Easter Bakes.

It's also perfect for Dead Easy Desserts created by Sarah from Maison Cupcake and hosted by Michelle from Utterly Scrummy Food For Families. These no bake treats are ready in under 30 minutes excluding chilling time. 

 cornflakes, golden syrup, chocolate, mini eggs, butter 

 mix the cornflakes into the melted chocolate mixture 

 Place into fairy cake cases and top with 3 mini eggs 

 Set in the fridge for a few hours or overnight 

Recipe from BBC Food recipes 

200g chocolate
2 tablespoons golden syrup
50g butter
75g cornflakes
36 mini eggs

• Line a 12-hole fairy cake tin with paper cases.
• Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water.
• Allow to cool slightly. 
• Stir in the cornflakes until it's completely coated in the chocolate mixture.
• Divide the mixture between the paper cases and press 3 chocolate eggs into the centre of each nest. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight until set.

Chorizo and Manchego Cheese Hot Cross Buns

When I was brainstorming ideas for Stork's Hot Cross Bun challenge, J came up with this chorizo and manchego cheese combination. As my savoury hot cross buns were a surprising succes, I decided to give these a go as well and we both agree that this is much better. The bread is soft with a lovely crumb texture and the chorizo really gives it an added depth of taste and flavour. The manchego cheese is quite mild and you could probably get away with a stronger cheese like cheddar which I am planning to try next week. I tried making the cross out of grated cheese which worked a bit better than melted cheese piped on to the buns. 

I'm sending this to The Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... which has the theme of 'fun' this month. These were fun to create and tasted absolutely delicious.

I'm also sending this to Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is 'Spring into Easter' and these are perfect to serve at Easter breakfast or brunch.

And to the Easter Bake & Make Competition hosted by Ruth from The Pink Whisk and Two Little Fleas 

And Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme this month is Easter Bakes.

 paprika, white bread flour, butter, chorizo sausage, manchego cheese, yeast 

 adding grated cheese and cooked chorizo 

 before proofing 

 ready to bake 

 add the grated cheese after baking for about 10 minutes 

 fresh from the oven 

 delicious served warm with butter 

An original recipe by bakingaddict

1 cup warm water
7g dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
450g strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons paprika
75g butter, melted
1 egg
130g cubed chorizo sausage
1 teaspoon paprika
100g manchego cheese, grated + extra to create the cross on top

For the egg wash

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

• Start by placing warm water in a jug. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar and set aside for at least 10-15 minutes. It will become frothy when it's ready. 
• Lightly pan fry the Chorizo cubes with 1 teaspoon of paprika and allow to cool slightly. 
• In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, sea salt, paprika, butter and egg.
• Add in the fried chorizo and grated cheese and continue mixing.
• Stir in the yeast mixture. 
• Knead the dough until firm and smooth. 
• Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film.
• Leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size (preferably overnight).
• Punch the risen dough and knead for a few minutes.
• Divide into 12 even pieces (I weighed the dough then divided by 12)
• Place on a baking tray spaced apart and cover with cling film that has been sprayed with cooking oil or non stick spray. 
• Leave for about 30 minutes or so until the dough has risen further.
• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Using a pair of kitchen scissors, make a small 'x' shaped cut on top of each bun.
• Brush with egg wash and then bake for about 10 minutes.
• Take the buns out of the oven and sprinkle grated cheese on top in the shape of an 'x'. 
• Return to the oven and continue baking for a further 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack or eat warm straight from the oven with some butter. 

Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins

I had a baking urge last week but I couldn't decide what to bake! I looked at my cupboards and cookbooks for inspiration but couldn't decide on anything. In the end I made some cookies which will be revealed later and I made these muffins as I had a real craving for something lemony. I found this recipe online which Lorraine Pascale posted on twitter. I added lemon juice and more zest and a lemon glaze and they turned out beautifully. 

I'm entering this to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is spring and lemons definitely feel very spring like to me! 

And to Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and Laura from Laura Loves Cakes. The theme this month is 'Spring into Action'

 adding poppyseed to the mix 

 ready to go in the oven 

 drizzle with a generous amount of lemon glaze 

Makes 14 - recipe adapted online from Lorraine Pascale 

For the muffins

350g self raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of flour

225g golden caster sugar

350ml milk

2 eggs

140g butter, melted

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 1/2 lemon

50g poppyseed

For the lemon glaze

Juice of 1-2 lemons - adjust to the right consistency

150g icing sugar, sifted

• Preheat the oven to 180C 
• Mix all the dry ingredients except the poppyseeds in a large bowl.
• Add in the wet ingredients and mix well.
• Finally stir in the poppyseeds.
• Divide the mixture into muffin cases and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Make the lemon glaze by sifting the icing sugar into a large bowl then adding in the lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the consistency required.
• Drizzle a generous amount of glaze over each muffin. 

Chocolate and Raspberry Zebra Cake

Happy Valentine's Day all! This is a special cake for a special someone which I baked last week as I'm currently away in Australia for a few weeks.  It's a chocolate and raspberry zebra cake from BBC Good Food. This is my second time making a zebra cake and I'm impressed at how simple it is to make and yet how impressive it is. I'm really pleased that you can see the zebra effect on the cake. I used my I heart cake mould which gives you perfect heart shaped slices. 

J's verdict is that the cake had a good presentation, an interesting texture which was quite velvety and you could actually taste the raspberries in it. The dense chocolate icing was really rich but not too sweet so the sweetness didn't overwhelm the gooeyness which was nice and just great with the fresh raspberries. 

I will now be taking a little blog holiday and will be back in March when I am hosting AlphaBakes. 

I'm sending this to several blog challenges this month starting with AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself. The letter this month is Z for Zebra cake. 

Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and co hosted by Jane from The Hedgecombers. The theme this month is chocolate. 

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and Laura from Laura Loves Cakes. The theme this month is Oh L'Amour!

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat Your Veg. The theme this month is 'Food from the Heart' 

A new challenge called Love Cake hosted by Jibber Jabber UK. The theme this month is Baking with Passion. 

Let's Cook Sweet Treats for Valentine hosted by Nayna from Simply Food. 

 making the raspberry batter 

 chocolate batter and raspberry batter 

 creating the zebra cake 

 looks like a pretty flower...

 zebra effect 

 heart shaped slice 

 definitely a zebra effect! 

Recipe from BBC Good Food. 

Raspberry and Basil financiers

Recently I was invited to a French Glace Cherries Masterclass in London where Cindy from Food For Thoughts showed us how to make French glacé cherries Jelly Cakes and French glace cherry and pistachio financiers. We also got to sample some lovely treats made with glacé cherries which Cindy prepared for us to sample throughout the afternoon. 

The inspiration for this recipe came from the financiers we made. I had a lot of leftover egg whites after making custard for my custard crumble cake so I decided to make financiers. As it's nearing Valentine's, I chose to make raspberry and basil financiers after seeing it on BBC Good Food.  

This is a slightly unusual combination of flavours but I thought it worked really well. It was definitely not to everyone's taste though particularly the basil. The cake itself is light and nutty and the tart raspberries paired well with the basil. The heart shapes look cute and are perfect for a delicious Valentine treat. 

I'm sending this to a few challenges this month. 

Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior where the idea is to make everything from scratch.

Cooking with Herbs hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Chinese and Romantic Inspired Recipes with Herbs. 

Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Loved Ones. 

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and Laura from Laura Loves Cakes. The theme this month is Oh L'Amour!

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat Your Veg. The theme this month is 'Food from the Heart' 

A new challenge called Love Cake hosted by Jibber Jabber UK. The theme this month is Baking with Passion. 

Let's Cook Sweet Treats for Valentine hosted by Nayna from Simply Food. 

 cooking browned butter

 adding basil

 add raspberries before baking

Recipe is from BBC Good Food