Cadbury Creme Egg Vodka Martini

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This weekend is Easter, so it will be a nice long weekend for many of us. If the weather we had last weekend is repeated then it will be a great Easter all round. We have family coming to stay but haven't made great plans that involve relying on the weather, as it's been so unpredictable recently, and I'm not quite convinced that Spring is here just yet.

Whatever the weather we can still enjoy the many bonuses that come with the Easter holidays - roast lamb and Easter eggs, to name two. My sister in law gave up chocolate for lent so we've stocked up ready for the moment she lets herself loose, and I also thought it would be nice (as she likes to enjoy a drink or three when she has a few days off work) to create a little chocolate based cocktail that she can enjoy whilst staying with us. I've made various flavour vodka's with sweets and chocolate in the past, including Malteser vodka and toffee vodka, so I thought the perfect Easter accompaniment would be a Cadbury Creme Egg Vodka, which I would use as a base for a chocolate Martini.

The Creme Egg vodka is very straightforward to make, and can be made in advance and kept in a cool place for a few weeks or even a few months (if it ever lasts that long!).  

I picked up a selection of Easter treats from my local Tesco store, which has a huge variety of Easter eggs, bags and boxed Easter treats and egg hunt kits in their seasonal aisle along the back wall near the bakery.

Once the Creme Egg Vodka has been made, it's shaken up with Baileys, chocolate syrup and a little milk to make a delicious cocktail that can be served in a number of ways. I quite like the idea of serving it in a chocolate egg, and these foil wrapped Cadbury eggs are the perfect size. Using a warm knife slice the top off the egg and fill with the cocktail, and then sit it on a nest of scrunched foil, or sit in a martini glass. Alternatively, I found these cute Smarties farmyard hollow chocolate figures that can be used as shot glass for either the Creme Egg Vodka or the cocktail. Making a hole in the top large enough for a straw can be done by carefully poking a hot skewer through the top of the figure. I then used a squeezy bottle to fill them up. 

For a more sophisticated looking cocktail it can be served in a Martini glass, drizzled with chocolate syrup on the inside, and topped with half a mini Creme Egg and some grated chocolate.

CADBURY CREME EGG VODKA

• 3 Creme Eggs, chopped
• 300ml vodka (I used vanilla vodka)
• 2 tbps sugar

Add all the ingredients to a wide necked bottle or jar
Place the jar into a bowl of hot water for a few minutes
Shake the jar vigorously 
Place back into the hot water, and shake again
Repeat until the Creme eggs have completely dissolved *

* It may separate again on standing so make sure it's given a good shake before using

____________________________________________________

CADBURY CREME EGG VODKA MARTINI - serves 2

• 80ml Cadbury Creme Egg Vodka
• 40ml Baileys
• 30ml Chocolate syrup, plus extra for serving
• 50ml milk
• small handful of ice

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously

Strain into a Martini glass drizzled on the inside with chocolate syrup

Serve immediately topped with grated chocolate and half a mini Creme egg

How will you be spending your Easter weekend?

Cadbury Creme Egg Chocolate Brownies

Easter is just around the corner, which means that chocolate will be coming out of our ears pretty soon. Why wait until Easter to eat Creme Eggs though, especially as they've been in the shops since Christmas, unless of course you've given up chocolate for lent, in which case you'll have to wait a couple more weeks!

Chocolate brownies are a very popular dessert in this household, especially served warm with vanilla ice cream. For these Cadbury Creme Egg brownies I used the same recipe as my Jammie Dodger Brownies but increased the quantity slightly as I wanted the brownies to be thick enough to surround the Creme Egg half.

Crispy on the top and rich and gooey inside. So indulgent and hard to resist.

If you want neat squares then wait until fully cooled before slicing, however if you can't wait then just grab a spoon and dive in whilst they're still warm!

Cadbury Creme Egg Chocolate Brownies - makes 12

250g butter

240g dark chocolate

325g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

80g cocoa powder

70g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

6 Cadbury Creme eggs, halved

• Add the butter & chocolate to a saucepan over a low heat and stir until melted
• Set aside until cooled slightly
• Whisk the sugar & eggs together until pale and creamy and doubled in size
• Sift together the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder
• Whisk the melted chocolate & butter into the eggs and sugar
• Fold in the flour, cocoa powder & baking powder until fully combined
• Pour mixture into a baking tin lined with baking paper (I used 11 x 7 inch pan)
• Bake in a preheated 160 degree C oven for 20 minutes
• Add the Creme Egg halves before baking for an additional 20 minutes - you want the top to be crispy and the centre to be a little gooey

Last Minute Easter Treats

There's only a few days until Easter but there's still plenty of time to bake some Easter treats. I've gathered together a few ideas for last minute Easter treats that you can keep the kids busy with this week.

Caramel Chocolate Easter Cupcakes

Chocolate Pretzel Easter Nests

Chocolate Crispy Easter Egg with a Hidden Creme Egg

Mini Egg Cookies - Makes approx 16 large cookies

115g Butter, softened
230g Caster sugar
35g Golden syrup
1 Egg
230g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
100g Chocolate Mini eggs

• Beat the butter and sugar together
• Mix in the golden syrup & egg
• Stir the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and add to the butter/sugar mixture
• Mix well, adding the mini eggs just as the mixture starts to come together
• Roll mixture into balls (heaped tbsp) and place on a greased baking sheet, spaced well apart
• Bake in a preheated 170 C oven for approx 10 minutes, until golden brown
• Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack
• Store in an airtight container

No Bake Easter Loaf Cake


Sugar & Spice Easter Nest Biscuits


Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes


Easter Mini Egg Rocky Road


Chocolate Rice Krispie Easter Egg Nests



No Bake Unicorn Mini Egg White Chocolate Slice 


Lemon & Almond Easter Cake


Mini Egg Chocolate Pavlovas



Easter Chocolate Granola Cakes

Extremely Chocolatey Easter Cupcakes

Easter Bunny Butt Cupcakes

Mini Egg Rocky Road Bites

For more Easter baking inspiration follow my Seasonal recipes Pinterest board:

Chocolate Crispy Easter Egg with a Hidden Creme Egg

With many children already finished school for the Easter holidays, and others (like ours) finishing at the end of this week, there's still plenty of time to for Easter baking and crafts. You will find plenty of inspiration for baking and yummy Easter treats in my seasonal Pinterest board. These Chocolate Crispy Easter Eggs are one of many simple recipe ideas that you can make with the kids, whatever your cooking ability. 

Easy Peasy No knead Hot Cross Buns

Easter falls a few weeks later this year than it did last, which means that we have a bit longer to stock up on all the Easter chocolate and baked goodies in the shops. Hot cross buns are an Easter treat that I enjoy perhaps even more than chocolate, and as the kids love them too we get through packets of them over the Easter period. The first time I made my own hot cross buns was at school, during one of the many dreaded cookery lessons. I wasn't at all bad a cooking but that teacher put the fear of god in us if we didn't scrub those pans until they were like new, so I'm surprised that I didn't get put off for life. Whilst I do enjoy making bread, it's definitely only for those days when you have a bit of time on your hands, so I'm always searching for short cuts and ways to make the process easier. 

A few years ago I discovered Focaccia making, which involves barely any effort at all to produce an amazing tasting loaf. I then adapted the recipe a little and came up with a Cinnamon Apple Focaccia, which was equally as good as its garlic & rosemary predecessor. This got me wondering if I could perhaps use the same basic recipe to make hot cross buns. I replaced the olive oil in the focaccia recipe with melted butter, and with the addition of dried mixed fruit and mixed spice, this delicious hot cross bun loaf was born.

Easter Mini Egg Rocky Road

This recipe is a lovely simple sweet treat to make with the kids over the Easter holidays, and by using these disposable trays makes it a great little gift to give to friends and family - just wrap in cellophane and secure with some ribbon!

Easter Mini Egg Rocky Road

250g milk or dark chocolate

50g butter

75g golden syrup

115g digestive biscuits, crushed

4 Party Ring biscuits, roughly chopped

75g Cadbury Mini Eggs

60g Marshmallows, cut into small pieces

for decoration

Chocolate carrots (I found these in Asda)

coloured sprinkles

Cadbury Mini Eggs
yellow crispy sprinkles

• Melt the chocolate, butter and syrup together in a bain marie - set aside to cool slightly
• Stir in the crushed and chopped biscuits, mini eggs and marshmallows, and mix well
• Press into two 18cm x 11cm foil trays (or use one larger tray)
• Top with your chosen decorations and press down lightly
• Place in the fridge to set completely before slicing into squares

BBQ Lamb Steak Burger with Mint Dressing

A couple of weeks ago we were promised an Easter heatwave. As I type this the hailstones are battering the window and the letterbox is banging in the wind, as it always does when it's blowing a gale. Last night I got completely drenched at bootcamp and my legs were red with cold when I peeled my soggy clothes off to get in the hot shower to warm up. Last March I was driving with my roof down on an almost daily basis. This month I find myself putting the heated seats on for the morning school run. Come on sunshine, show your face and give us all the Spring that we've been waiting so patiently for.

In anticipation of the warmer weather we put the cushions out on the garden furniture and uncovered the barbecue and cleaned it up. We managed a brief sit on the chairs last weekend before we covered them again and weighted the covers down to stop them from blowing away. I was not going to be beaten though, and braved the cold to cook some lamb steaks on the barbecue in a bid to bring some sunshine into our lives once again with Lindeman's.

I love the taste of meat cooked on the barbecue, and as we have a gas one it's really convenient to use, and I have been known to cook dinner on it in the pouring rain with an umbrella to avoid messing up my oven. Whilst (in my opinion) lamb steaks are best cooked on a barbecue you could also fry them on a griddle pan on your hob if you don't fancy braving the cold.

BBQ Lamb Steak Burger with Mint Dressing - serves 2

2 lamb leg steaks 

marinade

2 tbsp Lindeman's Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 

1 tsp garlic granules (or clove of fresh garlic)

handful of fresh mint

dressing

75g Greek yogurt

fresh mint leaves

for serving

fresh bread rolls 

salad leaves

red onion slices

• Make the marinade by adding the ingredients to a pestle and grind with the pestle
• Place the steaks in a closeable bag and pour in the dressing
• Seal the bag and squeeze to coat the lamb
• Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight
• Make the dressing by ripping the mint leaves and mixing them into the yogurt
• Cook the lamb on a very hot bbq for a few minutes each side - my tip is to have your bbq as hot as you can and cook the steaks as quickly as you can to avoid them drying out. This way they are lovely and crispy on the outside, yet lovely and juicy on the inside
• Serve the steaks in fresh bread rolls with salad leaves, sliced red onion and yogurt & mint dressing

Accompany the burgers with a large glass of Lindeman's Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon - a perfect pairing this Easter.

I'm once again working with Lindeman's as an Ambassador - keep your eye out for future recipes, news and giveaways.

This post has been commissioned by Lindeman's

Creme Egg Cheesecake Cake

Easter is almost upon us, which means that Cadbury Creme Eggs will be disappearing off the shelves for another year (well, until Christmas at least), so whilst I had the opportunity to get my hands on some I decided to make a cheesecake, which I've been meaning to do for ages.

This isn't your traditional no bake cheesecake with a biscuit base, as it's a cross between a cheesecake and a cake - you get the best of both worlds. There are two layers of moist chocolate cake sandwiching a creamy vanilla cheesecake layer, packed full of Creme Egg pieces, and topped with a milk chocolate ganache. It's not for the fainthearted or diet conscious among us, as it contains a full 7 Creme Eggs, plus a bag of mini eggs.

Creme Egg Cheesecake Cake

for the cake layers

3 tbsp cocoa powder

75ml boiling water

200g butter, melted

200g caster sugar

3 medium eggs (approx 200g weight in shells)

200g self raising flour

cheesecake layer

300g full fat cream cheese

50g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

300ml double cream

4 Cadbury Creme Eggs, chopped

ganache layer

100ml double cream

200g good quality milk chocolate chips (I used Callebaut Belgian chocolate)

to decorate

3 Cadbury Creme Eggs, halved

90g bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs

• Whisk the cocoa powder and boiling water together until smooth
• Whisk into the melted butter, and then whisk in the sugar and eggs
• Fold in the flour until fully combined
• Grease the base and sides of a deep sided, loose bottomed 20cm cake tin, and line the base with baking paper
• Pour the batter into the tin
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for around 45 minutes, until springy to the touch
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin & cooling fully on a wire rack
• Once the cake is completely cool slice the top off & discard (eat) and slice the remaining cake around the middle, into 2 equal slices
• Make the cheesecake filling by beating the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together
• Whisk the cream in, a third at a time, until it's thick enough to hold it's shape (but not stiff)
• Stir in the chopped Creme Eggs
• Place the bottom off the cake into the 20cm tin and spread the filling over it
• Place the top slice on top and refrigerate overnight
• Turn the cheesecake cake upside down out of the tin onto a plate or cake stand, so that the base is now the top
• Make the ganache by bringing the cream to the boil and then pouring onto the chocolate chips
• Leave for a minute before whisking until smooth
• Pour over the cake and allow to drip down the sides
• Decorate with Creme Egg halves and Mini Eggs

Creme Eggs - how do you eat yours?

How about in a Creme Egg chocolate quiche or creme egg chocolate brownies?


Easy Peasy No Knead Hot Cross Buns

Chocolate Pretzel Easter Nests

It's almost Easter, and Easter means chocolate, right? I've already made some Easter cupcakes so I thought I should make some obligatory nests too.

I absolutely love chocolate covered pretzels and I thought that breaking some pretzels up and mixing them with melted chocolate would make the nests look like messy bird nests. Of course, doing this whole paleo diet thing I can't eat the damn things can I, so the job of eating them has been given to the husband and kids, and a few for a friend's little boy who hasn't got a lot of appetite at the moment due to chemotherapy treatment.

Chocolate Pretzel Easter Nests - makes 12

250g milk chocolate or chocolate cake covering (sets more quickly than chocolate)
150g pretzels, broken up (the salted ones - DO NOT use the sour cream ones!)
Mini eggs

• Melt the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl, in short bursts, stirring regularly
• Stir the pretzels in, mixing well
• Line a cupcake pan with cupcake cases
• Divide the mixture between the cases & pop some mini eggs into the centre of the nests
• Refrigerate until set

This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots 100 April challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Sherwood Forest. I was inspired to make these nests after reading the tips from Center Parcs Chief Creative Chef : "Mix some cereal, such as bran or broken up wheat, together with some melted chocolate and form the mixture in to nest-like shapes, leaving to cool for a finished nest"