Chocolate Praline Easter Cake
- 1/2 c Margarine or butter
- 1/4 c Whipping cream
- 1 c Brown sugar; firm pack
- 3/4 c Pecans; coarse chopped
- 1 pk Devil's food cake mix
- 1 1/4 c Water
- 1/3 c Oil
- 3 Eggs
Topping:
- 1 3/4 c Whipping cream
- 1/4 c Powdered sugar
- 1/4 ts Vanilla
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a heavy saucepan, combine margarine, whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat just until butter is melted, stirring occasionally.
Pour into two 8" or 9" round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans.
In large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil, and eggs. Mix at low speed until moistened; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Carefully spoon batter over pecan mix in pans.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely.
Topping:
In small bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Blend in powdered sugar and vanilla, beat until stiff peaks form.
To assemble cake, place one layer on plate, praline side up. Spread with 1/2 of the whipped cream. Top with the second layer, praline side up; spread with remaining whipped cream. Garnish with whole pecans and chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.
Easter Dinner Cake (Daffodil Cake)
White Part:
- 1/2 c Sifted cake flour
- 1/2 c Sifted powdered sugar
- 6 Egg whites
- 1/2 ts Cream of tartar
- 1/2 ts Vanilla
- 1/8 ts Salt
- 1/2 c Granulated sugar
Yellow Part:
- 3/4 c Sifted cake flour
- 3/4 ts Baking powder
- 6 Egg yolks
- 2 tb Lemon juice
- 1 tb Cold water
- 1/2 c Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar
White part:
Sift 1/2 cup cake flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar together three times. Beat
egg whites till frothy; add cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt. Beat till soft
peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Sift a fourth of the
flour mixture at a time over top; fold in.
Yellow part:
Sift 3/4 cup cake flour and baking powder together three times. Beat yolks with
juice and water until thick, 5 to 7 minutes; gradually beat in 1/2 cup
granulated sugar. Sift a fourth of the flour mixture at a time over top; fold
in.
Alternately spoon yellow and white mixtures into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch tube pan.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes. Invert and cool.
Dust cake with powdered sugar.
Easter Baskets & Bunnies Cupcakes
- 2 c Sugar
- 1 3/4 c All-purpose flour
- 3/4 c Cocoa
- 1 1/2 ts Baking powder
- 1 1/2 ts Baking soda
- 1 ts Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 c Milk
- 1/2 c Vegetable oil
- 2 ts Vanilla extract
- 1 c Boiling water
- 10 oz Sweetened Coconut (Flakes), (tinted)*
- Creamy Vanilla Frosting (See below)
Suggested Garnishes:
- Marshmallows
- HERSHEY'S Mini KISSES
- Licorice
- Jelly beans
Heat oven to 350 F.
Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
In large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Frost cupcakes. Immediately press desired color tinted coconut onto each cupcake. Garnish as desired to resemble Easter basket or bunny. Makes about 33 cupcakes.
Creamy Vanilla Frosting:
- 1/3 cup softened butter or margarine
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
In medium bowl, beat the butter till creamy. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, and vanilla extract; beat well. Add the remaining powdered sugar alternately with the milk, beating to spreading consistency.
Makes About 2 cups frosting.
*To tint coconut, combine several drops desired color food color with 3/4 teaspoon water; add to 1-1/2 cups coconut. Stir until evenly tinted.
Chocolate Nest Cake
- 6 oz Soft Margarine
- 6 oz Caster Sugar
- 3 Eggs, Beaten
- 6 oz Self-Raising Flour
- Grated Rind and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 oz Plain Chocolate
The Decoration:
- 4 oz Slightly Salted Butter
- 8 oz Icing sugar, Sifted
- 4 oz Plain chocolate
- 3 tb Apricot Jam
- 4 lg Cadbury's Flake Bars
- 8 oz Cadbury's Mini-eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Put margarine, caster sugar, eggs and self-raising flour in a bowl. Combine ingredients, then beat well until mixture is light in colour and texture. Stir in orange rind and half of the juice.
Break up chocolate for cake. Place on a plate over a pan of simmering water until completely melted. Stir chocolate through cake mixture so that it is streaked. turn mixture into a greased 9 inch ring tin and spread level.
Bake cake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until spongy to touch. Turn on to a wire tray and leave to cool. Beat butter until soft, then gradually beat in icing sugar and remaining orange juice.
Melt chocolate for decoration, as before, and beat into buttercream to make a smooth mixture. Split cake in half. Spread both halves with jam and sandwich back together.
Place cake on a plate and, using a small palette knife, spread chocolate buttercream over surface, leaving it rough in appearance.
Using a sharp knife, cut flake bars into long pieces and arrange over cake to give a nest effect. Fill centre of cake with Mini-eggs.
Hippity Hop Bunny Cake
- 2 1/2 c Coconut, divided
- Red food coloring
- 2 Baked 9-inch round cake layers, cooled
- 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
- Assorted candies for garnish
Tint 1/4 cup of the coconut pink using red food coloring.
Cut 1 cake layer as a half circle shape on each side of the cake (for the ears) leaving a bow tie shape in the center of the cake. The bow tie shape should be about 1 1/2" wide at the widest part.
Leave one layer whole. Arrange whole cake layer in center of cake platter, place half circle shapes on the top pointing up for the bunnies ears. Place the remaining piece at the bottom of the whole cake layer to make a bow tie.
Frost: with whipped Topping.
Sprinkle center of bunny's ears and bowtie with pink coconut. Sprinkle white coconut over bunny's head and outer edge of ears and bowtie.
Decorate with candies for eyes, nose, mouth and whiskers
Hint: For decorating you could use red string licorice, chocolate chips for the eyes nose and mouth and maybe to outline the ears and bow tie.
Easy Easter Bunny Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 c Cake Flour, sifted
- 1 c Sugar
- 2 ts Baking powder
- 1/2 ts Salt
- 1/2 c Butter; softened
- 1/2 c Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ts Vanilla
- Easy Bunny Frosting (see below)
- For the Bunny:
- Smarties or M&Ms
- Licorice or Fruit Roll ups
- Marshmallows; pink
In bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Using electric mixer at low speed, blend in butter, milk, eggs and vanilla; beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
Spoon batter in 16 large greased or paper lined muffin cups.
Bake at 375F for 12 to 16 minutes or till tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Transfer to rack and cool.
Easy Bunny Frosting
- 1/2 c Corn syrup
- 1 Egg white
- 1 ts Lemon juice
In saucepan over high heat, heat corn syrup (or microwave at High for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes) until boiling.
In bowl, beat egg white with lemon juice till frothy; gradually blend in boiling corn syrup and beat till stiff peaks forms, about 4 minutes.
Dip tops of cooled cupcakes in icing.
Use Smarties or M&Ms for eyes, licorice or sliced fruit roll ups for whiskers. Cut pink marshmallows into quarters for ears.
Makes 16 Cupcakes.
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