Five irresistible Easter treats

Chocolate Fondue

Serves 6

200ml (7fl oz) double cream
1 tsp crushed chillies
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g (7oz) good quality milk chocolate
1 medium orange, grated zest

1. Place the cream, crushed chillies, ground cinnamon, chocolate and orange zest in a bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water.
2. Allow the mixture to melt then stir until well mixed.
3. Pour into a fondue bowl and serve with a selection of fruit (strawberries etc) and marshmallows.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Chocolate and vanilla squares

Makes 9 squares

For the squares
175g (5oz) soft butter
175g (5oz) caster sugar
5 large eggs separated
100g (4oz) ground almonds
175g (5oz) dark chocolate, roughly grated
1 tbs rum

For the icing
100g (4oz) milk chocolate
2 tbs double cream
1 vanilla pod
mini eggs to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 170C, 325C, Gas Mark 3.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks together and add them to the mixture.
3. Add the ground almonds and grated chocolate to the mixture and fold in. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peeks then fold into the mixture.
4. Ensure that all the ingredients are well combined then pour into an 8-inch square baking tin that has been greased and lined with baking parchment.
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 - 50 minutes until springy in the centre, remove and allow to cool in the tin before carefully loosening the edges and turning the tin upside down to remove the cake.
6. Turn the cake the right way up and prick the surface all over lightly with a fork. Drizzle the surface with the rum.
7. To make the icing melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Separate the vanilla seeds from the vanilla pod by splitting the pod in half lengthways with a knife and running the edge of the knife down the pod to remove the seeds. Add these to the melted chocolate along with the cream and stir well.
8. Spread the cake with the chocolate icing and decorate with mini eggs, when the icing has set cut the cake into squares.

Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.