So, the kids aren't in school for the next two weeks and you're wondering what on God's green earth you're going to do to keep them entertained. Well, fear not, the folk at The Happy Egg Company have a whole heap of fun and delicious Easter recipes, you can experiment with, on the run up to Easter weekend.
The best thing about learning how to make cake pops, besides eating them, is moulding them to suit any occasion and having a lot of fun while you're at it. Think of it as an art class and eating combined, therapeutic and filling.
THE CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE
Ingredients
240g unsalted butter
270g caster sugar
180g self raising sponge flour
60g good quality cocoa powder
4 free range eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Beat the butter and sugar together till it’s very light and fluffy. (About 5 minutes in a stand mixer)
Sift together the flour and cocoa powder
Add the eggs, one at a time, with a spoonful of the flour cocoa mixture, beating well between adding each egg.
Add the milk and stir gently.
Add the remaining flour cocoa mix, and gently fold in.
Place into an 8” greased and lined cake tin and bake in a preheated oven (160C conventional oven or 140 C fan oven) for around 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
125 g unsalted soft butter
250g icing sugar
50g cocoa powder
Beat together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. You can add a few drops of milk if the mixture is a bit stiff.
Hen cake pops
Make cake pop mixture
Crumble the cake and add 1 tablespoon of buttercream.
Mix in stand mixer until mix comes together. You can add more buttercream, but don’t add too much otherwise the pops won’t hold their shape and will fall off the sticks.
Form the cake pops
Weigh out 45g of mix, and compress in just wetted hands, then form into a hen shaped body. Take 2x5g pieces of mix and form into wings, then press onto either side of the body.
Chill in fridge for 1 hour.
Melt and temper the chocolate
Melt 200 g of good quality white chocolate in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time, taking out after each 20 second interval and stirring well.
Continue until about 2/3rds is melted and there are a few lumps left.
Stir well until no lumps are left.
Insert sticks and chill
Take a cake pop or lollipop stick and dip 2cms in the choc, then into the cake pop. Stand upright in a piece of polystyrene and place in freezer for 5mins.
Dip the pop
Holding the pop upside down, place in the bowl of melted chocolate and use a spoon to pour over the chocolate until it’s completely covered.
Gently twirl the pop around over the bowl until no more chocolate drips off.
Leave in the polystyrene until it is dry.
Make the hen beak
To make the beak, take a tiny bit of yellow sugarpaste, roll in your fingers to make a smooth ball, then form into cone shape and cut off the smaller end.
Dip the cut end in some melted white chocolate and attach to the head. Hold in place for a minute until the chocolate sets.
Make the hen comb and wattle
Take a tiny size bit of sugarpaste, roll in your fingers to make a smooth ball, flatten slightly, then form into a teardrop shape and cut off the smaller end.
Make 3 of these for each hen, and 2 smaller ones for the wattle.
Dip each cut end in some melted white chocolate and attach 3 to the top of the head, and 2 smaller ones underneath the beak. Hold in place for a minute until the chocolate sets.
Eyes
Draw in the eyes using a black edible pen.
Vanilla Bean Speckled Egg Cake Pops
Make cake pop mixture as above
Crumble the cake and add 1 tablespoon of buttercream.
Mix in stand mixer until mix comes together. You can add more buttercream, but don’t add too much otherwise the pops won’t hold their shape and will fall off the sticks.
Form the cake pops
Weigh out 45g of mix, and compress in just wetted hands, then form into a egg shape.
Melt the chocolate
Melt 200g of good quality white chocolate, 30 seconds at a time, taking out after each 30 second interval and stirring well.
Melt until about 2/3rds is melted and there are a few lumps left.
Stir well until no lumps are left
Add vanilla seeds
Take a vanilla pod and slit in half lengthwise with a sharp knife without cutting right through. Open up and scrape your knife down the pod to gather the seeds. Add to the melted chocolate.
Colour the chocolate
Add edible lustre dust in the colour of your choice and stir in well.
Insert sticks and chill
Take a cake pop or lollipop stick and dip 2cms in the choc, then into the cake pop. Stand upright in a piece of polystyrene and place in freezer for 5mins.
Dip the pop
Holding the pop upside down, place in the bowl of melted chocolate and use a spoon to pour over the choc till it’s completely covered.
Gently twirl the pop around over the bowl till no more chocolate drips off.
Leave in the polystyrene until it is dry.
The Happy Egg Co. are committed to providing the highest possible standard of welfare for their hens, with the belief that tastier eggs are laid by happier hens. For more mouth-watering recipes, visit www.thehappyegg.co.uk
