EASTER NESTS

Easter Nests by Rachel Allen

Another recipe from Rachel Allen's fab book Cake (Collins, £25). So many things in there I would love to try!

This is super easy. What I suggest is to crumble half of the Shredded Wheat and add half of the melted chocolate and then do the rest. I tried it with with dark and then with milk chocolate. The best for me was a mix of both. 

You also have to be quite quick when making the nests and get those mini eggs in there quick too. If you find they haven't stuck you can dip them in the leftover melted chocolate (if you have any!) or melt some more.

I made her chocolate cupcakes and iced them with the icing below and placed the nests on top. The icing is OK but to be honest I try to avoid making icing with icing sugar and butter- too much mess, too much effort. 

Vanilla cupcakes iced with the simple & quick icing. I used milk chocolate for the nest.

Much easier and to me tastier is to cover the cakes with a ganache (double cream and dark chocolate melted together).

Another fast option is to mix in a bowl sifted icing sugar with a tiny amount of water (you don't want it too runny) or lemon juice and keep it white or add food colouring. I baked vanilla cupcakes, covered them with this simple icing and placed the nests made with milk chocolate on top. I think it looks good too (main photo).

Chocolate cupcake covered with ganache. 

For the nests

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes or more if you make them small

100g (3 1/2oz) dark or milk chocolate, in drops or broken into pieces

4 Shredded Wheat

36 sugar-coated mini chocolate eggs

For the icing

100g (3 1/2 oz) butter, softened

225g (8oz) icing sugar, sifted

25ml (1fl oz) milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

A few drops of green food colouring (optional)

To make the nests, first line a baking tray with baking parchment. then place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave just until melted, stirring occasionally, then removed from the heat.

Crumble the Shredded Wheat and add these to the melted chocolate, mixing in until well coated. Working quickly, add about 2 teaspoons of the mixture to form a small mound on the baking parchment. Use your fingers to press down the centre to form a rough nest shape, then add 3 mini eggs, pressing them down into the nest. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and eggs until you have 12 nests, then leave on the tray to cool and set.


Meanwhile, make the icing. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer and cream together until fluffy and light. Gradually add the milk with the vanilla extract and food colouring (if using) and continue beating the mixture until smooth. When the cupcakes are cool, ice them using a palette knife or the back of a teaspoon. Place a nest on top of each cake, pressing carefully but firmly into the icing.

Bakewell Cake by Rachel Allen

Here is a recipe by the beautiful Rachel Allen- the Irish Domestic Goddess. 

This Bakewell cake is the first recipe I have tried from her book Cake (Collins, £25). 

It turned out absolutely delicious and it didn't take long to prepare. Mine looked pretty much like the picture in the book which is always a challenge. Those food stylists make everything look amazing. 

My rating: 5 STARS without a doubt. 

This is what my Bakewell Cake looked like

Bakewell cake 

Prep time:     15 minutes
Baking time:   50-55 minutes
Ready in:      1 hour and 45 minutes
Serves:        6-8


150g (5oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
150g (5oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
A few drops (not more than 1/8 tsp) of almond essence or extract
50ml (2fl oz) milk
150g (5oz) self-raising flour, sifted
150g (5oz) ground almonds
150g (5oz) fresh or frozen (and defrosted) raspberries
25g (1oz) flaked almonds
Icing sugar, for dusting
Softly whipped cream and fresh raspberries, to decorate

20cm (8in) diameter cake tin with 6cm (2 1/2 in) sides

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), Gas mark 4, then butter the sides of the cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment.

Cream the butter until soft in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Whisk the eggs and the almond essence or extract together in a small bowl for a few seconds or just until combined, then gradually add the eggs to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Next beat in the milk, then add the flour and ground almonds, carefully folding theses in just until they are mixed.

Next add the raspberries and fold in gently so as not to break them up too much. Tip the batter into the prepared tin, then scatter over the flaked almonds. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Use a small, sharp knife to loosen the edges, then carefully removed the cake from the tin and lead on a wire rack to cool down completely before transferring to a serving plate.

Dust with icing sugar. Serve with softly whipped cream if you wish, or decorate with fresh raspberries.