If it's possible for a person to eat too much chocolate, Easter is probably the time it would happen. As much as we love chocolate at Cafe2U, the last thing we want is for anyone to make themselves poorly by overdoing it over the coming weekend so we've compiled a list of easy and delicious Easter bakes for you to try at home to bring some variety to your diet (don't worry, chocolate still features prominently!).
Better still, all these bakes go great with a cup of top-quality coffee so, without further ado, here are our top Easter 2023 bakes!
Easter Traybake
This Easter-themed traybake is a great option to make with kids and can be decorated with any Easter sweets and treats of your choosing!
Ingredients
To make an Easter traybake, you will need:
150ml sunflower oil, plus extra for the tin
165g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
150ml milk
165g self-raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the chocolate fudge icing, you will need:
100g milk or dark chocolate, chopped (either a chocolate bar or Easter egg, broken up)
100g butter, softened
100g icing sugar
100g Easter treats (chocolate eggs, sweets etc)
Begin by heating your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then oil and line a traybake tin, about 20 x 30cm, and 5cm deep.
Put the oil, sugar, eggs and milk in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Sieve over the flour, cocoa and bicarb, and stir briefly until combined. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 20-25 mins until the cake is well risen and springy. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Next, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water - ensuring the bowl doesn't touch the water - then leave to cool for a few minutes.
Finally, beat the butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy, then drizzle in the chocolate and beat again until smooth. Swirl the icing over the top of the cake, then decorate with the Easter treats to serve.
Carrot Patch Cake
Take a (short) break from chocolate with this tasty carrot cake. The Easter bunny would definitely approve!
Ingredients
To make Carrot Patch Cake, you will need:
175ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin
75g natural yoghurt
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour
250g light muscovado sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ fresh nutmeg, finely grated
200g carrots (about three), grated
100g sultanas or raisins
100g pistachios, finely chopped
For the icing, you will need:
100g slightly salted butter, softened
200g icing sugar
100g full-fat cream cheese
100g fondant icing or marzipan
orange food colouring
First, heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then oil and line a 900g loaf tin with parchment paper. Whisk the oil, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla in a jug. Then mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg with a good pinch of salt in a bowl. Squeeze any lumps of sugar through your fingers, shaking the bowl occasionally to bring the lumps to the surface.
Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with the carrots, raisins and half the pistachios. Mix well to combine, then scrape into the tin. Bake for 1 hr 10 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If any wet mixture clings to the skewer, return to the oven for 5 mins, then check again. Leave to cool in the tin.
To make the icing, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add half the cream cheese and beat again, then add the rest. Remove the cake from the tin and spread the icing thickly on top. Scatter with some of the remaining pistachios. Dye the fondant or marzipan orange by kneading in a drop of food colouring. Roll into little carrot shapes, arrange on top of the cake, then serve.
Easter Egg Cookies
Decadent and perfect for dunking, these seasonal cookies taste as good as they look!
Ingredients
To make 20 Easter Egg Cookies, you will need:
175g butter, softened
200g light brown soft sugar
100g golden caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
250g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g white chocolate, chopped into chunks
100g bar dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
100g mini chocolate eggs, crushed
Start by heating your oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, then tip the butter, sugars and vanilla into a bowl. Beat with a whisk until pale and fluffy, then add the egg and beat again. Tip in the flour, bicarb and a pinch of salt, then use a spatula to mix together before adding the chocolate chunks and about half the crushed mini eggs. Mix again until everything is combined.
Next, scoop golf-ball-sized mounds of cookie dough onto the baking sheets, making sure you leave plenty of space between each one. Push the remaining mini egg pieces into the tops, then bake for 15-18 mins, swapping the sheets around halfway through.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack, then bake the second batch.
Happy Easter from Cafe2U!
We hope all our customers have a happy Easter and a great bank holiday weekend.
If you find yourself in need of some top quality coffee to accompany one of these bakes or some of your chocolate eggs, contact your local Cafe2U van here and we'll deliver some straight to your door!