EASTER BUNNIES

INGREDIENTS: (MAKES 8)

285g pack Madeira cake; 100g cream cheese; ½ tsp vanilla paste or extract; 100g strawberries, hulled; 250g white chocolate, broken into pieces; 6 tbsp desiccated coconut or grated white chocolate; 100g white ready to roll icing; 18 pink mini marshmallows; 18 mini red sugar coated sweets (mini Smarties); 36 mini blue edible sugar balls

METHOD

1. Trim off the cake’s dark brown edges then make crumbs by cutting up and blitzing in a food processor or crumble with fingers.

2. Beat the cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Finely chop the strawberries and add to the cream cheese with the cake crumbs. Mix together.

3. Divide the mixture into 18 and roll into balls. Put onto a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water for about five minutes. Stir the chocolate until smooth and take the bowl off the heat.

4. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Spear the cake balls on a fork and swirl into the melted chocolate to coat. Transfer to the baking sheet and sprinkle half the ball with a little coconut or grated chocolate ‘fur’.

5. To make the ears, cut the mini marshmallows in half and break off tiny pieces of white icing. Roll into balls with fingertips dusted with icing sugar. Press the icing around a marshmallow and pinch the top into an ear shape. Add eyes and noses using sweets. Chill in the fridge for one hour until set, then arrange in paper cake cases. Eat within two days of making.