Chocolate. Milk, dark, white, unsweetened, foil-wrapped eggs, candy-coated mini eggs, towering chocolate cakes, cookies and cupcakes … oh, boy!
But, just to digress from chocolate momentarily, I want to tell you about some beautiful pistachios – their taste subtle yet powerful – that Lebanese food writer Anissa Helou gave me. I had made the mistake of admitting to her that I wasn’t sure about pistachios. She balked (chefs are supposed to love them; pistachio gelato is the holy grail of ice-creams, etc.) and handed me a bag of the brightest green specimens I’d ever seen. I closed my eyes and tasted them ... sunshine, tree bark, butter, pine, clove ... Some foods need revisiting – I’m converted! And I realised that the depth of flavour in these nuts works beautifully with chocolate. Anissa’s gift was therefore the inspiration for my chocolate take on the traditional simnel cake.
From there I felt like making cupcakes. Chocolatey ones, of course, with a hint of coffee, like mocha, or (everyone’s favourite) tiramisu. Next, Easter or otherwise, we always need a new chocolate chip cookie recipe because, well, there’s nothing like a 30-minute turnaround in order to sate a craving for baked goods.
White chocolate gets a bad rap, but I dare you not to love it folded into the pillowy clouds of cream that fill my brioche buns, a baked version of a cream doughnut. Finally, an inside-out coconut macaroon. White on the outside and deep dark chocolate on the inside. Happy Easter baking, everyone.
Chocolate-pistachio simnel cake
I love to infuse the ganache with jasmine tea leaves – but you could leave it plain or flavour it with almost anything. Just add any flavourings when you heat the cream and allow them to steep like a tea. Then strain them out before adding the cream to the chocolate.
Serves 12
For the cake
350g pistachios, shelled and preferably blanched of their skins
100g ground almonds
200g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
200g dark chocolate (70%), chopped into small pieces
5 eggs
2 tbsp kirsch or chartreuse
200g caster sugar
¼ tsp fine salt
For the ganache
300g double cream
2 tbsp jasmine tea leaves (optional)
300g dark chocolate pieces
75g unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
Gold leaf (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3½ and butter and line a 20cm cake tin with parchment paper.
2 In a food processor, grind the pistachios to a fine powder. Remove 50g of ground pistachios and set aside for decoration. To the remaining pistachios, add the ground almonds and pulse again. Set aside.
3 In a heatproof bowl over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from the heat and fold in the ground nuts.
4 Separate the eggs. Add 100g caster sugar to the yolks and whisk until pale and fluffy. Fold this into the chocolate mixture.
5 Add the remaining 100g caster sugar to the whites along with the salt and whisk to soft peaks. Fold this into the chocolate mixture and gently bring it all together. Tip into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes until set but with a slight wobble in the middle. Let it cool completely. Turn out on to a pretty serving plate and set aside.
6 For the ganache, heat the cream to just under the boil and drop in the tea leaves if you are using them. Turn off the heat, cover and steep for 20 minutes. Put the chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Bring the cream back up to the boil, strain the leaves, and pour into the middle of the chocolate. Stir in concentric circles until the chocolate melts. Stir in the butter pieces one at a time until melted and smooth. Set aside to thicken. If the mixture splits at all, you can bring it back together with a stick blender or by putting it into a food processor and mixing briefly.
7 Once thick enough, spread some on the top of the cake. Put the rest into a piping bag with a large round opening or tip. Pipe kisses of pearls to resemble the traditional marzipan balls that represent the 11 apostles. Sprinkle with the remaining green pistachio powder and gold leaf if you like.
Salty malty chocolate-chip cookies
A fancy Malteser (or Whopper in the US) in the form of a cookie. So addictive, I would recommend just baking a few at a time and scooping the rest and storing them in the freezer, ready to bake when the craving hits.
Makes about 12 cookies
200g unsalted butter, super soft
100g caster sugar
200g light brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
175g plain flour
100g wholemeal flour
75g malt powder (such as Horlicks or Ovaltine)
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp fine salt
100g milk chocolate, chopped
100g dark chocolate, chopped
150g white chocolate, chopped
Flaky salt, to finish
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and egg yolks and beat well. Add the remaining ingredients (except the flaky salt) and mix on the lowest speed (so it doesn’t fly out of your mixer) just until it is mixed together.
2 Scoop on to a paper-lined baking sheet with ample space between each cookie. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. These are super-chewy and lacy cookies that spread right out when baking. You may only get 3 or 4 on a tray at a time.
3 Bake for about 15 minutes so they are still gooey in the middle but crisp on the edges. Cool slightly and eat immediately.
Chocolate-coconut macaroons
These macaroons have layers of chocolate and coconut with the chewy sweetness of honey.
About 10 large macaroons
4 egg whites
150g caster sugar
¼ tsp fine salt
2 tbsp good honey
225g unsweetened, desiccated coconut
200g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3½ and line a baking sheet with paper.
2 Put the egg whites, caster sugar, salt, honey and 200g of the coconut into a medium sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan and put over a medium-low heat. Stir constantly and, as the mixture starts to warm up, it will become looser and easier to mix everything together. Reduce the heat to low and stir continuously until all the sugar has melted and the mixture starts to look like rice pudding.
3 Keep stirring until the mixture begins to thicken, watching to make sure it does not catch and scorch on the bottom. Take off the heat and stir in 100g of the chocolate until it melts. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool.
4 Scoop with an ice-cream scoop or two large spoons on to a paper-lined baking tray and bake 15-20 minutes, until puffed and slightly set.
5 In the meantime melt the remaining 100g chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Dip the cooled macaroons in the chocolate and then dip in the remaining coconut. Allow to set before serving.
Tiramisu cupcakes (main picture)
All the mocha creamy softness of tiramisu in a cupcake.
Makes about 30
For the sponge
350g plain flour
150g cocoa powder
500g caster sugar
2 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ½ tsp fine salt
2 whole eggs plus 1 extra yolk
360g buttermilk or plain yoghurt
150g vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla
100g warm water
60g brewed espresso
For the mascarpone filling
500g mascarpone cheese
300g double cream
75g icing sugar, sifted
For the mocha buttercream
60ml brewed espresso
5 egg whites
320g caster sugar
300g unsalted butter, softened
120g dark chocolate, melted
Chocolate sprinkles, to decorate
1 Line your cupcake tins with paper cases. If you only have one 12-cup tin, don’t worry – they bake quickly and cool quickly so you can do this in batches. The mixture will also hold for a few days in the fridge if you want to bake them over a number of days, or get ahead.
2 Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, egg yolk, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and whisk together well. Finally add the warm water and espresso and whisk until smooth.
3 Preheat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3½. Divide the mix between 30 cupcakes. I use a quick-release ice-cream scoop. Bake for 20 minutes or until the centres spring back to the touch. Let these cool completely before filling.
4 For the mascarpone filling, whisk all the ingredients together until fluffy, being careful not to overmix. Put in a piping bag and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
5 Now make the buttercream. Make the espresso and then set aside to cool. Put the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place this over a pot of simmering water and whisk continuously until frothy and all the sugar is dissolved.
6 Remove from the heat and, using an electric whisk, beat to a thick meringue until completely cooled.
7 Whisk in the softened butter. It will curdle but then come back together. Add the melted chocolate and espresso and whisk. Put in another a piping bag with a star tip.
8 To assemble, use a small knife to pierce the tops of the cupcakes. Push the tip of the mascarpone filling piping bag into the top of each cupcake and fill. They will take about 2 tbsp of filling before the cakes crack. You will get the hang of the filling after you do a couple of them.
9 Ice the tops with the mocha icing and top with sprinkles. Serve immediately or keep at a cool room temperature until ready to serve.
White chocolate brioche buns
Making dough takes time and patience but most of the work is done by the yeasts – natural or commercial – so while they do their thing, you can get on with making the white chocolate custard filling.
Makes 12
For the brioche
250g whole milk
14g dried yeast
75g caster sugar
2 eggs
500g plain flour
75g unsalted butter, softened
For glazing: 1 egg and 2 tbsp cream or whole milk
For the white chocolate cream
500g whole milk
¼ tsp fine salt
60g cornflour
100g caster sugar
2 whole eggs
60g unsalted butter, softened
170g white chocolate, chopped
300g whipping cream
Icing sugar, to finish
1 Put all the brioche ingredients except the glaze inside the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined. Let the mixture rest about 10 minutes and then mix again until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and put in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Then put it back in the mixer and knead again for five minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, cover and let it rise for an hour and a half. When the dough has doubled in size, shape into 12 individual buns and put on two parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Cover with a tea towel and let them rise for 30 minutes.
2 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Whisk together the egg and milk or cream and brush the tops of the brioche buns. Bake until puffed and golden – about 15-20 minutes. Let them cool completely before filling.
3 Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil with the salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornflour and sugar before whisking in the whole eggs. When the milk has boiled, temper the egg mixture with the hot milk by pouring half of it over gradually, whisking continuously. Pour in the remaining hot milk and whisk well. Pour the whole thing back into the saucepan and put over a medium heat, whisking continuously until the pastry cream is very thick.
4 Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth. Finally whisk in the chocolate pieces. Cover with a piece of clingfilm (right down on the surface of the custard) and put in the fridge until cooled completely.
5 When you’re ready to serve the buns, take the custard from the fridge and whisk to loosen it. Whip the whipping cream and then fold the custard and cream together.
6 Split the brioche buns and fill with the cream. Dust with icing sugar and serve at once.
