Seven Easter baking recipes that absolutely anyone can make

Mini Eggs Easter rocky road

Makes 16 squares

350g milk chocolate
60g golden syrup
80g unsalted butter
150g digestive biscuits, broken into pieces
50g hazelnuts (or almonds), chopped
50g mini marshmallows (or fudge pieces)
80g mini eggs, plus more for topping if required

Line a small baking tin with parchment paper. Put the milk chocolate, golden syrup and butter into a heat-proof bowl and place above a saucepan of boiling water. Leave until fully melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. Mix well until everything is coated in the chocolate mixture.

Transfer the rocky road mixture into the lined baking tin and press down with the back of a spoon or a glass. Top with more mini eggs.

Place in the fridge to set for two hours or overnight.

Carefully cut into 16 equal squares. Eat straight away or store in an airtight container for three to four days.

Recipe from Lyle’s Golden Syrup

Wholemeal rye hot cross biscuits

Makes 15 biscuits

For the spice biscuits

100g wholemeal rye flour
¼tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼tsp cinnamon
75g butter
1tsp grated lemon rind
75g dark brown sugar
25g currants
2tbsp milk

For the cross topping

10g butter
1tsp caster sugar
15g white rye flour
1tsp milk
1tbsp apricot jam (optional)
Flour, for dusting
Milk, for brushing

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Start by making the spice biscuits. Measure the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon into a bowl and stir to combine. Chop the butter into small cubes and put them in another bowl. Finely grate the lemon rind and add this to the butter. Add the dark brown sugar and flour blend. Using a fork or pastry cutter, work everything together until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Add the currants and stir to combine. Add the milk and stir to make a rough dough. Using your hands, gather together a big ball of dough. Divide the dough into 15 pieces and roll each into a ball. Using the palm of your hand, press each ball into a 5cm circle.

To make the cross topping, chop the butter into very small cubes and put them in a mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and white rye flour. Using a fork, gather everything together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the milk and stir to make a dough. Using your hands, gather together a ball of dough. Scatter some flour on the work surface and the dough if it is sticky. Put the dough on the work surface and roll into a rectangle about 15cm x 5cm. Cut into three equal pieces of 5cm x 5cm. Cut each piece of dough into 10 thin strips.

Liberally brush the top of each spice biscuit dough circle with milk. Lay two strips of the white dough across each cookie to form a cross. Transfer the hot cross biscuit circles on to a baking tray. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

If you plan to add an apricot glaze, gently warm the jam. Remove the biscuits from the oven and lightly brush warm jam over the top of each one.

Leave the cookies on the baking tray for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. When cold, store the biscuits in a tin.

Recipe from Doves Farm

Hot cross bun bread and butter pudding

Serves 6

6 hot cross buns
25g butter, plus extra for the tin
4 eggs, separated
3tbsp caster sugar
250ml milk
250ml double cream
2tsp vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla ice cream (optional)
1 drizzle of custard (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas mark 4. Butter an ovenproof dish.

Cut the hot cross buns in half and spread with butter. Put the cut bases in the baking dish, leaving the tops aside for later. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale. Pour the milk, double cream and vanilla extract into a pan and heat to a simmer. Avoid boiling it or you’ll be left with a curdled sauce.

Whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks and pour half over the hot cross buns, leave for a few minutes then put the tops on the buns and pour the rest of the liquid over. Leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Serve immediately warm from the oven with a scoop of ice cream or drizzle of custard.

Recipe by ocado.c om and Lisa Faulkn er

No waste citrus drizzle cake

Serves 8-10

300g caster sugar
225ml sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
4 eggs
7 citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, oranges and clementines
250g plain flour
100g ground almonds
2tsp baking powder
75g omega seed mix
300g icing sugar
75g butter, softened
125g cream cheese, cold
Extra citrus zest, seeds and edible flowers, to garnish (optional)

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line with baking paper.

Tip 200g of the sugar into a large bowl. Pour in the oil. Crack in the eggs. Grate in the zest from the citrus fruits. Squeeze in the juice from four of the fruits (save the rest for later). Whisk together.

Tip the flour into a separate bowl. Add the ground almonds, baking powder and seed mix. Stir to mix.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold together to make a smooth batter. Pour into the cake tin. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Meanwhile, squeeze the juice from the remaining citrus fruits into a small pan. Pour in the remaining 100g of sugar and stir well. Warm over a medium heat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

When the cake is baked, leave it in the tin. Use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the sponge, about 3-4cm apart. Spoon the citrus syrup over the cake. Set aside to cool.

When the cake has cooled, make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the softened butter. Whisk till combined, then add the cold cream cheese. Beat till smooth. Be careful not to over-mix, which could cause the icing to turn runny.

Transfer the cooled cake to a serving board or stand. Spoon over the cream cheese icing. Decorate with a handful of extra seeds, edible flowers and/or freshly grated zest. Serve in slices.

The iced cake will keep well in the fridge for three to four days. The uniced cake can be kept in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to seven days.

Recipe from Abel and Col e

Carrot patch traybake

Makes 24 portions

For the cake

400g self-raising flour
2tsp ground cinnamon
2tsp baking powder
350g light muscovado sugar
350ml sunflower oil
6 large eggs, lightly beaten 
300g grated carrot
250g sultanas
200g walnuts, chopped into small pieces
Grated zest of 2 oranges

For the frosting

140g butter 
1tsp vanilla bean paste
280g icing sugar 
200g cream cheese 
To decorate
A few fresh small carrots with their tops, washed and trimmed
50g nut brittle, crushed

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/390°F/Gas mark 6 and grease and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

Place the flour, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl and dry whisk through to distribute everything evenly.

Place the muscovado sugar in a large bowl, add the oil and, with a whisk, mix well to break down any lumps. Add the eggs and whisk through to combine. Add the grated carrot, sultanas and nuts and stir well. Add the cinnamon mix and gently fold through until fully combined.

Pour into the lined tin and bake for 35-45 minutes until cooked through, well risen and golden. Test in the centre with a skewer to make sure it is completely cooked – the skewer should come out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack, remove the paper and leave to cool completely before icing.

Make the frosting by beating the butter and vanilla in a stand mixer until pale, light and creamy (an electric beater or wooden spoon would also work). Gradually beat in the icing sugar until light and fluffy. Lastly, on a slow setting, gently beat in the cream cheese.

Spread the frosting over the top of the tray bake in an even layer. To decorate, add a few baby carrots, chopped at different heights, and sprinkle with crushed nut brittle.

Recipe by Juliet Sear for Borough Mark et

Creme Egg brookie traybake

Makes 12

250g unsalted butter, melted
300g granulated sugar
3 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour, split into 50g and 250g
¼tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g dark chocolate chips or a chopped-up bar, split into 150g and 50g
6 Creme Eggs, halved

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas mark 4, and line a tin with parchment paper.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt 150g of the dark chocolate in 30-second increments until melted, being careful not to burn it. Set to one side.

In another mixing bowl,combine the melted butter and sugar with a spatula, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Mix until everything is combined.

Pour 350g of this mixture into the melted dark chocolate and mix thoroughly before folding in 50g of the flour.

This is your brownie base – pour this into your lined tin and spread evenly using a spatula or the back of a teaspoon. Pop this in the freezer while you make the cookie topping.

To make the cookie topping, add the rest of the plain flour (250g) and bicarbonate to the remainder of the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Combine with a cleaned spatula until smooth, then fold in the leftover 50g of dark chocolate chips/chunks.

Take the brownie base out of the freezer and spread the cookie dough evenly over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes until risen and golden on top.

Allow to cool slightly before gently pressing the Creme Egg halves into the baked brookie. Once the brookie has cooled completely in the tin, remove it and cut into portions.

Recipe from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers, fabflour.co.uk

Leftover Easter chocolate cookies

Makes 10

120g unsalted butter, softened
180g demerara sugar
1 egg
300g plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
200g chopped Easter chocolate, plus extra for topping

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/390°F/Gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl before adding the egg and mixing until combined. Add in the flour, bicarbonate and salt. Mix until a dough begins to form.

At this stage, add in your chopped-up Easter chocolate and continue to mix until the chocolate is evenly distributed.

Weigh the dough into 80g balls and place on the lined baking tray(gently push some whole mini eggs into the dough balls now if you have them). If you have only one tray, bake four to five balls at a time, as they will need space to spread. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the tray and bake for a further 4-5 minutes until just golden. The cookies will continue to bake for a while as they cool.

Let the cookies rest on the cooling rack until warm to the touch before topping with any other leftover chocolate you have to hand. The chocolate will melt from the warmth and solidify again by the time the cookies are cool enough to eat.

Recipe from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers, fabflour.co.uk

Easter bunny with egg

Serves 2

125g wheat flour
2g salt
75ml lukewarm water
2g dry yeast
4g sugar
1tbsp wheat flour
6 raisins
2 eggs
1tbsp vegetable oil

Place the flour in a bowl, and leave a well in the middle. Sprinkle salt over the edge and pour in the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar. Stir until well mixed.

Knead the mixture into an elastic dough, cover and leave to rise for 20 minutes in a warm, dry place.

Sprinkle the work surface with flour and cut the dough into two equal pieces. Divide the dough again into three equal-sized portions. Use two balls of dough to form the bunny head and one to form the body.

Roll the final piece of dough into a long string and cut into four equal pieces. Use two pieces to form the bunny arms, one to form the legs and one to form the ears.

Wash the egg and dry well. Press the egg into the body of the bunny, cover both with oil and fold the arms around it. Use raisins to give the bunny eyes and a nose.

Place into an air fryer and cook for 15 minutes at 160°C. The eggs will cook simultaneously with the bread.

Recipe from Philips’ air fryer chef Martin Send ers