Mini Egg Krispie Cake Squares

It's officially Spring! It's still wet and windy and pretty miserable outside most days, but the sun is slowly making a come back and thank God for that. Working on a farm is great in most ways - fresh air, beautiful views, great people - but being in the cold and braving the run up the hill between the kitchen and the main fridge is, quite frankly, a nightmare. It may be a short run up the hill, but it isn't a fun one at all when inside it's a cosy 17 degrees and outside it's a drizzly three...

I for one couldn't be happier Spring has finally sprung. Better weather brings a better mood and better food (I'm a poet and I didn't know it). Not that I'm not a fan of the autumn/winter delicacies, don't get me wrong. Spring is just fresh. Eating fruit in the Spring is much more pleasant experience than in the colder seasons, and my favourite fruit of all time, the amazing strawberry starts appearing back on shelves! Granted, a lot of them are still imports from far, far away, but I'm a sucker for a strawberry, especially one in Spring.

Rhubarb is something else I love this time of year, and it's definitely in season. I'll be grabbing myself a big handful on my next few trips to the supermarket and whipping up some great bakes with it all. Spring is a great season for experimentation and I can't wait to get a bit of a tangy rhubarb into whatever I try.

I've had some really successful bakes recently. I'm still beaming a little over the Double Decker Guinness Cupcakes I made a few days ago, and the Hidden Heart Cake I did for Valentine's Day. I've been growing in confidence with my baking so much lately, and I'm really happy to be sharing another recipe I'm quite proud of - Mini Egg Krispie Cake Squares - featuring the same homemade fondant used in my Pastel Owl Cake post from last week!

With Easter rolling around this week, it's the perfect time to be throwing Mini Eggs into any and every recipe with no excuses needed. Everyone's doing it, so why shouldn't I (and you) join in!? And what's better then Mini Eggs combined with Rice Krispies, marshmallows, homemade fondant and a salted caramel drizzle?

Did I hear you say "nothing"?

Good. Read on...

INGREDIENTS

For the fondant*:
450g mini, white marshmallows
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
900g icing sugar, sieved

*This makes a large batch. To make my Krispie Squares I've used leftover fondant from a previous batch I had made. If you are making the fondant fresh to this recipe, do not use the whole block to ice, use only a sixth.

For the Krispie cake:
275g mini, white marshmallows
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
75g icing sugar
3/4 of a large pack of Mini Eggs
125g Rice Krispies

METHOD

For the fondant*:
*method is exact copy from Pastel Owl Cake

Sieve all the icing sugar. Place the marshmallows in a large microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start the melting process. Remove from the microwave and add the water and vanilla essence. Stir until a smooth, sticky paste. Add the icing sugar 3-4 tbsps at a time, stirring until fully combined every time. As you go the mixture will get stiffer and stiffer. When too stiff to stir, use very clean hands to incorporate the icing sugar until it is in a solid, smooth and kneadable state. On an icing sugar dusted surface, knead the fondant for 5 to 10 minutes.

If not using immediately, wrap in clingfilm and keep in an airtight box for up to 10 days. Keep in the fridge for up to 14 days.

For the Krispie cake:

Remove the fondant from the fridge and allow to reach room temperature.

Firstly, chop the Mini Eggs in half. They may not cut cleanly, but the idea is just to make them into smaller pieces. You could bash them up in a bag with a rolling pin if you prefer.

In a large microwaveable bowl, begin melting the marshmallows in the microwave as you did with the fondant. Add the water and vanilla extract and stir until the mix is smooth and fully melted. Slowly add the icing sugar, then the Rice Krispies and Mini Eggs. When the Rice Krispies and Mini Eggs are evenly distributed (the chocolate in the Mini Eggs will begin to melt if the marshmallows are still warm, making the mix turn a milk chocolate colour), place the mixture into a square tin lined with baking parchment. Press hard into all corners.

Unwrap the fondant. Dust a clean surface with icing sugar and roll the fondant out to the thickness of a £1 coin. It will still be very stiff and may be hard work to roll, but keep at it! Cut out a square the same size as the tin your Krispie cake is in. Carefully lift the square and place it on top of the Krispie cake. Use a fondant icing smoother (if you don't have one, anything smooth and flat will do) to press the fondant onto the Krispie cake mixture, ensuring it sticks. Place into the fridge for anything up to 4 hours, until set.

Once set, remove from the tin, carefully peeling the baking parchment off as the underside of the Krispie cake may still be a little sticky. Place the remaining Mini Eggs on top of the fondant in any pattern you wish, using a small amount of buttercream to stick them on. I personally used some leftover Joe & Seph's Salted Caramel Sauce from Pancake Day, which also made for a great drizzle on top too. You might want to use milk or dark chocolate, the choice is entirely yours!

Using a very sharp knife, cut into even squares and enjoy!

This recipe would be a great one for kids. I don't have kids myself (that's a long way off yet...) but if I had fun mixing all the Rice Krispies in and breaking up the Mini Eggs, they definitely would! It's even more fun when you know you're making something that's going to taste amazing at the end.

Now, I was expecting the finished product to be sweet, and I couldn't have imagined just how sweet it really is. Without being sickeningly, overwhelmingly sweet, the squares like are a pleasant sugar high. The marshmallows mixed into the Krispie mix and the homemade fondant make everything delightfully chewy, whilst the Rice Krispies and Mini Eggs add a much needed crunch. The hit of chocolate from the Mini Eggs is great too.

I'm reminded of childhood when eating these. Of birthday parties spent snacking on sugary snacks in plastic bowls, shoving four different types of food into your mouth at once. Of pocket money spent down the corner shop on Toxic Waste Bars and Freddo's, when they used to be 10p. Of Easter's past when you got more than one Easter Egg and ate them all in two days. I definitely miss the guilt-free pleasure of sugar that came with eating it as a kid. I think it's okay, though, to enjoy these Krispie treats guilt-free, for just a little while. Forget about how the marshmallows are all going to your hips and the Mini Eggs are piling on the pounds by the second and just enjoy!

I know my stomach has been begging for an overly sweet treat for a while now after bearing the brunt of the New Year Diet Plans (yes, all capitalised!). If you're currently in the midst of Lent, then save making these for March 25th and share with the whole family. They'd make an altogether different after dinner treat and you'll definitely be full after just one square. Unless you're me who continued to tuck into the Mini Eggs for half an hour afterwards...

Easter is the perfect time for that, though, and possibly the only time it's acceptable to feast on Mini Eggs. And Malteaser Bunnies. And Creme Eggs. The list goes on and on, but I won't.

Have a happy time baking, a happy sugar high and a happy start of Spring!

What's your favourite Easter treat?