On Easter morning, children (and adults, we're not ashamed to admit it!), will be waking up and scurrying around the house and garden, perhaps gathering with a group of friends and family, to hunt for delicious Easter eggs!
Once all the eggs have been found, tummies will be rumbling and it's time for a treat, to save your little ones (and you!) from eating the eggs all in one go!
This wonderful day gives you the perfect excuse to bring the family together and spend the day before Easter baking with toddlers, children and teenagers alike, with our gorgeous trio of treats to fill you with scrummy Easter baking ideas for children!
Easter Baking for Kids
'Egg'stra Special Easter Brownies
These colourful brownies have an extra sweet treat layer: lashings of Easter eggs! This is a great activity to enjoy together, as an adult needs to melt the chocolate safely and take the brownies in and out of the oven, but the children can do everything else and assist!
Edibles:
185g salted butter, cut into pieces
185g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa) broken into pieces
3 large organic eggs
275g golden caster sugar – we like Billingtons
85g plain flour
40g cocoa – we like Guittard Cocoa Rouge
5 crème eggs (Cadburys)
150g mini eggs
Equipment:
mixing bowls
spatula
baking parchment
scissors
20cm square brownie tin
saucepan
Ziploc bag
rolling pin
electric or hand whisk
How to:
1 Place the salted butter and chocolate in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water, (bain-marie) stirring occasionally until melted. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and microwave at 30 sec intervals until melted. Leave the melted chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature before letting younger children handle.
2 Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm square tin with butter and line with two long strips of folded baking paper or foil – one running top to bottom, the other left to right then line the base with a piece of baking paper. The strips will help you lift it out the brownie later.
3 Break three eggs into a large bowl and add the golden caster sugar. Whisk the eggs and sugar for five or so minutes or until they look thick and creamy and have doubled in size – this is easiest achieved with an electric whisk.
4 Pour the cooled chocolate mix over the eggs and sugar, then gently fold together.
5 Sieve the flour and cocoa into the wet ingredients then continue to fold the mixture gently with a spatula just until everything is fully combined, do not over-mix.
6 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and carefully level with a spatula. Put in the middle of the oven and bake for twenty minutes.
7 Whilst your brownies are baking, have an adult carefully cut the crème eggs in half and set aside then place the mini eggs into a Ziploc bag and break up with a rolling pin leaving large and small pieces. After twenty minutes baking time, remove brownies from the oven and carefully (it will be hot) press in the creme eggs, cut side up. Scatter over half of the mini eggs too then put back in the oven for a further five mins.
8 Once baked, top with remaining mini eggs, leave to cool then place in the fridge for an hour to firm. Lift out of the tin using the strips of baking paper and cut into squares to serve.
Easiest Easter Biscuits
Everyone should have a biscuit recipe they know off by heart and biscuits are the perfect first baking activities for children to develop confidence in baking and decorating.
Edibles:
100g caster sugar
50g icing sugar, sifted
50g butter cubed (room temperature)
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour sifted - plus extra for dusting
sugarpaste: white (Renshaw)
royal icing
chocolate buttons, mini marshmallows or jelly tots for tails
Equipment:
bunny biscuit cutter
piping bag and no.2 nozzle
non stick rolling pin
non stick board
cooled boiled water
clean food brush
cornflour puff
How to:
1 In a large bowl (or kitchen mixer with paddle attachment) beat the butter until light and creamy.
2 Mix in both sugars, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
3 Stir in half the flour to the mixture, then add the remaining flour and keep mixing until the dough just comes together.
4 Knead the dough gently by hand, then wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5 Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick. Cut out into bunny shapes and transfer cookies to a lined baking sheet and put back in the fridge for 20 mins.
6 Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170°c for 15-20 mins depending on size or until light golden brown.
7 Very lightly dust the non stick board with cornflour to prevent sticking. Thinly roll to the width of a pound coin, the white sugarpaste.
8 With the same cutter you used for the cookies, cut out more bunnies from the sugarpaste.
9 Lightly brush a little cooled boiled water onto the back of the bunny and gently press onto the biscuit.
10 Pipe a dot of royal icing to attach your chosen candy tail and add details with piped royal icing if you wish.
Bunny Cupcakes
These cupcake toppers are absolutely adorable and so simple! Make your favourite cupcakes (we recommend lemon sponge with a lemon curd centre for spring) and add these cute creatures to create the perfect Easter cupcake.
Edibles:
175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g golden caster sugar
5ml (1 tsp) lemon extract
zest of one lemon
3 x medium organic eggs
175g self-raising flour
lemon curd
sugarpaste: green and white (Renshaw)
cooled boiled water
Equipment:
mixing bowls
twelve hole baking tin
cupcake cases
non stick rolling pin
non stick board
sieve
pastry brush
clean paint brush
MAKES: 12
How to:
1 Preheat the oven to 160° C / 140° fan / gas mark 3.
2 Line a muffin tin with twelve large muffin sized cupcake cases.
3 Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
4 Add the beaten eggs, zest and lemon extract and beat until smooth.
5 Finally, add the flour and mix thoroughly until combined.
6 Carefully spoon the batter into the cases.
7 Bake for around thirty minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed lightly.
8 Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack until completely cool.
9 With a melon baller or teaspoon, remove a plug of the cake from the top. Add a teaspoon of lemon curd then replace the cake plug.
10 Brush a little lemon curd over the top of the cupcake.
11 Roll out the green sugarpaste to 1cm thickness and cut out a circle that will fit onto the cupcake.
12 Using the sieve to create a grass effect, push the sieve into the sugarpaste to create strands then gently lift away.
13 Place and gently push the circle of grass onto the cupcake to adhere.
14 Make the bunny: roll one piece of the white sugarpaste for the body, another small ball for the tail and squish two small pieces into feet shapes and rest on the bottom of the body. You can brush a little water onto the body to help them attach.
And there you have it - Perfect recipes for Easter baking with kids! Whether it's Easter baking for children or Easter baking with children, you can't go wrong with these fabulous recipes!
Don't forget, there's always oodles of inspiration in any issue of Cake Decoration & Sugarcraft magazine!
