Easter Inspiration

April 02, 2015


Happy Easter! Spring has sprung and from tomorrow you have a four day weekend to eat as much chocolate as you like, what's not to love?! These are some photos of this year's decorations and last year's long Easter weekend with some baking inspiration - I love making new traditions and for the past few years I've made this chocolate nest cake every year as well as the old favourite of hot cross buns on Good Friday with family. This is the first time for my Easter tree in the kitchen though, I think that will become a regular thing too... 



After my trip to the Country Living Spring Fair I came away with some beautiful decorations to hang from twigs to make a simple display for the Easter weekend in the kitchen. I love the pastel colours, little bunnies with pom poms on the ribbon, painted eggs and the rabbits with wooly jumpers on! They weren't too expensive and I'll have them for years to come. I liked these as they're not too in your face, pretty without being uber colourful or plastic like a lot of decorations I came across.


I was going to get some magnolia or blossom branches to hang them off but prefer the whispy shape of these delicate catkin twigs instead that I cut from the end of the garden. I put them in a little bit of water and they stood well in my big galvanised jug. 




I'm addicted to mini eggs, having a little jar of them is dangerous. But I keep telling myself that I need to eat as many as I can now before they disappear again until next January! They really should be available year round. 


My Mum knows how much I love bunting and found this garland in Sainsburys for £5. I couldn't resist hanging it over the shelves in the kitchen.


I bought the bunny on a trip to Kempton Antiques market on Tuesday, I adore his little face and bow. Might have to find a place to keep him out year round ;). 


I can't wait for this long weekend, we have a few traditions that will be carried on this year. Here's a look at last year's Easter bank holiday - 


We never go away over the Easter weekend, everywhere in the UK is crazy busy on the roads. And bank holiday's are funny old things, it's hard to know what's open and what's shut because of it like shops or restaurants. So we prefer to stay home and maybe go for a couple of days out {I'm thinking Hampstead for this weekend} or nice long dog walks if the weather is good, do some projects in the garden maybe. There are four whole days to fill which is rather lovely. We normally always host a gathering of some sort, last year it was afternoon tea with this giant nest cake with my family. And then there's always a morning at Ben's Nanny's or Mum's house for hot cross buns and an Easter egg hunt in the garden for the little ones. I'm a huge child at heart so absolutely love 'helping' in the egg hunt. This year we're hosting lunch on Sunday for 12 of us. 


To make the giant nest cake, just double up your typical crispy cake recipe. I use these ratios: 50g butter, 100g plain chocolate, 4 tbsp golden syrup, 75g cornflakes. So I would double that.
You can use rice crispies or shredded wheat but I prefer the taste and texture of cornflakes and I think they hold together better for this shape and size of cake. 
You will also need:
Around 200g chocolate buttercream {I just buy Sainsburys ready made chocolate fudge icing or you could use Betty Crocker or of course make your own but for ease the ready made icing is delicious and no mess involved} 
A couple of bags of mini eggs to decorate. 

- Melt the chocolate, syrup and butter over a low heat in a heavy based pan before mixing in the cornflakes and making sure they're fully coated.
- Top a flat baking tray with greaseproof paper and then make a circle of the cornflake mixture in the size desired for your nest. I just guess and then find a cake stand big enough to hold it later on! 
- Mound up the mixture so you have a wall around the outside and a crater in the middle for your eggs to sit in. It's easy to shape, just push with spoons until you get the shape that you want. 
- Then put in the fridge on an empty shelf to set for a good few hours until completely firm. 
- Once set, fill your crater with a layer of chocolate fudge icing. Then place your eggs into the icing and decorate with a few fluffy chicks!
- Wrap it in clingfilm/foil to stop the cornflakes turning stale and keep in the fridge until you're ready to serve to stop it going all melty. It will keep well for a good few days.
- Slice into wedges to serve. Yum, it's so delicious and I can't wait to make it again tomorrow! 


I made these carrot cake cupcakes topped with a mini eggs last year too. And the obligatory hot cross buns. How do you like yours? Toasted? With butter? I'm making a hot cross bun and butter pudding for Sunday using this recipe.



I don't think I'll ever be too old for Easter eggs and always land up with about five big eggs to work my way through. The chocolate in Easter eggs tastes so much better than regular chocolate for some reason. They should be available year round too. My favourite is the Green and Black's butterscotch egg, yummm. Diet starts on Tuesday... 


I do love an Easter get together with all the little chicks and Spring prettiness. Last year Easter was later so the bluebells were out in the woods, my favourites! Watch this space {e.g. my Instagram} to see how this year's weekend unfolds. 

Hope you have a good one. What are your traditions?  Let me know if you make the nest cake!

Happy Easter.

R <3 xx 

P.S if you've overbought on the hot cross buns, look at this for some unusual ways to use them up. Eight things you've never done with a Hot Cross Bun.

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2 comments

  1. Love your new little tree. Those bunnies with cute little sweaters are the best! Have a wonderful long weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I made the nest cake with my little girl - she loved putting the chicks on. We loved it - thanks for sharing ���� x

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