Wondering what to do with your leftover chocolate eggs? Try Rachel Allen's tiffin, cake and raspberry blondie recipes

I also love a rich chocolate cake that’s more brownie-like than sponge, and this recipe overleaf is one that I’ve been making for years. It works best with dark chocolate used in the cake mixture, but the glaze will also welcome milk or white chocolate. The trick to this cake’s success is not to overcook it. You’re looking for a slightly fudgy texture, but set enough to cut into perfect slices.

These raspberry and white chocolate blondies are just super. Fudgy, buttery and sweet, the raspberries bring a welcome juicy kick. Add in some orange zest if you like, or drizzle with milk or dark chocolate instead of white.

Now when it comes to hot chocolate, using chopped up chocolate instead of chocolate powder is an absolute game changer. Add as much or as little chocolate as you like and if you fancy, top with marshmallows or add a splash of booze. Now that’s a chocolatey treat worth every single calorie.

Chocolate tiffin

Makes 16 squares

You will need:

• 75g butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 75g milk chocolate, chopped or broken into pieces
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 225g biscuits, such as shortbread
• 2 tablespoons chopped candied peel or raisins — optional

For the topping, you will need:

• 200g milk or dark chocolate
• 100g mini chocolate eggs

​1 Line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with parchment paper.

​2 Place the butter in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of approximately 4 or 5cm of simmering water, not allowing the water to touch the base of the bowl.

​3 Add the golden syrup and the chocolate to the butter and then sift in the cocoa powder. Allow the ingredients in the bowl to melt, stirring them every so often.

​4 When the ingredients have melted, take the bowl off the saucepan and turn off the heat, but keep the saucepan with water for making the topping later. Break the biscuits into bite-size chunks and add into the melted chocolate mixture with the chopped candied peel or the raisins, if using. Mix gently trying not to break up the biscuits too much.

​5 Tip the mixture into the lined tin and press the mixture down, levelling the top.

​6 Place the tin in the fridge to chill.

​7 While the mixture is chilling in the fridge, prepare the topping. Chop or break the milk or dark chocolate, whichever you’re using, and place in a bowl sitting over the saucepan with water in it, over a medium heat. Once the water comes up to the boil, turn off the heat and allow the chocolate to melt slowly.

​8 When the chocolate has melted, take the mixture in the tin out of the fridge and pour over the chocolate so that it’s covering the biscuit mixture. Now scatter the mini eggs over the top and press them down into the chocolate so that they’re sitting in the melted chocolate, otherwise they’ll fall off later!

​9 Place in the fridge again to set. To serve, lift the paper out of the tin and cut the tiffin into squares.

Hot chocolate

For each person, you will need:

• 200ml milk
• 50g dark, milk or white chocolate, or a mixture, chopped or broken into pieces
• 25ml cream — optional
• A splash of brandy, rum, whiskey or cream liqueur – optional

​1 Place the milk and the chopped chocolate, and the cream if using, in a saucepan and slowly heat up, stirring with a whisk to gently melt the chocolate.

​2 Add a splash of brandy, rum, whiskey or cream liqueur, if using, and pour into a cup and serve.

Divine rich chocolate cake

Serves 6-8

You will need:

• A little soft butter, for greasing the tin
• 150g dark chocolate, chopped
• 125g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 50g plain flour or ground almonds

For the chocolate glaze, you will need:

• 110g dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 50g butter

​1 Preheat the oven to 170C (150 fan), 325F, Gas 3.

​2 Butter the sides of a 20cm cake tin (or spring form tin) and line the base with parchment paper. Place the chocolate, the butter and the caster sugar in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water and melt. Stir until smooth, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, and fold in the sifted flour or ground almonds, whichever you’re using.

3 Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the centre is almost set. Take out of the oven, place the cake in the tin to sit on a cooling rack and set aside to cool, in the tin.

​4 To make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate, the cream and the butter in a bowl sitting over a saucepan with approximately 5-6cm of water in it, on a low to medium heat. As the mixture in the bowl heats up it will melt so stir it until smooth, then take the bowl off the saucepan and set aside to cool a little until it has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Do not place in the fridge as it will lose it’s glossy sheen.

​5 Take the cooled cake out of the tin and place on a plate or cake stand, pour the glaze over the top, letting it drizzle a little down the sides.

Raspberry and white chocolate blondies

Makes 16

You will need:

• 250g butter
• 3 eggs
• 125g caster sugar
• 125g light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 175g plain flour
• 250g white chocolate, chopped or in chips
• 200g raspberries

​For the top, you will need:

• 75g white chocolate, chopped or in drops
• A few raspberries​

​1 Preheat an oven to 180C (160 fan), 350F, Gas 4 and line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with parchment paper.

​2 Melt the butter and set aside. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and add in the caster sugar, the light brown sugar and the vanilla extract. Use an electric whisk to whip the mixture for about 5 minutes, until it is pale, light and mousse-like.

​3 While still whisking, pour in the melted butter gradually, in a thin stream.

​4 Now briefly whisk in the flour until just combined and finally fold in the white chocolate and the raspberries.

​5 Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden on top and cooked in the centre. When you gently press the top of the bake there shouldn’t be too much give, you’re looking for a very slight spring, otherwise it’ll be raw in the centre.

6 Allow the blondies to cool in the tin, then lift them out in the paper and place on a work top.

​7 Melt the white chocolate for the topping by placing it in a heatproof bowl sitting over a saucepan with 5-6cm of boiling water in it, the base of the bowl should not touch the water. The saucepan does not have to go on the heat, just the heat from underneath the bowl is enough to melt the white chocolate — too hot and the white chocolate will block.

​8 Once the chocolate has melted, drizzle it over the blondies, then scatter with a few raspberries. Allow the white chocolate to set, then cut into squares to serve.