Rising to the occasion

Easter desserts anyone can make

- NICOLA LAMB NYT

Images of rebirth and renewal are everywhere at Easter – hatching chicks, hordes of bunnies and emerging flower buds.

Also returning, prompted by the occasion and a crowd I feel are the seasonal bakers, rested from the holidays and reenergised for spring.

Easter is an opportunity to bake for loved ones, and these two recipes, charting Easter mini “eggs” and resplendent princess cake, are opportunities for beginning and advanced bakers alike. The first is as simple as a get-ahead-candy-making recipe and perfect for baking with the whole family. The second may surprise you. Although it looks like a grand affair, a princess cake is much easier to pull off than you might expect, thanks to a streamlined method and technical shortcuts that don’t compromise on flavour or presentation.

Let’s start with the humble nest cakes. Britain’s favourite Easter dessert, they’re a no-bake medley of chocolate, butter and crunchy cereal, filled with candy, preferably chocolate eggs (they are nests, after all). A mainstay of school bake sales and family get-togethers, they’re one of the first things young Brit-ish cooks learn to make, and contain the easiest, just melt, stir, portion and then chill until firm. It’s a wonder we even call them cakes at all.

The origins of the Easter nest can be traced back to World War II. A recipe for “Chocolate Crackles” appeared in the 1941