Cracking Easter Bakes

Easter Sunday falls on April 21 this year. Start celebrating and enjoy these treats all month.

Easter is just around the corner. But the thrill of the day is not just chocolate eggs – it’s toasted hot cross buns thickly spread with salted butter, marzipan-filled Simnel cake and pretty iced biscuits. Carrot cake feels right this time of year, too. Of course, I couldn’t leave out the chocolate entirely. I’ve come up with a chocoholic’s dream cake this year, topped with a giant chocolate pretzel nest filled with chocolate eggs. Just don’t forget to save some space for the lamb. Happy baking! Cassie Best, Senior food editor

Easter nest cake

This showstopper is surprisingly easy to make, so you can let the kids take charge. The chocolate sponges are made with oil, so there’s no creaming butter to worry about – just mix wet and dry ingredients together and bake. The crowning glory, a giant chocolate pretzel nest, is held together with melted marshmallows, which means it’s easy to divide into portions. Fill the nest until ready to burst with your favourite chocolate eggs, then dive in!

SERVES 12-15

PREP 45 mins plus a few hrs cooling

COOK 30 mins

EASY V sponges only

For the chocolate sponges

200ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin

250g plain flour

6 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

250ml buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

For the nest

200g marshmallows

100g butter, chopped into chunks

2 tbsp cocoa powder

75g salted pretzels, crushed

4 shredded wheat biscuits, crushed chocolate eggs, to decorate

For the icing

150g slightly salted butter, softened

2 tbsp cocoa powder

300g icing sugar

4 tbsp milk