Chocolate-Stuffed Ombre Easter Cake!

The name, like this cake, is a mouthful.

Easter is a time for chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. I’m pretty sure that’s in the Bible. Anyway, it’s what we do. Chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, and I’m adding a stuffed chocolate cake to that mixture.

And what a cake! It’s got TWO surprises going for it, ombre and a chocolates-filled centre.

Surprise!

You know that my basic mantra is, the more layers you add to a cake, the more impressive it looks (as long as it is standing up in one piece!).  

This is a four tier, chocolate ombre, stuffed with sweets, iced with an amazing light and thick chocolate fudge buttercream cake, and it’s impressive!

The buttercream is SENSATIONAL

I love it! The perfect centrepiece to your Easter table. I went quite simple with chocolate and gold eggs, but feel free to decorate differently – an over the top, stacked egg extravanza could also look amazing!

The good thing about this cake is that it is so customisable - you can fill the centre with your favourites. And at Easter there are loads of gorgeous chocolatey treats to choose from.

Choc Chip Shortbread

Shortbread is one of my favourite things to make. Everyone loves shortbread, and it is VERSATILE. It’s not all just those little plain fingers of sugary biscuit you get at Christmas.

You can keep it plain, but dust with cinnamon and vanilla sugar, you can add lemon zest, or orange zest, dip them in chocolate, the options are endless. And that's before you get to the different shapes you could cut them out in!

Little Chick Shortbread - perfect for Easter!

Hearts for Valentine's day..

I love mine with chocolate chips, and it’s my godson’s favourite so I like to make it often! I added a little twist to it again this time, with half of the mix as choc chip and half choc chip with added coconut. Bounty Bar shortbread anyone?!

Lemon Curd Sponge

I made lemon curd the other day. It had to be done, and it was delicious. I ended up with quite a lot of curd, and despite lovingly and liberally slathering it on pancakes most of last week, I still have a lot left.

Delicious, delicious lemon curd.

So, the obvious solution was to incorporate it into cake.

I decided to make a lemon Victoria Sponge. Instead of jam, I used the curd, and instead of cream, I used lemon buttercream. This was a stonking success. It's the perfect springtime cake, sweet and zesty, and the homemade curd makes a really standout filling.

Lemon Curd

I had some incredible pancakes the other day which featured passionfruit curd. I had never had any kind of fruit curd before, and I was sold!

I decided to dip my toes into the world of curd with its most famous type – lemon!

I had loads of leftover lemons from a party, and I got cracking almost immediately. It’s really simple to make and you probably have all the ingredients already.

Something that is good to know up front - making curd is EASY. If you can make custard from scratch then this is like its simpler cousin. When the mixture started to thicken up I was in raptures (I’m very easily pleased).

It made about 3x the amount shown here, it's just I only have tiny little jars..

There are plenty of curd inspiration recipes out there, but as well as in pancakes, I think it would be amazing spooned over meringue and topped with a little cream for a little zesty summer pudding. Or as the filling in an alternative Victoria sponge.

Next on my agenda, find passionfruits..

Moussaka

I don't know about everyone else, but I plan my weekends around what I'm going to eat. And having days off means I can cook things that take a little more time or preparation. So I'm posting this with a fair amount of time before the weekend, because it's a perfect Sunday night feast.

I eat out at a local Greek place about twice a month. Don't  judge me. The food is delicious and it is really fun there. They bake cheese with honey and sesame seeds. It's damn magical.

I noticed that on their menu they describe their moussaka as a light and healthy snack. I was intrigued, because I always thought moussaka was a sort of Greek lasagna - meaty and rich, with a thick and cheesy white sauce.

So I decided to make it, and it turns out, it is just that. And in Greece - that's health food! Oppa!

Anyway, this is absolutely delicious and I would recommend you all try it. It's really good for you.

Chocolate Baked Donuts

These donuts are the best start to the week that I can think of. And of course, I like any excuse to use my donut pan. Of all the slightly frivolous items I have in my baking cupboards, this is one of my favourites. Its niche – I know. But I’m slowly realising that there are so many wonderful ways to bake ring-shaped delicious things.

All stacked and ready to be iced!

I decided to go completely decadent and make chocolate donuts with gorgeous glazes. The thing I adore about donuts is that you can dress them up so prettily and there are so many topping combinations! 

I went with AAAALL the sprinkles I had in my cupboard, but next time I am going to chop up some hazelnuts and throw them on the chcolate ones, and I'm definitely adding nutella to the icing recipe. And then the time after that I'm going to add so much coconut.

See, I'm getting huge amounts of use out of the two (TWO!) donuts pans I just had to own. A totally rational purchase! I highly recommend them.