Lockdown Easter Cakes
The times we are living are presenting many challenges. When it comes to food and in particular baking - trying to get hold of flour of any kind is difficult and even impossible for some. Easter Day arrives and a little lockdown treat is easier than you think ! Rather than discard that powdery debris at the bottom of your cereal packet let us put it to good use. I have reduced the amount of sugar contained in the recipe as most cereals have sugar added.
Makes 6
Ingredients
You will need a 6 or 12 hole deep muffin tin lined with 6 paper cases
For the cake
70g Soft margarine or butter
55g Caster sugar (or any sugar will do)
1 egg
65g Any Breakfast Cereal – preferably the powdery residue from the bottom of the packet
1/3 tsp baking powder or bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp vanilla extract
15g Cocoa powder mixed with 50ml milk
1/2 tsp instant coffee powder or granules - the coffee enhances the chocolate taste - there is no coffee taste whatsoever
50g melted chocolate or chocolate chips
1 tsp cornflour (optional)
For the topping
100ml Long life cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp icing sugar
12 Mini eggs
1 tsp cocoa powder mixed with 2 tsp caster sugar to dust over (optional)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigradeStart by blitzing your choice of breakfast cereal. Pop into a food processor with a blade attachment fitted and blitz to a fine powder.
Mix together the cocoa powder with the milk and add the coffee powder or granules and mix to a smooth paste.
In a roomy mixing bowl and using an electric hand whisk cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add the egg. Whisk until well combined then add the cereal fine crumb, the baking powder and vanilla. Fold together using a spoon, not the whisk then add the cocoa, coffee and milk paste and the chocolate chips or cooled melted chocolate. Stir together then sprinkle over the cornflour to help bind the mixture together.
Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to divide between the six cases then bake in the pre-heated oven for 16-18 minutes until the cakes have risen and feel springy to the touch.
Leave in the tin until cool enough to handle then transfer to a cooling rack.
Whisk together the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until thick and standing in soft peaks. Pipe over the top of the cooled cakes, dust over with cocoa and sugar and top off with a couple of mini eggs.
Double the recipe quantities if you want to make a 6 inch sandwich cake. Baking time the same.
Happy Easter Day !