Michelle Darmody: Using up fruit in Easter baking

It is a strange way to spend Easter, at a distance from people we love. For some of those sheltering inside, baking is proving cathartic. There is a pace to baking that helps me relax.
Michelle Darmody: Using up fruit in Easter baking

It is a strange way to spend Easter, at a distance from people we love. For some of those sheltering inside, baking is proving cathartic. There is a pace to baking that helps me relax.

Things take as long as they do for a reason, you need to just give over to the process and relax into it.

For example, when making a sponge cake, you have to whisk and whisk until the sugar and eggs become light and fluffy or else you will not have a sponge at all. You need to whisk the cream cheese for the icing almost as long, adding air and bubbles to help it become smooth and light.

The buns underneath the nests can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. If you prefer to make nests on top of a plainer bun you can.

This chocolate bun recipe is one that my mother has scribbled on the back page of an old cookery book that is faded and marked with fingerprints and smudges from previous outings.

The recipe was taken from my friend’s mother and passed along to many others, it has been adapted and tweaked over the years until it settled into the form below.

The buns are really good without icing as well; in fact, I think you should definitely “test” one or two before making the nests.

The carrot buns can be made without the mini carrots and the cookies do not have to be cut into bunnies, but for this particular Easter, when we all need a little cheering up, it is worth doing.

Easter Egg Nests

  • 240g of self raising flour
  • 120g of caster sugar
  • 120ml of milk
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tbsp of drinking chocolate powder
  • 120g of melted butter


To decorate

  • 50g of milk chocolate, broken into small evenly size pieces
  • 200g of icing sugar
  • 2½ tbsp of cocoa powder
  • 100g of soft butter
  • 1 tbsp of milk
  • 2 crumbly chocolate bars such as a Flake, broken up
  • Small coloured eggs

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and pop 12 bun cases into a bun tin.

Mix the flour and sugar together. Stir in the milk and egg until combined. Stir in the drinking chocolate then the melted butter. Scoop the batter into the prepared tin.

Bake for 20 minutes until baked through. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof dish above some boiling water, making sure not to let the steam into the chocolate. Set it aside.

Whip the sugar, cocoa powder, and butter until fluffy. Whisk in the melted chocolate and the milk.

Spread some icing onto the top of each bun and use this to stick the crumbly chocolate and eggs onto.

Spiced Buns wit mini carrots

  • 135g of self raising flour
  • 90g of golden caster sugar
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp of ground ginger
  • 150ml of light olive oil 2 tsp of vanilla
  • 150g of carrots, grated
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

To decorate

  • 80g of marzipan
  • natural orange and green food colouring
  • 200g of cream cheese
  • 50g of icing sugar, sieved
  • 2 tsp of honey
  • the zest of a lemon Zest of an orange
  • 1 tsp of vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and pop 12 bun cases into a bun tin.

Stir the flour and sugar together and sieve in the baking powder and spices.

Add the oil, vanilla, and grated carrots and combine these. Add in the eggs and stir until everything is completely mixed together.

Divide into the bun cases and bake for about 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Knead the orange colour through most of the marzipan. Knead the green into the remaining piece. Make mini carrots.

Whip the cream cheese, icing sugar, honey, zest, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Spread the icing on the buns and pop a carrot onto each one.

More in this section

Close-up of Cauliflower Growing in Field Midweek Meals: 5 unlikely ways to spice up the humble cauliflower
McDonald’s has changed how it makes its burgers — but could we tell the difference in a taste test? McDonald’s has changed how it makes its burgers — but could we tell the difference in a taste test?
Easter concept. Primula flowers, glasses of red wine, chocolate easter eggs, chocolate bunny and  pile of firewood on wooden tab Wine with Leslie: The best wines to go with Easter meals
Lifestyle
Newsletter

The best food, health, entertainment and lifestyle content from the Irish Examiner, direct to your inbox.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited