Brownie Easter Nests

My Brownie Easter Nests are for the love of everything that is chocolate and Easter isn’t Easter without chocolate.  These are individual portions and easy to use for decorating your holiday table or to bring to family, friends or neighbours.  You can get creative with the decorating and the kids will love to help. Happy Easter!!

Why the tradition of Easter Eggs?

A good read:  https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols

I don’t do a lot of Easter baking;  I leave the traditional Easter Bread and all the Italian goodies to my mother to make.  She is the master of this.  I take the easy way out by making my Brownie Easter Nests.

Love of Chocolate

My nonna Emilia loved all kinds of chocolate.  She spent the last part of her 90th year in a hospital and we would take her lunch and supper.  Sometimes when I took her lunch, I would let her eat the chocolate first.  I think of her often and that is why I am baking a chocolate Easter dessert over the traditional Easter bread to share with my family and friends.

To make a really good brownie dough, you have to start with real chocolate and butter.  Slowly melt everything and don’t burn it, be patient.  The eggs and sugar meet each other.

The velvety consistency of chocolate and butter.

Let the melted chocolate cool and then add it to the sugar and eggs.

Then add the dry ingredients and stir everything together.

Chop the chocolate and add in.  Do not over-mix.

Fill the liners 2/3 full. 

You want the tops to crack!!

• The perfect cupcake: it will sink a bit when it settles and make a natural nest for your icing and eggs.

All dressed up for Easter.

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Brownie Easter Nests

More chocolate is good.  

Course Dessert

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The cupcakes

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extracts
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cake and pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 5 squares chopped dark chocolate with nuts 1/2 cup

The Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 chocolate eggs
• 2 tbsp colourful confetti decorations or swirl in food colouring

Icing: see recipe notes

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 375 F.

   In a bowl over medium heat, place butter and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. As soon as the mixture melts, remove from heat and let cool.

   Beat eggs, vanilla and sugar until frothy.

   Stir in the melted chocolate. 

   Combine the flour and baking powder and stir into the wet ingredients.  

   Stir in the chopped chocolate. 

   Pour batter prepared muffin tin with liners.

   Bake for 15 minutes.  I usually check at about 13 minutes.  It's always better to undercook a brownie or it loses that moist texture.

   Remove from oven and let cool.  After 15 minutes remove to a wire rack.  

   I like to remove the liners before I frost.  

    

   
   

Recipe Notes

To swirl in food colouring: place drops of different food colouring on a plate. Use a toothpick and pick and dunk into food colouring and swirl through icing. 

I used a cream cheese icing.   I like this one https://recipesatmytable.com/love-in-a-cupcake/

Strawberry Ricotta Cake

Strawberry Ricotta Cake is an Italian version of a cheesecake, only healthier and easier to make.  I first tasted this cake in Naples and I asked the waiter what was in it.  He gave me a list of ingredients and told me the secret of cooking the semolina first.  I scratched it on a piece of paper that I found the other day when cleaning out one of my travel purses.  LOL

Needless to say, there were no measurements and a few basic ingredients.  It took me a few tries to perfect this, and I hope you like it because we sure do.

My love of naples

I love the Amalfi coast and have been there several times.  Last September I did a girl trip to this long beautiful coastline.  Everything about it is romantic from the food, to the wine and of course the people.  The friendliness of this culture permeates everything you see and do.  I will soon post some pictures in the travel part of my blog, which is another labour of love.  https://recipesatmytable.com/dreaming-of-naples/

Today I focus on this ricotta cake.  What is in any cake?  Eggs, milk, vanilla….

I put the milk and water into the pot and bring it to a boil.  Once it boils, I turn the heat to medium and slowly add the semolina.

Once the semolina is thickened, I remove it from the stove and add butter.  It gives it a velvety texture. 

Place the ricotta into the eggs with the sugar.

Spooning the semolina into the egg mixture.

The prepared springform pan. I use cooking spray on bottom and sides before placing the parchment.

Out of the oven; it has cooled and I removed the parchment along the sides.  You can see how this cake retains its shape.

The jam and crown royal go into a pan to warm-up.  

The finished cake.

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Strawberry Ricotta Cake

Simple and healthy, this will replace any cheesecake recipe.  

Course Dessert

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Semolina

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup semolina
• 2 tbsp butter or canola oil

The egg batter

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300 gr ricotta the small container you buy at any store

The finishing touches

• juice of half a lemon
• zest of half a lemon

The strawberry topping

The topping

• 4 tbsp strawberry jam
• 2 tbsp Crown Royal Vanilla
• 2 tbsp finely crushed almonds walnuts or pecans also work

Instructions

Cooking the Semolina

1. Cook the Semolina first because it has to cool

    Add the water and milk to a medium pan and bring to a boil. 

   Once it boils add the salt.  Turn down the heat to medium and slowly pour in the semolina.

   Stir until thick.

   Remove from heat and let it cool for a good 30 minutes. 

   
   

The egg mixture

1. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the sugar until creamy.

   Add the Vanilla extract and the ricotta.

   
   

Bringing everything together

1. Spoon the cooled semolina into the egg mixture, one large serving spoon at a time and beat on low.

   Once all the semolina is incorporated into the egg mixture add the lemon juice and lemon zest.

   Prepare a springform pan by lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper. 

   If you have never done this before, here is a quick and easy video.  I spray my pan with a cooking spray before I place the parchment paper.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StkMf8-vhKA

   Next pour the batter directly into the centre of the pan so that it spreads to the sides and holds up the paper.

   Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 60 to 80 minutes.  It will depend on your oven.  Check at 50, 60 etc. 

   The top should be slightly browned, but not burned.  I have a gas range and mine cooked for 80 minutes.

   Cool completely.

   
   

The topping

1. Put jam and crown royal vanilla in a small saucepan.  Bring to a gentle boil.

   Pour 3/4 over cake.

   Slice the washed and dried strawberries in half.

   Arrange strawberries on cake.

   Brush remainder of 1/4 syrup over the strawberries.

   Dust with the finely crushed nuts.

   Refrigerate.  

Recipe Notes

You can increase the sugar to another 1/2 cup if you serve it plain and don't want to add any fruit.  I have tried it both ways and like to control the sugar.  Even without fruit, I leave it at one cup of sugar.  

I also turn the cake upside down for a smoother surface before glazing and adding the fruit.