Easter treats: Mini Egg Cheesecakes, Creative Carrot Cake and Bunny Meringue lollipops to make with your kids

Elliot Styche is a vocal coach and musical theatre director, but he’s best known as The Singing Baker for serving up some creative desserts with his own musical accompaniments. He can be found (and heard) on instagram at @elliots.table.

He shared these colourful creations that are perfect for getting the kids involved and bringing a little extra magic to your Easter spread.

No-Bake Mini Egg Nest Cheesecakes

Individual chocolate cheesecakes layered with an Oreo base, topped with a crunchy cornflake nest and Mini Eggs. Makes 4 glasses.

Ingredients

• 250g Oreo crumbs
• 50g unsalted butter, melted
• 250g cream cheese (room temperature)
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g milk chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 125ml double cream
• 200g cornflakes
• 150 g milk chocolate, melted
• Mini Eggs

Method

1. Mix the Oreo crumbs and melted butter together until evenly combined. Spoon into the base of your glasses and press down lightly to create an even layer. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
2. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Pour in the melted milk chocolate and mix until fully combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream to soft peaks, then gently fold it into the cheesecake mixture until smooth and light.
4. Spoon or pipe the cheesecake filling over the chilled bases and smooth the tops. Chill in the fridge for at least 3–4 hours, or until set.
5. Mix the cornflakes with the melted chocolate until fully coated. Spoon on top of each cheesecake, shaping slightly to create a nest effect.
6. Finish by decorating with Mini Eggs, nestling them into the cornflake nests.

Elliot’s Tips

• Let the melted chocolate cool slightly before adding so the mixture stays smooth.
• Keep the whipped cream at soft peaks for a light, mousse-like texture.
• Press the base just enough to hold, too firm, and it can become hard to spoon through.
• Add the cornflake topping just before serving if you want maximum crunch.

Creative carrot cake

This is such a fun Easter idea and works with any round cake, whether it’s homemade or store-bought. You can also use any frosting you already have on hand, but a cream cheese frosting works beautifully with carrot cake.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 250 ml sunflower oil
• 4 large eggs
• 150g light muscovado sugar
• 75g caster sugar
• 250g carrots, coarsely grated
• 300g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 50g walnuts, toasted and chopped

For the topping

• 100 g unsalted butter, very soft
• 250 g full-fat cream cheese (block style, not spreadable)
• 150 g icing sugar, sifted (add more if not sweet enough)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• Green food colouring
• Orange food colouring
• Lolly pop sticks

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170C fan-forced (or 180C conventional). Grease and line a round cake tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, muscovado sugar and caster sugar until smooth and slightly thickened.
3. Slowly drizzle in the oil.
4. Add the grated carrots and mix to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
7. Fold through the chopped walnuts.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
9. Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
10. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Cut your cooled cake into even slices or segments and place each slice on a flat surface ready for decorating. (You can use this homemade cake, a store-bought cake, or even another flavour entirely; this decoration works with anything.)
12. In a bowl, beat the butter for 2–3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth, then add the remaining icing sugar and mix again until creamy. Add the cream cheese straight from the fridge and beat briefly until smooth. Do not overmix or the frosting will loosen. Stir through the vanilla and salt.
13. Divide the frosting into two portions. Colour a larger portion orange and the smaller amount green using food colouring.
14. Using the orange frosting, pipe over each cake slice to create the shape of a carrot. You can keep it smooth or add light texture with small strokes.
15. Gently push a lolly pop stick into the top of each slice to act as the carrot stem.
16. Using the green frosting, pipe small leafy tops around the stick to create the full carrot effect.

Elliot’s Tips

• This works just as well with store-bought cake if you want a quick version.
• You can swap the frosting for any buttercream or icing you already have.
• Chill the frosting slightly if it feels too soft; this helps with clean piping.
• Line the finished slices up together to create a full “carrot patch” effect.

Fun Bunny Meringues

These cute bunny meringues are perfect for Easter. Pipe them using a star nozzle for a textured finish and serve them as decorations, with whipped cream and berries, or turn them into fun lollipops for kids.

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
• 120g caster sugar
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cornflour
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Optional Decoration

• Food colouring (Gel only! Oil-based colouring will deflate the meringues)
• Sprinkles
• Lollipop sticks

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 100C fan-forced (or 110C conventional) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the egg whites into a clean bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. The peaks should just hold their shape.
3. Add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition. Continue beating until the meringue is thick, glossy and smooth. Rub a little between your fingers; it should feel silky with no sugar grains.
4. Gently fold in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract.
5. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
6. Pipe the bunnies directly onto the baking paper by first piping the ears, then piping a larger round body underneath to join them together. The star nozzle will give them a soft, fluffy texture.
7. If making lollipops, place a lollipop stick onto the tray and pipe the bunny over the top so it holds in place.
8. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the meringues inside for a further 30–40 minutes to dry out completely.
9. Once cool, decorate with melted chocolate for eyes, a little pink colouring for the ears, or sprinkles if you like.

Elliot’s Tips

• Make sure your bowl is completely clean; any grease will stop the meringue whipping properly.
• Add the sugar slowly to get a stable, glossy meringue that holds its shape.
• Keep the oven low and slow to avoid browning.
• These are perfect served with whipped cream and fresh berries for a simple Easter dessert.
• Store in an airtight container to keep them crisp.

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