Solid Easter Egg

Bored of normal hollow easter eggs that you could eat in 60 seconds flat? If so, the solid easter egg is the food of choice for you!. Depending on the size of the easter egg you will need different amounts of chocolate and time to make it, I'd say about 1 hour making time and 100g of chocolate for a 5cm high egg, 2 hours and 200g for a 9cm egg, and it's anybody's guess how long you'd need for a >10cm easter egg!

I was working with an egg about 9cm high, so I managed to fill it with slightly less than a whole 230g bar of Cadbury's chocolate (Eating some along the way!), so any less than 200g may be insufficient. When unwrapping the egg, try to keep the foil and packaging in good condition if you intend to re-wrap it or give it to someone.

Have ready a glass or measuring jug slightly larger than your egg, and fill it about 1/3 of the egg's height with water and ice. The cooling part is esential to make sure your egg doesnt escape all over the kitchen.

Also, to melt the chocolate, have a pan about 2/3 full of hot water and suspend a pyrex bowl in it, so that it will not get the inside of the bowl wet, but it will heat the bottom and most of the bowl's walls. Alternatively, use 20-30 second bursts in the microwave, so as not to burn the chocolate.

Begin by cutting a 3cm cap from the top of the egg. Too wide, and there will be too much chocolate in it when you re-attach it, too thin and you will find it difficult dropping the melted chocolate in. Wrap the bottom part up to the hole in clingfilm, and place it in the ice/water filled container, then put it in the fridge to slow the ice's melting. Put the lid on a plate to one side.

Break the chocoalte into small pieces, and put them in the pyrex bowl, with the hot plate on a medium heat (Or microwave them). There's no need to stir them, just let them melt and occasionally poke them to increase the surface area in contact with the bowl. When you have enough to scoop out with a teaspoon, take the cooled egg out of the fridge, and spoon the melted chocolate into the previously cut hole, bit by bit.

Repeat the melting and filling process until the egg is about half full.

When this is done, put a few more ice cubes in the container to increase the height of the water to about 1-2 cm below the top of the egg, making sure the water does not come over the sides. If it comes into contact with the outside of the egg, dont worry, you will be able to dry it off after, but you must be careful not to let it mix with the melted chocolate.

Stop filling the egg when the level of melted chocolate is about 2mm for the top.

As with the egg, fill the cap until it is about 2mm from the top. As there is not effective way of keeping it in a cooled container, rest it on an icevube in a tray, with a bit of water to ensure a good contact. This will be enough to absorb excess heat and prevent epic deformation of the lid.

When both the egg and the lid are filled, wait about 5 minutes for them to solidify slightly (They will still be liquid, but more viscous, and no longer require so much cooling), before replacing the lid on the egg. Use the mould lines on both sides of the egg to help you get the orientation right.

I overfilled mine right to the edge, so about half a chololate square's worth of molten chocolate was squeezed out (Hence my suggestion of underfilling by 2mm). There is still likely to be some seepage, so either leave it as it is, or use a teaspoon to scoop it off (See my picture to help you decide).

Once assembled, place the whole thing in the fridge for 2-3 hours, maybe more if it was a large egg. Afterwards, remove it from the container, and gently dry it with a piece of kitchen roll if damp.

I repackaged mine to make it look authentic, which you may want to do if you are goving it to someone.

Happy Easter!