‘Tis the season of chocolate and Easter goodies! This Easter, I decided to gift my family baked/cooked goods instead of the traditional chocolate Easter eggs. With this baking planned, I then decided to fill my Easter holiday with baking and cooking for my friends and family. This, surprisingly, went down rather well, despite my lack of baking and cooking expertise. So, here are three of my top Easter vacation makes. Don’t worry: they are tasty but simple!
- Banana and Chocolate Chip Loaf
This loaf went down an absolute treat with my family, and having baked banana loaf many times before, I felt 100% comfortable creating it. For me, banana bread is a homey and substantial snack to have with your cuppa. I also added some white/milk chocolate chips to contribute a little more Easter fun, which when toasted were to die for!
You will need:
- 100g butter, softened
- 175g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 mashed ripe bananas
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
The Method:
You literally just whack all the measured ingredients into a large bowl, give it a mix, pop the mixture in a greased and lined loaf tin, then place the tin in the oven at 180 degrees for one hour. Voilà.
- Chocolate Cornflake Cakes
Told you this was going to be simple! Chocolate cornflake cakes are an absolute fail-safe of a “bake”. Easy and cheap to make, they always bring a smile to anyone’s face, especially at Easter, when the amount of chocolate involved is justified to consume.
You will need:
- 2 large bars of chocolate – I used Galaxy
- 1 bag of cornflakes
The Method:
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, stirring occasionally. Then pour in the cornflakes, and make sure the chocolate coats them all. Finally, place the mixture into cake cases and allow them to set in the fridge for an hour. Add Mini Eggs if you feel like it, but I unfortunately forgot to buy them.
- Lentil Soup
This is not a bake this time. Although spring has supposed to have sprung, here in the North it is less apparent. This soup is filling and warming, as well as rather healthy, so should be a nice break from the chocolate. My mother and I enjoyed this for tea one dreary evening and served it with some lovely crusty bread. Gotta add extra carbs, right?
You will need:
- 150g lentils
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 ½ tsp gumin
- 2 vegetable stock cubes (dissolved)
The Method:
Chop and peel the carrots, onions and garlic, and fry them until they are softened. Then add in the lentils and vegetable stock and let them simmer for half an hour on a low-medium heat. Finally, blend the soup to a smooth consistency. That’s it! This soup is easy to make but is great in taste and a warming comfort.
So, those are my three favourite Easter creations. Presents, I feel, are so much more appreciated when they are homemade. I feel as though, in today’s society, material items are placed in such high regard that the love which goes into baking goods and sharing good food with loved ones is forgotten. I hope this article inspires you go get your bake on, or to plan a shared meal with your family or friends. I also hope you’re all having a great, chocolate-filled Easter holiday!
