Nigel Slater's Recipes for Chocolate Mascarpone Cake and Chocolate Praline Wafers

I love cracking an Easter egg - that crisp snap when the wafer-thin chocolate shatters into sharp shards when you crack it open. Chocolate so crisp you can hear it crackle. I made chocolate eggs in a past life and it was a real headache to unmold them without breaking them.

At Easter, I now prefer to melt them the chocolate, pour it on parchment paper and let it set in the thinnest sheets possible. Before that, I dust the surface with a shimmering praline dust, crumbled crystallized roses or violets, and candied yuzu or orange peel, which works so well with dark chocolate. Toasted almonds or hazelnuts are also on my list.

I've been known to make paskha at Easter, where the cream cheese is sprinkled with candied fruit and ground almonds, and weighed under cheesecloth. The result is like a thick, unbaked cheesecake. It's divine spread on a toasted brioche. Inspired by this recipe, I used a lighter interpretation to spread a hazelnut cake with marbled chocolate chips and coated in a vanilla mascarpone cream. Happy Easter.

Chocolate and mascarpone cake

A hazelnut cake with sweet vanilla flavored cream for a special occasion. For 8 people, if not more

For the cake: butter 250gcaster sugar 250peeled hazelnuts 75gdark chocolate 120geggs 4, large Flour to rise 125g ground cinnamon ½tsp strong espresso 4tsp

For garnish: double cream 200ml mascarpone 750g icing sugar 100g vanilla extract ½tsp

Set the oven to 180°C 4. Line the bottom of a 20cm removable bottom cake tin with parchment paper.

Cut the butter into small pieces and put them in the bowl of an electric mixer, add the sugar and cream until light and creamy.

Toast hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden, stirring regularly so they brown evenly. Grind the walnuts into a coarse powder in a food processor. Finely chop the chocolate.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them briefly with a fork until the yolks and whites are combined, then add them slowly butter and sugar, mix well between each addition. Mix the flour with the cinnamon. Pour in the ground walnuts and half the flour, beat briefly on low speed, then add the rest of the flour and the chopped chocolate, and mix briefly.

Gently stir in the espresso, then transfer to the lined pan, quickly smooth the surface and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is slightly spongy to the touch (test for doneness with a skewer). If the cake browns too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the pan for the last 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before unmolding on a cooling rack.

To make the filling, whip cream until thick. Beat the mascarpone and sugar together, add the vanilla extract, then incorporate the cream. Be careful not to over-whip. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cut cake in half horizontally, then place bottom half on cake stand or plate. Place a third of the mascarpone mixture on top and smooth the surface. Place a second slice of cake on top, then add a second third of the mixture and smooth with a spatula. Finally, spread the sides with the remaining mixture and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Chocolate Praline Wafers