Edd Kimber: 3 new recipes with chocolate to bake for the family this Easter

If you have guests coming over this Easter or have some time to bake, try these new recipes from the Great British Bake Off’s first ever winner in 2010, Edd Kimber.

Super speedy chocolate snack cake

“This is your ‘in case of emergency’ chocolate cake, the recipe you pull out when you have last-minute guests or simply need a quick, easy dessert,” says Kimber.

“It also happens to be an incredibly good vegan chocolate cake, dense and fudgy like all good chocolate cakes should be. A simple one-layer affair, it can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. I like to keep things straightforward, with a glaze made with a ‘water ganache’. Alternatively, it makes a great dessert, served with a hot fudge sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.”

Ingredients
(Serves 8)

For the cake:
240ml soya milk
175g light brown sugar
100ml vegetable oil
1tsp apple cider vinegar
75g plain flour
75g wholemeal rye flour
50g cocoa powder
1tsp instant espresso powder
½tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
½tsp fine sea salt

For the water ganache glaze:
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
2tbsp, packed, light brown sugar
75ml water
15g (1tbsp) refined coconut oil

Notes: If you don’t have rye flour, you can substitute it with an equal amount of plain (all-purpose) flour.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan (350˚F). Lightly grease a deep 20 centimetre round cake tin (pan) and line the base with baking parchment.

2. To make the cake, put the milk, sugar, oil and vinegar in a large jug and whisk until smooth. Brown sugar, especially unrefined versions which contain higher levels of molasses, can be lumpy, so sift it before using if needed.

3. Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk just until a smooth cake batter is formed. If using rye flour, it is doubly important not to over-whisk the batter; rye flour can become gummy if mixed for too long.

4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake springs back to a light touch and is coming away from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a small heatproof jug and melt. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan, place over a medium heat and cook, covered with a lid, until the sugar has dissolved and the water has just come to a simmer. Pour a third of the syrup over the chocolate and stir to combine. Pour in the remaining syrup, in two additions, stirring until the mixture forms a silky-smooth ganache. Add the coconut oil and stir to combine.

6. Once made, the ganache should have a thick but pourable consistency. If the ganache seems thin, leave for about 15 minutes, until thickened slightly. Pour the ganache over the cake, allowing the excess to drip down the sides. Kept covered, this cake will keep for 4-5 days.

Miso and white chocolate cookies

“Here, the white chocolate and all its supposedly problematic features (too sweet plus one note) are balanced by the addition of miso,” says Kimber. “This tangy fermented bean paste adds depth and rich savoury notes that round out the sweetness of the white chocolate, helping to make these cookies a sweet and salty joy.”

Ingredients
(Makes 12)

225g unsalted butter, room temperature
200g light brown sugar
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs
65g white miso paste
1tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour
100g wholemeal plain flour
½tsp fine sea salt
¾tsp bicarbonate of soda
¾tsp baking powder
350g white chocolate discs, féves or roughly chopped bar
Flaked sea salt, for garnish (optional)

Note: If you don’t want to bake the cookies all at once, you can freeze the balls of dough. They can be baked from frozen but will need an additional 1-2 minutes of cooking time.

Method

1. Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer, or use an electric hand mixer and large bowl, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding the second. Add the miso and vanilla and mix until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until an evenly mixed cookie dough is formed. Add the chocolate and mix briefly, just until evenly distributed.

2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 4 hours until firm.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan and line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Roll into balls weighing roughly 70 grams each, and place six balls onto each of the prepared trays, spacing them out evenly. Sprinkle each cookie with a little flaked sea salt and bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden around the edges but still a little pale in the centre.

4. Leave to cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the second batch of dough balls. Kept covered, these cookies will keep for 3-4 days.

Bluberry tarragon white chocolate cheesecake tart

“When I need a simple crowd-pleasing dessert, a no-bake cheesecake fits the bill perfectly,” says Kimber. “This white chocolate version uses Biscoff biscuits for a toasty, almost caramelised, flavour in the crust and it is topped with a blueberry compote infused with a little tarragon for a beautiful herbal aniseed flavour.”

Ingredients
(Serves 10-12)

For the biscuit base:
250g Lotus Biscoff biscuits
125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½tsp flaked sea salt

For the cheesecake:
150g white chocolate, finely chopped
115g full-fat cream cheese
115g mascarpone
125ml whippingcream
1tsp vanilla bean paste

For the compote:
350g blueberries
50g castersugar
Juice ½ lemon
2tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
1tbsp cornflour

Method

1. For the biscuit base, finely crush the Biscoff using either a food processor or by placing the biscuits in a freezer bag and beating with a rolling pin until finely ground. Tip the crumbs into a bowl, add the butter and salt and stir until throughly combined. Tip this mixture into the base of a 23 centimetre loose-bottomed tart tin and spread, gently pressing it into an even layer. Use a flat-bottomed glass to compact the crust across the base and up the sides of the tin. Refrigerate whilst you make the cheesecake.

2. Put the chocolate in a small bowl and melt, using either a microwave or bain-marie. Set aside for about 10 minutes until cool but still fluid. Place the chocolate and all of the remaining cheesecake ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until thick and holding soft peaks. Scrape atop the biscuit base and spread into an even layer.

3. To make the compote, place 250 grams of the blueberries, the sugar, lemon juice and tarragon in a saucepan, along with 50 millilitres of water, and bring to the boil over a medium heat.

4. Once at a rolling boil, cook for 3-4 minutes until the fruit is starting to break down and the liquid is slightly reduced. In a small bowl whisk together the cornflour and 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the pan. Pour this slurry into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, for a further minute or until you have a jam-like consistency. Scrape the compote into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

5. When ready to serve, remove the compote from the refrigerator and stir through the remaining blueberries. Spoon atop the cheesecake, spreading over most of it, but leaving a small border around the edge. Kept refrigerated, the cheesecake will keep for up to 2 days.

Chocolate Baking: The Ultimate Guide to Cakes, Cookies, Desserts and Pastries by Edd Kimber (Quadrille, £28) is available now. Photography: Matthew Hague