Homemade Vegan decorated Easter Egg

Tempering chocolate means you are lining up the fat particles in the cacao butter so that it snaps when broken and it has a lovely lustre and sheen. Here we use the most simple and easiest method to temper chocolate so that this is super inclusive and also it means you might learn something new!

The easiest way to think of cacao solids is that if a chocolate is 70% chocolate it is roughly 30% sugar, if its 50% cacao solids its roughly 50% sugar and so on. That is why darker chocolate such as 70% is referred to bittersweet chocolate.

Instructions:

1. Chop all the chocolate into small pieces.
2. Shell the pistachios and chop them into small pieces. Finely chop the goji berries into a fine crumb.
3. In a bain marie melt 200g of the chocolate. Once melted remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 100g of chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate and continue to stir until the recently added chocolate starts to melt and become homogeneous. If the added chocolate won't melt simply put on the steam until it starts to melt. Be careful not to overheat. [technically speaking what we are trying to do is to ensure that the chocolate hits a temperature of approx 28 degrees C so that the cacao butter comes into alignment]
5. Prepare your Easter egg mould and ensure it is dry, and clean. (water will make the chocolate seize and lose all the work tempering the chocolate).
6. Pour the melted chocolate into the Easter egg mould, move the mould around so that the chocolate coats all the mould. Once it has coated all the mould pour the remaining chocolate back into the bowl (don’t worry!). Repeat with the second half of the mould. Leave to set. It will take approximately 12 hours for it to fully set.
7. Remove the 2 eggs from the moulds being careful.
8. Heat a frying pan on low heat.
9. To bring the egg together put the egg open side down into the pan and leave it to sit for 10-30 seconds until the edges starts to melt. Once it is melted, fix it to the other egg and leave to set.
10. To decorate with the goji berries and melt the remaining 50g of chocolate and using a clean paint brush on the melted chocolate to the design and shape you would like. Carefully add on the goji and pistachios to your design
11. Leave to set and enjoy!