Cake eggs in a chocolate haystack basket

I can't even tell you how excited I was to make this dessert.  Once I got it in my head that I was going to do this, I was pumped and then very anxious to see how it would turn out.   For some reason,  I love baking with easter chocolate.  Maybe it's the colours or simply how the chocolate and candy eggs can be incorporated in so many different ways. Easter baking is too much fun!  You can probably expect to see quite of lot of great chocolate egg desserts in the next three weeks.  I was originally thinking I would just make the little cookie haystack nests with mini eggs sitting on top but then realized I could bring this dessert to a whole new level.   This is centerpiece worthy, colourful, pretty and completely edible.  My co-workers didn't even want to crack in to it because it looked to beautiful too eat.   Don't worry eventually we all dived into it.









Cake egg pops in a Haystack basket

INGREDIENTS:

Cake Pop:

• Your favorite prepared cake - I had left over chocolate cake in my freezer.   I used about 850 gr. 
• Your favorite icing - 250 gr
• Coloured chocolate
• Candy sticks or wooden skewers

Haystack Cookies

• 3 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate  (your preference)
• 2 cups butterscotch chips
• 4-5 cups (500 grams)  of chow mien noodles, slightly crushed
• 1 1/2 cup praline peanuts

Basket peices

• Edible grass
• Easter jelly beans

INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Make the cake pops.  Crumble up the cake and mix it together with the icing until all incorporated.

2) Form the cake into eggs either free hand or using an egg mold.  Put them in the fridge or freeze to set the shape before dipping. 

3) Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips over a double boiler.  Stir to mix together and incorporate,  until completely melted.

4) Once completely melted add the chow mien noodles and peanuts and stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula to ensuring you are covering all the noodles and peanuts with the chocolate.

5) Layer a large bowl with parchment (I used a wooden salad bowl so it was a bit flatter),  placing some of the chocolate noodles on top of the parchment pressing down to form a bowl.  Continue to add some more noodles on the edges to create the sides of the bowl.  Let the chocolate set in the fridge for an hour or on the counter for a few hours until dry.

6) Coat the cake eggs :  Melt the coloured chocolate in a double boiler.  Ensure you have a enough so that you can dip or roll the cake egg.   Remove a few cake eggs at a time from the freezer and insert a candy stick or wooden skewer through the large end of the egg.  Going in approximately half way up the way.   Dip the egg into the chocolate, allowing extra chocolate to drain off, tap off any excess.   Place the egg pop to dry in some Styrofoam or dried flower foam.

7) Once both the bowl and eggs are set place some edible grass (which I found at the bulk barn) in the bottom.  Place the cake eggs and some jelly beans inside of the bowl in the arrangement of your choice.

This was fantastic in so many ways.  How can you not like cake, covered in chocolate in a cookie bowl also covered in chocolate.   It is fun to pick out your favorite coloured egg and then even more fun to break apart the nest and eat the pieces.   Decorate your easter table with this beautiful colourful dessert your family will love it.

MEG's RATING : D-EEEEE-LICIOUS!