Easter Basket Cake

What makes me happy? Easter eggs! and lots of them. I needed to out do my other Easter cakes and this takes the easter cake title (for now anyway)

This cake is very achievable, all it requires is:

1) 2 or 3 butter-cakes (depending on how big they turn out)

 2) Make a lemon curd or a chocolate butter icing (coco powder icing sugar and softened butter)

3) Stick the cakes on top of each other with the filling in between

4) Take a sharp small knife (or serrated knife) to cut the cakes on a diagonal in towards the bottom of the cakes (be careful not to take chunks out of the cake)

5) cover the outside with chocolate icing (must be thick) and stick down red licorice

6) Scratch the choc icing with a fork and I used a red gel to break up the choc icing, this makes it look more like a basket

7) Now for the green grass, this is a fantastic idea, put some coconut in a clip lock bag with some green food colouring (powder or other) and shake!! add more until the desired colour is reached. This is so simple. 

8) Pour Grass on top of the cake, stick a wire wrapped in ribbon deep into the cake.

9) Cover the cake in Easter eggs

You're done!  

You should warn your guests not to try to pick up the 'basket' because it looks so real that I had people try to carry the 'basket' out of the room...

Happy Caking! 

Banana Coconut Zoku Pop

I love my Zoku pop maker, it was a Christmas present. I have made some amazing creamy, yoghuty and fruity pops, but this is the first time I could be bothered following the recipe book and it was a huge success! The combination of caramelized bananas, toasted coconut and milk was delicious! I filled the end in with toasted coconut but it didn't stick to the wall of the mould. Definitely worth the effort. 

From the Zoku pop book:

• Melt some butter and brown sugar on the stove in a pan, cook until thickened 
• Add chopped banana to pan 
• Mash it together all off the pan 
• Whisk in some milk, yoghurt, honey and cinnamon 
• Cool in the fridge
• Toast 2 tbsp of coconut in a pan
• Add milk mixture and toasted coconut to the Zoku pop moulds.
• Add Zoku stick, wait 10 minutes and you're done!

Happy Caking!

Bunny Easter cake

My first ever Easter cake. He's a little cute and a little creepy. I made this in 2009, many cakes have been made since then. All I remember feeling is that the next year I had to top this cake.

If you want to make this bunny cake, make 3 round butter cakes and cool. Cut a large circle out of one and a small circle out of the other. The ears are curved edges from the 3rd cake (about 3cm thick) and cut out little rectangular feet. Use a standard white icing to hold the pieces together and cover the cake use liquorice that is thin and rolled up to make the bunny features, use pale pink icing on the tummy and ears, add mini marshmallows for the teeth and you're done!

Happy caking!  

Croquembouche

The all powerful Croquembouche, profiteroles encased in spun toffee. Sitting on one little plate as if it just appeared there, but is actually a symbol of hours of my life spent in the kitchen. So here's to that little Croquembouche and to the many more cooking challenges to come. At least I can tick one thing off the cooking bucket list.