Smooshed Creme Egg Bakes - Neither big nor clever

*trigger warning for huge amounts of creme egg cake recipes

On social media and in the world of blogging it seems you cannot blink this Easter without another picture of a cake covered in broken Cadbury Creme Eggs.

For anyone visiting from Uranus, a creme egg is a chocolate and fondant confection of teeth rotting sweetness. The centre wittily resembles that of a real egg.

In my youth I too liked a creme egg at Easter, and like many before and since, I poked my tongue into the moist middle with delight. But as I've grown up my sweet tooth has diminished and the diabetic inducing sweet no longer appeals. That would be fine, and I could ignore them and get on with my life that except that the world has gone berserk adding the eggs to anything and everything claiming that it makes something tastier and more Easter themed. I blame Pinterest.

Well, adding creme eggs doesn't improve things. It just adds extra sugar, and the horrible look of a house attacked by angry trick or treaters (ooh idea for Halloween cakes - no! stop, enough). A smashed creme egg looks like a smashed egg, that is not attractive. They taste only of sugar and American disappointment.

And if you don't believe how prevalent this horror is just look at a few of these examples! We have chocolate brownies and they are delicious, they do not need the addition of gloop, but despite that a recipe exists with just that.

Brownies made by The Minis and Me

And as for a creme egg 'blondie'...well, I really have no words, a blondie is something I already view with some suspicion, to add a creme egg into this dubious American mess can only end badly.

Blondies via MamaMummyMum

Cakes, whole cakes, already a treat, chocolate flavoured and covered in icing (frosting) I'm fairly sure crushed  creme eggs all over the top are an unneeded gilding of the cocoa lily!

Cake from Chilling with Lucas

Cheesecake, cheesecake!, is there no end to the abomination that is the creme egg takeover! A cheese cake needs no extra, it is cheese, soft and delicious, maybe with a tart fruit addition, but a smooshed creme egg? No no no. Just no.

Cheesecake from MotherGeek

And breakfast, the first meal of the day, where we need some protein and goodness, do we need creme eggs? No we do not, and yet it seems there are those among us that think a creme egg will improve a croissant. A croissant! That sophisticated and chic French pastry of delicate buttery loveliness, just no.

Croissant from Californian Mum in London

And last and most unnecessary of all, the Scotch Egg Brownie. I'm not sure I can fully express my horror and disgust, to hide the runny candy egg within and innocent brownie casing, to trap the unwary nibbler with a horrific gooey mine...

Scotch Egg Brownies form Nobody Said it Was Easy

I am ashamed of you all - I am especially ashamed of those blog readers that are, even now, writing down some of those recipes for later. You are sick! Sick I say! (or you will be later) Stick to proper recipes using chocolate mini eggs like normal people.

Recipes for Easter like mini white chocolate nests,  or regular chocolate nests, or even chocolate mini egg fudge, these are for normal, good and proper people.

Chocolate nests from The Messy Blog

Thank you to all the bloggers who agreed to be featured in this round up of loathing and disgust. All photos used with permission from the original posts.

Come and chat over on Twitter or my Facebook page I'd love to hear from you

I could give it up ... if I wanted to

Last year I wrote about Lent and what importance it may have in this modern world. (You can read that post here)

This year I decided to give up something for Lent. And it was a sudden decision but came of lots of earlier thoughts and talking with a friend at work. 

My friend is vegetarian, I have lots of vegetarian friends (ooh get me! "I'm not vegetarian-ist , some of my friends are vegetarian" ) so I know they are not all weirdos and oddballs (they are but not because they are vegetarian, more because they are my friends...a whole 'nother post - do I like weirdos or make people weird by knowing them?) 

Festival Vegetarian Curries I have known

 

Anyway ...  a while ago you will remember that my vegetarian friend loaned me the fabulous Veg Every day cookery book by Hugh FW (Read that post here) and I've been eating more and more vegetarian meals, so when yesterday we talked about kids, and pancakes, and Shrove Tuesday and then Lent and she asked 'what are you giving up?' I thought about it and said "I don't know, nothing probably" so her reply "Why not give up meat!" made me realise that I could - I could give it a go for 40 days ... that's doable right? 

Mr tumble is excited by Lent! Are you?

 

What are doing for Lent? Do you ignore it? Join in? 

Author's note : I only eat meat about 3 times a week and usually less BUT the longest I have ever gone without bacon is 30 days. Pray for me.

Lent, pancakes, and those religious weirdos

Pancake Day. Everyone calls it that right? it's about pancakes, everyone loves pancakes, oozing syrup or with bacon (or both!) or simply served with lemon and sugar. Today is about golden pancakes. Pancakes, anyone that claims otherwise is a religious freak, a nut, someone who wants to spoil PANCAKE day with guilt and religious ideals...but maybe, just maybe Shrove Tuesday and the start of Lent is something that everyone could benefit from thinking about.

Lent. What is it any way? some odd religious thing where people 'give something up' like chocolate or coffee or booze. No fun in that, and what's the point anyway?

What ever Lent is or was it can be a time to think and reflect.

The very fact that you are reading this blog on a computer or a cell phone leads me to think that probably you are one of the 'privileged', just like me.

For me Lent is a time to think about what I have. I may choose to give something up, I may not. But I have the luxury to do it, the luxury to know that at other times of the year that thing is there for the taking, something maybe that I just take for granted like TV or beer, cheese or pies, going out by myself, driving or bubble bath, things that thousands of people in the world do not have the luxury to give up, things that many people just don't have in the first place.

Do I need to stop eating chocolate for 40 days and nights? Well it would focus my thoughts, remind me each time I fancied a nibble that I was one of the lucky few that can have chocolate if I want, that I have chosen to go with out, to be reminded of how lucky I am.

My 40 days of lent will be a celebration of my good fortune. I can choose to not use the microwave, or to not drink beer, or not drive, or not watch TV or any of a thousand things I do each week without even thinking of all the people that cannot do these things. So maybe I'll give something up, and maybe I'll be a better person for walking 40 days in someone elses shoes. Maybe I will be celebrating freedom.

I hope that your lent will be a celebration too.

Are you giving up anything? And what could you giveup (that you are not going to!) that you could celebrate?

Easter, Ēostre, Chocolate and death and life

So as soon as February and the lusts of Valentine's day is over (and in many cases before) Easter will be heralded in, in the traditional way with an aisle of overpriced chocolate, shaped like eggs, rabbits and chicks, in every supermarket and corner store in the land.

I shall not dwell on how I hate that. Or on how DD is not allowed too much chocolate (and doesn't like it much either) and how we have lots left over from Christmas (despite binning lots already). I shall not dwell on the loss of the religious aspect, or the hijacking by Christianity of a far older festival.

I shall instead focus on...




Craft! Yes indeed ladies, gentlemen and assorted others, I plan a craft swap to rival the joy of the Christmas Craft swap! This time the theme is Easter Gifts that DO NOT CONTAIN chocolate. So if you feel you can make a fluffy pompom chick, a papier mache egg, a cross decoration, a fur hare etc etc then this is for you! As before you will sign up - email me your email and address, I will pair you up and you can send anonymously or not as the mood takes you.

So you are under starters orders! Get on the case. If you are stuck for ideas I suggest this fabulous blog by Red Ted Art, and check Wikipedia etc for theme ideas. (and you can always get your children to help!)

Let me know if you prefer to post in your home country only and I'll do my best!

Sign up deadline - March 1st

Posting Deadline - April 1st
(Easter Monday is 9th April this year)