Dessert for Easter - Because Easter just isn't sweet enough

All the baking I did on Good Friday was with the intention of making a 'dessert table' for Easter Saturday.

I have been reading on a lot of event planning websites about dessert tables and, when executed well they look gorgeous. I'm not sure my first attempt was anything to write home about but it was for 'home' so what better people to try it out on than your own family...

Inspired by Nigella Lawson's caramel croissant pudding recipe (which by the way is one of Baker Bob's favourites) I made puddings using hot cross buns. (Hot cross buns supplied by Baker Bob himself.) It's very similar to bread and butter pudding, with all the spice from the hot cross buns coming out into the caramel custard. These were a hit.

These cupcakes were just a plain vanilla cupcake, almost the consistency of a pound cake but I put a light but super sweet mallow mousse icing on them. Unfortunately the longer the icing was out of the fridge the runnier it got. But I think because of the colour, the cupcakes looked kind of sweet with the dripping icing.

It's not Easter without Easter shaped cookies. This is my most favourite vanilla cookie recipe ever and so easy to whip up. Although jammed packed with butter and sugar, I couldn't resist icing them in a tart lemon icing. If you can't eat sugary crap at Easter, when can you?!

Lastly, inspired by Stef at The Cupcake Project I attempted to make chocolate cupcakes baked in egg shells. A few things I did learn doing this is
1. Don't use a dense cake mix, a light one would hold the egg shape a lot better.
2. Make holes and drain eggs on the sink because it makes a mess and...
3. Don't use a cake recipe that has half melted chocolate chips in the mixture because a piping bag clogged with meshing chocolate chips is not going to fill your eggs. Instead, in protest to your frustrated squeezing, it will spew forth it's rich chocolate goop all over your hands!

It was fun to do something different though but it's definitely not as easy as it looks ( for this novice anyway.) In the end I got the desired result though. Everyone was fascinated and I had to explain 6 different times during the day how I'd accomplished such a feat.

I also downloaded the ultra-cute cupcake toppers and tags from Hostess with the Mostess for free.
My table was not as fancy and well put together as some but I'm happy with what I managed. And of course my family oohed and aahed over it, like any supportive family would. It's nice to be appreciated.