Easter is a time for indulging in an excess of chocolate, so it seemed appropriate to have a seasonal theme for this month's We Should Cocoa challenge.
Unfortunately my Easter weekend was spent entirely in bed with a nasty cold. I wasn't even feeling well enough to eat any of my chocolate egg, let alone to bake up a storm. So this year, I had to live vicariously through all of your wonderful submissions to WSC. Fortunately the blogosphere hasn't let me down, and there are some mouth-watering ideas here. With thirty very diverse submissions, I think there should be something in this collection to suit every palate.
Don't forget to keep an eye out for next month's We Should Cocoa challenge, which Choclette will be hosting; the theme will be announced on May 1st.
Let's start off with these gorgeous lemon, rosemary & white chocolate hot cross buns from Laura at How To Cook Good Food. An unusual twist on a classic, these look like a really sophisticated treat.
Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes offers us another hot cross bun variant in the form of these cranberry & white chocolate hot cross buns. Cranberries are one of my favourite dried fruits to bake with, so I just know I'd love these.
Our third and final hot cross bun recipe is from Cate's Cates, and these tahini & apricot hot cross buns also have the advantage of being vegan. And as Cate was an Easter baby, these are a birthday treat for her, as well.
But wait! Just as you thought we were done with hot crosses, I have to share these adorable squares of hot cross fudge from Hannah at Corner Cottage Bakery. This is such a cute idea, and something I'll definitely be making next year.
If you love drinking chocolate, you'll know that the stuff made with powdered cocoa is nowhere near as luxurious as when you use real chocolate. Rebecca at BakeNQuilt gives us a recipe for hot cocoa bunnies, little blocks of ganache that can be melted into a decadent drink. (Though I'm pretty sure they'd also be good melted straight into my mouth.)
The first of our chocolate egg entries, Angela at My Golden Pear filled chocolate egg shells with a white chocolate coconut mousse. The yolks are made from lemon curd, and the overall effect is of a cute and dainty dessert.
These stunning Easter egg teacakes from Stuart at Cakeyboi are an Easter twist on a peculiarly British treat. (I am English and I've never eaten a teacake... but now I really want to correct that oversight.)
Lucy at The KitchenMaid has also made homemade marshmallow eggs - with a method using flour to produce an impromptu egg mould, that makes everyone else's silicone and plastic look like cheating!
This unashamedly grown-up egg from Craig at The Usual Saucepans is filled with a rich chocolate chilli mousse, infused with creme de cacao, proving that chocolate eggs aren't just for kids.
Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker spent weeks saving up egg shells to make these chocolate egg cakes, and the result is a very striking presentation.
It would feel cruel to cut into this chocolate bunny from Ness at Jibber Jabber UK, but since he's made of a light chocolate sponge, I might be able to force myself to enjoy a slice.
It's hard to believe this gorgeous, moist mocha Easter cake is gluten free. Although with a blog named Gluten Free Alchemist, I think it's safe to say that Kate has plenty of practice in this area. I do love the addition of coffee to a chocolate cake.
This Easter egg nest cake from The Tales of Pigling Bland is another gluten free treat - with a fascinating method that involves allowing your cake to completely collapse, before filling it with a rich chocolate cream.
These adorable mini Easter bundt cakes from Karen at Lavender & Lovage look light as a feather, and I love the springtime colours she's chosen for the decorations.
I love the idea of using Maya Gold chocolate to make a spicy ganache, and that's exactly what Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food for Families has done to decorate this chocolate almond Easter cake.
Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog decorated her spicy chocolate and orange Easter bundt cake with creme eggs and caramel eggs. I love the sound of the cardamom and cinnamon in the batter.
Lesley at Eat, etc. has made pretty Easter egg cupcakes, decorated with mini eggs and freeze-dried raspberries. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who sometimes eats the decorations before they make it as far as the cake.
Another bite-sized treat comes from Dom at Belleau Kitchen, whose mini creme egg bundt cakes look so incredibly indulgent that it's a good job they're also fairly compact!
There are more creme eggs hiding in this rich Humpty Dumpty cake from Caroline Makes. And Humpty himself is a giant cake-pops style ball of cake!
This chocolate fudge marble cake from Lottie's World of Cakes and Bakes is smothered with thick swirls of chocolate icing, and decorated with beautiful flowers and Easter eggs.
Gayathri at Spices Galore baked up some chocolate banana muffins for an Easter brunch.
peanut butter white chocolate rocky road cake pops
These chocolate nests from Pauline's Baking Adventures aren't just a chocolatey treat, they've also raised £18 for charity. I love the way that Pauline is using her blog (and the sweet tooth of her colleagues) to raise money for her local hospice.
Camilla at Fab Food 4 All made some nests with a granola mix instead of the traditional cornflakes, which sounds like a good idea for a bit of variety. The resulting chocolate granola cakes look cute and crunchy.
Our third set of chocolate nests are by Johanna at Green Gourmet Giraffe, who gives us two recipes for the price of one. I'm especially interested to try the coconut variation.
I've never seen a real-life piñata, but this Easter chocolate piñata from Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed looks like a fun way to give your kids their Easter treats. I love how she's used a giant cupcake mould to make the chocolate case.
Alexandra at The Lass in the Apron brings us chocolate sandwich cookies inspired by her favourite Easter candy. I'm most intrigued by the idea of including rice crispies in a cookie recipe.
These Easter animal biscuits from Lapin d'Or and More are made from a sugar cookie dough that keeps its shape after baking, and allows for some interesting textures to be added to the surface.
Hungry Hinny's malt-Easter chocolate chip cookies are made with ground up Malteaster bunnies in the dough to give a malty crunch. A great way to use up some seasonal left-overs!
And finally, we have a breakfast recipe that looks suspiciously like cake. But if you can't eat chocolate cake for breakfast on Easter, when can you?! This chocolate mocha pudding cake from Janet at The Taste Space looks incredibly rich and tasty.
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