Cake twenty three - Easter Eggs

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Patience is the secret ingredient for chocolate eggs and of course good quality chocolate!

It’s better to start from smaller chocolate eggs if it’s your first time.. 

Eggs can either be empty inside or solid, in which case you can fill them with a creamy chocolate mixture, some small meringues or crunched hazelnuts.

Plain Solid Eggs

200 g dark chocolate 

Cut chocolate in small pieces and place it in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half filled with simmering water. Stir until it’s melted. 

Pour spoonfuls of the melted chocolate into the choco egg moulds until they’re filled up to the brim. Remove excess chocolate with the help of a knife to ensure a clean edge. Refrigerate until set. Carefully un-mould the egg halves and place them on a clean surface. Don’t touch them too much or they will start to melt from the heat of your hands. Heat a knife, take two halves, gently push them together and use the knife to stick them together. The blade musn’t be too hot or you’ll have holes in the egdes.

Follow the same procedure for bigger eggs.. 

Rich Solid Eggs

200 g dark chocolate

100 g milk or white chocolate

100 g small meringues

100 g crunched hazelnuts

Repeat same procedure to melt chocolate. Pour spoonfuls of the cholate into the mould, use a knife to scrape the excess chocolate from the mould. Give it a good vibrating shake so that all the air bubbles are gone. Scrape again. Let the chocolate sit for about 5 min, then flip the mould over allowing the chocolate to pour out. Scrape once more time to ensure the neatest shells. Flip it back. Cool a fe

w minutes. 

Now you can fill them with some melted milk or white chocolate and add some small meringues or hazelnuts to your taste. Let filling sit for about 15 minutes, then pour more melted chocolate over the mould. Scrape again to remove any excess. Refirgerate for 15 minutes. Then place in the freezer for 5 minutes and they’re ready to un-mould. Now carefully push the two halves together and use a heated knife to stick them together.

Fancy Chocolate Easter Egg

300 g dark, milk or white chocolate

Follow same procedure. Decorate to your taste.

Add some Rice Krispies when the chocolate is melted if you want to make a really special Easter Egg. 

Use Coco Pops if you’re making a white chocolate egg.

also visit: 
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2013/04/cake-twenty-three.html

Cake twenty-two - Cheesecake delice

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I think decoration is a key point in a cake and not only a matter of ‘appearance’: it’s your personal touch! 

Berries are a must for cheesecakes, I must say, and raspberries among them all are the best choice. I particularly love them for their bright colour which gives the cake a kind of luxurious look and secondly, but not certainly less importantly, for their taste which is a mix of sweet and sour juicy fragrance which easily blends in with most of the cakes and above all with cheesecakes.
It can be a yummy birthday cake in Summer!

250 g plain chocolate biscuits
150 g butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
20 g butter, extra
300 ml thickened cream
50 g milk chocolate, chopped finely
3 tsp gelatine
60 ml water
500 g cream cheese
110 g sugar
3 Mars bars, chopped finely 
200 g. raspberries
Process biscuits until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, add butter. Process until just combined. Press biscuit mixture over base and side of 20cm round tin. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm. 
In the meantime combine brown sugar, extra butter and 2 tbsp of the cream in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, to make butterscotch sauce.  
Combine chocolate and another 2 tbsp of the cream in another saucepan stirring over low heat until chocolate melts.
Sprinkle gelatine over the water in small heatproof jug. Place jug in small saucepan of simmering water and stir until gelatine dissolves. Cool 5 minutes.
Beat cheese and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat remaining cream in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir slightly warm gelatine mixture into cheese mixture with Mars bar. Fold in cream. 
Pour half of the cheese mixture into the prepared tin, drizzle half of the butterscotch and chocolate sauces over cheese mixture. Pull skewer backwards and forwards through mixture to create marbled effect. Repeat process with remaining cheese mixture and sauces. 
Cover and refrigerate about 3 hours. 

also visit:
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2013/03/cake-twenty-two.html