The MacPherson Diaries

Easter Recipes

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Easter is really special in our house, as I was born on Good Friday and my son Hunter was also born on Good Friday. I love the way that the season seems to change from summer to autumn almost overnight when Easter hits. It’s the perfect time to hang out with family, play games with the kids and spend time in the kitchen together.

Here are a collection of our favourite Easter recipes.

Hot Cross Bun Trifle

If you are looking for a showstopping recipe for Easter look no further! My Hot Cross Bun Trifle looks as delicious as it tastes too, with layers of caramel and chocolate custard it really is so tasty!

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Hot Cross Bun Trifle

Servings 8 -12 people

Ingredients

  • 1 pack 9 buns Countdown Mini Hot Cross Buns
  • 1 pack 6 buns Countdown Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
  • 1 kg Custard Thick
  • 350 gs Caramel Sauce thick, I used Delmaine Caramel Topping
  • 600 gs Cream
  • 150 gs Chocolate either dark or milk chocolate, broken up
  • 2 Cups boiling water
  • Garnish: Any Easter chocolate you like!
  • Serving dish: I use a 4-litre capacity trifle dish

Instructions

  1. Pour the custard in a saucepan and place on the hob on a low heat to warm up. Stir occasionally.
  2. Pour boiling water in a pot over a medium heat on the oven.
  3. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl and place the bowl on top of the boiling water. Slowly the chocolate will begin to melt, stir occasionally.
  4. When melted, take chocolate and custard off the heat. Add the melted chocolate to the custard and stir to combine. Place in the fridge to cool for approx. 30 minutes.
  5. Whip your cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Chill until required.
  6. Set 1x mini hot cross bun aside and slide the remaining hot cross buns in half.
  7. Set the tops of the hot cross buns (with crosses) aside and cut the bases of the sliced buns into 2cm chunks.
  8. To start assembling, spoon the cooled chocolate custard into the bottom of your dish.
  9. Then, place the mini hot cross bun halves around the outside base of the trifle. Push them against the sides of your trifle dish so they stay in place. I placed mine lengthwise and sliced the edges off them to make them neat and fit snug.
  10. Take half the diced hot cross buns bases and place them in the centre of the trifle.
  11. Drizzle 150gs caramel sauce over top.
  12. Top with a layer of cream
  13. Now for the chocolate buns, place these around the edges
  14. Fill the gap in the centre of the trifle with the remaining diced buns
  15. Drizzle 150gs caramel sauce over the top.
  16. Place in the fridge for 30 mins to allow the buns to soak with the caramel sauce.
  17. Top with the rest of the whipped cream
  18. Decorate your masterpiece with the remaining 1x mini hot cross bun and easter chocolates of your choice. Drizzle over more caramel sauce and serve.
  19. Happy Cooking xx Jana

Triple Chocolate Hot Cross Bun Pudding

Layers of soft and oozy Hot Cross Buns with a lovely creamy custard and pops of chocolate this pudding is so delicious!

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Triple Chocolate Hot Cross Bun Pudding

Ingredients

  • Butter for greasing the dish
  • 6 chocolate Hot Cross Buns – Or 8 mini size buns
  • 50 grams of butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • ½ cup Nutella
  • 2 tablespoons Milk Chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons White Chocolate chips
  • To Serve *Optional
  • *Icing sugar for dusting once cooked
  • *Ice Cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
  2. Grease your Biroix Dutch Oven
  3. Take a bun and make 2 cuts in the top of the bun, (where the cross is) as if you were cutting it in 3, but leave the bun intact by not cutting through to the bottom. So, you will have a bun with 2 cuts in it. Take a butter knife and spread Nutella in the slices. Repeat for all the buns.
  4. Then place into the baking dish overlapping a little
  5. Now for the custard.
  6. In a medium sized bowl, add the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and sugar and whisk
  7. Pour over the buns and leave to soak for 15-30 mins, spoon some of the custard over the buns.
  8. Toss over the chocolate chips and nestle some into the custard
  9. Cook for 40 – 50 minutes until custard is set. IF the buns are getting to brown on top place a lid or some foil over the Biroix.
  10. Serve with cream or ice cream and dust with icing sugar.
  11. Happy Cooking xx Jana

Hot Cross Bun Platter

Here is a simple but beautiful way to present treats this Easter. Warm hot cross buns served with Jam and cream and lots of little delights.

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Hot Cross Bun Platter

This is such a lovely way to celebrate Easter. Place some Hot Cross Buns, Anathoth Farm Raspberry Jam, fruits and sweet treats on a platter and everyone can help themselves. There aren’t any rules for what to include on your platter, but here is what I used.

Ingredients

  • Hot Cross Buns – chocolate & Standard
  • Wafer biscuits
  • Anathoth Farm Raspberry Jam
  • Butter
  • Whipped Cream
  • Fresh fruit – raspberries kiwiberries, blueberries & passionfruit
  • Pastel coloured mini Easter eggs
  • Lindt chocolate balls

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to Fan bake 180 degrees
  2. Warm your buns in the oven then take the buns and place these on.
  3. Next place the jam, cream and butter on the platter.
  4. Now use all the rest of your ingredients to fill the gaps on your platter.
  5. Serve while buns are warm.

Lemon Curd Meringue Nests

We love making these meringue nests and filling them with lemon curd and little chocolate eggs. They look adorable and taste so lovely. This is a sophisticated sweet treat that will please everyone.

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Lemon Curd Meringue Nests

This is a gorgeous Easter idea with just a few ingredients that adults will love as much as the kids!

Ingredients

Meringues

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 110 grams caster sugar

Toppings

  • Easter Eggs I used a combination of small and larger sizes
  • 200 mls Cream whipped
  • 8 teaspoons Anathoth Lemon Curd
  • METHOD
  • Preheat oven to 150 degrees
  • To make the meringues place the egg whites in a large bowl and, using an electric hand whisk on a low speed, begin whisking.
  • Continue for about 2 minutes until the whites are foamy, then switch the speed to medium and carry on whisking for 1 more minute. Now turn the speed to high and continue whisking until the egg whites reach the stiff-peak stage. Next, whisk the sugar in on fast speed, a little at a time (about a dessertspoon), until you have a stiff and glossy mixture.
  • Spoon 8 heaped dessertspoons of the mixture on to the prepared baking sheet spacing them evenly.
  • Using the back of the spoon hollow out the centres.
  • Don’t worry if they are not all the same shape – random and rocky is perfect!
  • Place them on the centre shelf of the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 140°C and leave them for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven off and leave the meringues to dry out in the warmth of the oven until it is completely cold usually about 4 hours or overnight.
  • To assemble the nests start with your whipped cream, add a teaspoon of lemon curd and top with Easter eggs, serve immediately and enjoy

Hot Cross Bun Pudding

If you thought it couldn’t get better than a Hot Cross Bun, let me introduce you to Hot Cross Bun Pudding with dollops of jam and raspberries, and cooked in custard. HELLO!

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Hot Cross Bun Berry Pudding

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 6 Hot Cross Buns – Or 8 mini size buns
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • ½ cup Jam – I used Anathoth Farm Berry & Chia Jam
  • 50 grams of butter
  • ½ cup raspberries fresh or frozen
  • *optional icing sugar for dusting once cooked

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
  2. Grease a baking dish
  3. Cut the buns in half and butter the tops, and spread with jam on the bottoms
  4. Sandwich back together slightly askew so you can see some of the jam bottoms poking out
  5. Then place into the baking dish overlapping a little
  6. Now for the custard.
  7. In a medium sized bowl, add the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and sugar and whisk
  8. Pour over the buns and leave to soak for 15-30 mins, with a spoon, spoon some of the custard over the buns.
  9. Toss over the raspberries and dot with remaining jam
  10. Cook for 40 – 50 minutes until custard is set
  11. Serve with cream or ice cream and dust with icing sugar

Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream Sandwiches

My kids love to add ice cream to everything and Hot Cross Bun Sandwiches are such a winner! I add chocolate to them as well so it’s a great way to use up leftover chocolate eggs too.

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Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream Sandwiches

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 6 Hot cross buns – I used the brioche version for $4.50 for 6
  • 6 large scoops of Countdown Own Brand Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
  • Your choice of leftover Easter eggs –The hollow ones are best for melting but for mixing with ice cream anything is suitable. I used 5 Hollow Cadbury Easter Eggs and 1 Klett Hollow Bunny.

Instructions

  1. Take your ice cream out of the fridge for 5-10 mins to soften.
  2. Crush up your Easter eggs by cutting with a sharp knife. You don’t want the pieces too big otherwise they don’t mix into the ice cream well.
  3. In a bowl, add the ice cream and half of the crushed chocolate and mix. Put back in the freezer until you are ready to assemble.
  4. Put your oven on grill and the jug on to boil.
  5. half your hot cross buns and lightly toast
  6. Make a double boiler to melt your chocolate by pouring boiling water into a pot and placing a stainless steel bowl with the chocolate in it, on top. The water should not touch the bowl.
  7. Slowly the chocolate will melt. I give a stir with a metal spoon occasionally. Once melted turn off immediately and take off the heat.
  8. Take the tops of your buns and spread the inside with melted chocolate, set aside.
  9. Take your ice cream out of the freezer and place a large spoonful on top to the bun bases.
  10. Place your bun top on top and serve!

Easter ‘Egg in the Hole’ Toast

My kids go crazy for this “Egg in the Hole” Toast and it’s lovely to have some savoury options around Easter.

Here are the basic steps to make your own Bunny Toast.

  • Cut your shape out of the toast using cooking cutters, we love the bunny shape.
  • turn the oven to grill
  • fry your bread in butter and oil lightly on one side, then flip and add your egg. I find it easiest to crack the egg into a glass and pour the egg into the pan from the glass to ensure the yolk doesn’t crack.
  • move the yolk around with a spoon if you want it in a specific place.
  • Cook the egg for around 90 seconds then transfer the pan to the oven and grill to finish cooking. It is very hard to flip the toast.
  • Serve with bacon!

Chocolate Bunny Milkshakes

I love spending Easter weekend making little treats & crafts, and the kids LOVED these Chocolate Bunny Milkshakes!

Here is how I made them

  • Chop the tips of the hollow chocolate bunnies ears off
  • Make a milkshake with milk & chocolate syrup
  • Pour the milkshake into the bunny
  • Top with Chocolate Mousse
  • Add sprinkles and a straw
  • Serve to happy little people

You could even get your kids to make these themselves as a fun activity.

I hope you enjoyed all this Easter goodness and you get to spend some time with loved ones this Easter xxx

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  Buy me a Coffee Jana MacPherson

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