Five irresistible Easter treats

You've shown that you can exercise some restraint when it comes to giving up your favourite indulgences for lent (haven't you?), now it's time you rewarded yourself with some sweet treats

Easter biscuitsEaster biscuits

Makes around 20 biscuits

100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar
1 egg, separated
225g (8oz) plain flour
1 tsp Schwartz Mixed Spice
55g (2oz) currants
25g (1oz) candied peel
3 tbs milk
450g (1lb) Royal icing sugar (optional)
selection of food colourings (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C, 325F, Gas Mark 3.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in the egg yolk.
  3. Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture with the mixed spice, currants and candied peel. Add just enough milk to make a stiff dough.
  4. Roll out the dough and cut out the biscuits using Easter themed cutters. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  5. Remove and brush the egg white, sprinkle with sugar and bake for a further 5-10 minutes.
  6. If desired, biscuits can be iced and decorated using Icing prepared from Royal icing sugar and food colouring.

Preparation and cooking time: 45 minutes.

Chocolate FondueChocolate 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 squaresChocolate 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.

Mini carrot cakesMini carrot cakes

Makes 12

1 medium carrot, grated
3 eggs, separated
100g (4oz) soft light brown sugar
2 tbs ground almonds
finely grated rind of orange
100g (4oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the topping
175g (6oz) low fat soft cheese
2 tsp clear honey
1 vanilla pod

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4.
  2. Put the egg yolks, sugar, ground almonds and orange rind into a bowl and whisk until thick and light.
  3. Sift the flour and cinnamon and fold into the mixture with the grated carrots.
  4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and carefully fold them in half at a time. Spoon into muffin cases and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
  5. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes, before icing.
  6. For the topping, beat together the cheese, honey and vanilla, spread over the cakes. Decorate with fondant icing carrots.

Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes.

Chocolate bread and butter puddingChocolate bread and butter pudding

Serves 6

200g (7oz) good quality milk chocolate
75g (3oz) butter
250g (8oz) (or about 10 slices) white bread
3 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
25g (1oz) caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
600ml (1 pint) milk
cocoa powder and icing sugar for dusting

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4.
  2. Lightly grease the sides of an oven proof dish measuring approx 30cm x 20 cm. Break up the chocolate and put into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of lightly simmering water with 25g (1oz) of butter and leave until melted. Lightly stir.
  3. Cut the crusts from the bread and slice into 4 triangles. Arrange approximately half of the slices overlapping in the dish and spread with the melted chocolate sauce. Arrange the remaining bread overlapping to form a second layer.
  4. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and remove from the heat. Beat the eggs with the ground cinnamon, sugar and the seeds from the Vanilla Pod, add the butter and milk and stir thoroughly. Spoon the mixture over the bread so that all of the bread is saturated. Allow to stand for 1 hour.
  5. Bake the pudding in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes until the custard has set and the bread is golden brown.
  6. Dust with cocoa powder and icing sugar before serving.

Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Recipes supplied by Schwartz