Creme Egg Mousse

Happy Easter!!

So, last Sunday I was at the garage with my other half, when I spotted a pack of 6 Creme Eggs on offer for £1.50. When I picked them up, Ali gave me a look which said "seriously, a week before Easter and you're buying MORE chocolate?", so I explained, "I want to make something Eastery for my blog." And we left it at that.

Later that same day, I was browsing some recipe books looking for something for dessert, when I came across a recipe for Mars Bar Mousse in Good Food's 101 Tempting Desserts. That gave me an idea - what if I made Creme Egg mousse, instead!? So, I did, and they turned out pretty tasty. The end result is a light, fluffy mousse, sitting on top of a layer of chocolate sauce. And guess what? IT ACTUALLY TASTES OF CREME EGG!

You can thank me later.

Ingredients:
2 Creme Eggs
30ml milk
1tbsp cocoa powder
1tsp cornflour
1 egg white
Chocolate stars, to decorate

Prep time: 15 mins
Set time: at least 2 hours
Serves: 2

1. Okay, so you start with the tricky part. Chop your creme eggs into smallish chunks, without losing too much creme. Pop this in a small saucepan with the milk and cocoa powder.
2. Put the pan on a low heat and stir continuously with a whisk until the chocolate has melted. Add the cornflour and continue to whisk for a further 3 minutes. You want the mixture to get hot so that it thickens, but you don't want to let it boil or you may spoil the chocolate. Remove from the heat and set to one side.
3. Put your egg white into a glass bowl, and rest this over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, being very careful not to get any water into the bowl. Once the egg whites have reached stiff peaks remove from the bain marie.
4. Carefully fold the chocolate sauce into the egg whites, until fully combined. Pour this into two serving dishes, and pop in the fridge for at least two hours to set.
5. Get a spoon, tuck in, and enjoy the chocolate overload. After all, it is Easter!

Happy Thoughts
x

Creme Egg Ice Cream

Happy Easter!

With Ice Cream Sunday this month falling on Easter Sunday, I felt that I should draw my inspiration for this month's ice cream flavour from the true meaning on the season: chocolate eggs! :-P

This ice cream tastes far too good, especially when you consider how easy it is to make. No machine, no raw egg; just 4 ingredients to make the creamiest ice cream I've made yet!

Ingredients:
4 cadbury creme eggs 
150g dark chocolate
150ml sweetened condensed milk
500ml double cream


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 4-5 hours
Serves: 6 - 8

1. Pop your Creme Eggs in the freezer. It will make them easier to handle later on!
2. Break the chocolate into chunks and pop this into a large microwavable bowl with the condensed milk. Microwave for 30 seconds - 1 minute, then stir until the chocolate has melted and the ingredients come together to form a fudgey sauce. Pop this to one side.
3. Take your creme eggs from the freezer, unwrap them, and chop them into chunks. Put this to one side.
4. Whip you cream to stiff peaks. Mix half of the cream into the chocolate fudge until well combined, then stir in 3/4 of the creme egg pieces.
5. Fold the remaining creme into the chocolate mixture very gently so as not to loose too much of the air - until the mixture combines to form a rich chocolaty mousse. Pour this into a freezer tub, level with the back of a spoon, then sprinkle the remaining creme egg pieces over the top. Place the lid on this and then freeze for 4-5 hours before serving.
6. Marvel at the deliciousness of you creation, and debate with yourself on whether or not you should share.

Happy Thoughts
x

Mom! You Leave Barbra Out of This!!

Disney Classic # 45 - Chicken Little

I'd never watched Chicken Little before, because, frankly, it looked like poo. Anyway, that meant that I had no idea of what to do for a cake, so eventually I decided to work on the chicken/egg link. I'd originally decided to make a yummy egg custard tart, like this, but then I came across these Creme Egg Cupcakes, which looked and sounded amazing.

And so I had a dilemma.

I figured both were equally related to Chicken Little (working with the whole chicken/egg thing) but I really couldn't decide. I love egg custard tarts, and it would be interesting to make one, but the cupcakes have creme egg filling frosting on them. Alex suggested the custard tart, as I make cupcakes often and so that would bring a bit of variety to the mix... but the cupcakes have creme egg filling frosting on them.

Anyway, long story short I put it to the vote and the Creme Egg cupcakes won... mmm mmmm mmmm!

Prep time: 20 mins (plus around an hour for preparing the creme eggs!)
Cook time: 18 minutes
Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cakes:
65g Cocoa powder
100g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
60 ml water
60ml milk
75g butter
150g granulated sugar
1 medium egg

For the Creme Egg frosting:
10 creme eggs
200g butter
500g icing sugar
splash of milk
Tip: putting the creme eggs into the freezer an hour before use makes them much easier to handle!

1.  Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 and line a bun tray with cupcake cases.
2. Sift the cocoa powder, flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together into a bowl and put to one side. In a second bowl or jug, mix together the water and milk.
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the egg and beat until combined.
4. Stir half of the dry ingredients mixture into the butter and sugar, then add the milk and water, followed by the remaining dry ingredients, beating until combined between each addition.
5. Spoon 2tsps of the mixture into each cupcake case and bake for 15-20mins until firm and spongy. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Whilst the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Carefully halve the creme eggs and scoop out the centres. Put the creme egg halves and the creme egg filling to one side. Beat the butter with an electric mixer until soft, then add the icing sugar gradually whilst continuously beating. One a smooth, silky consistency is reached, beat in the creme egg filling, adding a splash of milk to the mixture if it needs to be thinned. Put half of the mixture down one side of a piping bag, and colour the other half of the icing orange before place down the other side of the piping bag.
7. Once the cakes have cooled pipe a swirl of frosting onto them, and then place one of the creme egg shell halves on the top.
8. Stuff one in your mouth and smile!

Next time we're watching The Wild, and I'll be making animal crackers.

Happy Thoughts
x