CREME EGG ...SCOTCH EGGS!?

This may just be the best...most wacky easter bake i have ever made! I had been looking for easter treats to make my friends, i kept seeing the infamous creme egg chocolate brownie, which by the way if you haven't tried is DE-VINE! But thats been done before and i wanted to make something completely different, something my friends haven't tried. And this really did the trick everyone was bemused by the little creations and absolutely loved them! Now you may be thinking creme egg scotch eggs...she's gone crazy but just imagine the structure of the perfect scotch egg transformed into chocolatey goodness and that is what you will find here! 

If you are not familiar with Scotch Eggs, the regular savoury ones are made up of boiled eggs wrapped in a layer of sausage meat then they are coated in a layer of bread crumbs and baked. In England we see them as perfect picnic food, or as an eggcellent side to a Ploughman’s lunch. - see what i did there ;)

In this version you will find the mini Creme Egg is wrapped up in a gooey cake mixture (almost like a truffle/ brownie), then coated in chocolate and biscuit crumbs. This creation is layer upon layer of goodness, first you will encounter the initial crunchy biscuit crumbs, you will then enjoy the beautifully rich chocolate cake and finally the star of the show, you will sink into the delicious combination that is Cadburys Creme Egg, which is the perfect ratio of chocolate to fondant! 

This may look like a lengthy process but really its quite simple steps! Just follow bit by bit and you will have your chocolate scotch eggs in no time! 

Ingredients 

(Makes 15)

for the cake 

(If your not a confident baker or just can't be bothered i would suggest just buying a ready mix for a simple chocolate sponge)

150g self-raising flour, sifted

50g cocoa, sifted

220g caster sugar

80g butter, softened

125ml milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

for the buttercream

50g unsalted butter, softened

45g cream cheese 

70g icing sugar

10g cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the inside and coatings 

15 mini creme eggs (X2 bags)

200g dark chocolate

150g Digestive Biscuits

Method 

First, bake the cake...

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and flour or grease and line a 24cm cake tin and set aside.

Place all ingredients into a bowl and using a mixer, mix on high for 4 minutes.

Pour into cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the centre.

While the cake cools, make the buttercream...

Cream together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the icing sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. You should have a smooth buttercream.

Pop the cake into a food processor until it is a crumbly mixture, if you don't have a food processor use your hands to crumble the cake. Add the cake crumbs to the butter cream and mix until combined into a thick, sticky paste. You should be able to mould it with your hands.

Now to make your balls...

Take a spoon full of mixture. Squash it in your hands to a flat disk, place an unwrapped mini Creme Egg into the middle of the disk shape. Wrap the cake mixture around it, then roll it in your hands until you have a ball shape again.

Now you need to set your balls in the freezer, put the balls onto a tray lined with grease proof paper., then place in the freezer for at least half an hour. The cake balls should be  very cold and hard, this is very important you need them to be very solid otherwise they won’t stay whole when you dip them in the melted chocolate.

Next, prepare your coatings...

In a food processor, pulse the biscuits until you have fine crumbs, suitor to bread crumbs found on normal scotch eggs. Again if you don't have a food processor you can put the biscuits into a sandwich bag and bash into crumbs with a rolling pin. 

Melt the chocolate for  coating your cake balls. Heat 200g dark chocolate in a deep bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. When the chocolate is completely melted its time to coat the cake balls in chocolate.

Take them out the freezer one by one as you’re ready to use them, this will keep them nice and cold. Drop the cake ball into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to swirl them around in the chocolate, turning them over until they are completely coated. Carefully place the chocolate coated ball into the bowl of biscuit crumbs. Use a spoon to roll the ball around until its fully coated in the crumbs. Carefully lift your coated ball onto a grease proof paper lined tray. Allow it to cool, and the chocolate to set completely before eating (tough i know but will be worth the wait) Store in an air tight container in the fridge. For the best texture and flavour, bring them out of the fridge about half an hour before you want to serve them to bring them back to room temperature.

Excuse the chipped nail varnish and fading Henna! 

Sorry for such a lengthy post but this recipe is so worth it! Let me know if you try it out!! 

Happy Easter, Madge x