Happy April, dear friends! And Happy Easter!

Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. Along with bright pastel colors, this season is dedicated to everything that a chocoholic dreams of: chocolate is the star, with chocolate eggs and bunnies in abundance everywhere. Picturing rows of artisanal and fascinating chocolate eggs that typically fill shelves before Easter approaches, I was eager to visit the shops to soak in all the festive vibes. This year’s picks, however, surprised me. The selections have paired down drastically, and 2021’s Easter chocolate trend seems to be classic milk chocolate.

The small Easter displays at most of my favorite shops only feature Cadbury’s Easter selections, which are regular milk chocolate eggs and bunnies. In the midst of scanning through the chocolates, my foodie enthusiasm was re-lit: my pal, Crème Egg, is back!

Creme Eggs Galore!

With British origins and manufactured in Australia (those that are available here on the island, that is), Cadbury’s Crème Eggs is a classic Easter treat. Crème Eggs’ annual appearance on the shelves indicates that the countdown to Easter’s arrival has commenced! Beyond a ‘shell’ that is made from Cadbury’s much-loved milk chocolate, a sweet treasure sits inside. A decadent fondant, which resembles both egg white and egg yolk, oozes out of the chocolate egg when you take a bite.

From the Crème Egg McFlurry at McDonald’s to Krispy Kreme’s Crème Egg-inspired doughnuts, Crème Eggs add splashes of joyful foodie anticipation throughout the Easter season. Since Crème Egg has been introduced to different bakes and confections over the years, I thought it would be fun to debut a quirky Crème Egg dessert that has never existed… until now!

In the spirit of Easter eggs and dreaming of vacations, I thought it would be fun to take another short ‘trip’ to Lisbon from the comforts of home, through munching on some bedazzled egg custard tarts (or pastel de nata in Portuguese). And so, the Easter Egg Tart experiment came to life – starring Cadbury’s Crème Eggs, pastel de nata and matcha green tea icing.

Part 1 – the tarts

My journey kicked off with preparing the egg tarts. I used the mini version of the air fryer-friendly pastel de nata I shared some time ago. These tarts sat in the air fryer for around 10 minutes. I recommend setting the temperature at 170˚C / 340˚F (without being pre-heated). Afterwards, they were removed from the air fryer and sat outside to cool.

Part 2 – The Toppings

While waiting for the tarts to cool, I prepped the matcha icing and halved a few mini Crème Eggs. The icing is easy to whip up, especially with my icing ‘equations’:

Step 1: 1 TSP Matcha Powder (I used a ‘latte’ version) + a little splash of hot water = a thick matcha mixture

Step 2: Thick Matcha Mixture + 3 TSPs Icing/Powdered Sugar = Matcha Icing

After mixing everything together into a smooth icing without any lumps, it is time to introduce Crème Egg to the party. My recommendation is to refrigerate the Crème Eggs for a few hours first. The process of halving them is smoother when they are cold, as they do not explode with the runny egg-looking filling. I reckon this is the ‘hard boiled’ version of Crème Eggs!

Part 3 – Assembly

It’s time to construct the tarts! I began drizzling matcha icing on each tart, followed by topping them with half a Crème Egg. Finally, the treat is complete with another drizzle of icing on top of the eggs themselves. Viola! They are ready.

Let’s Taste!

On its own, each egg tart shines with balanced tastes of both cinnamon and egg custard. Since the tarts aren’t very sweet, they are the perfect canvas to showcase the sweeter elements. Hence, the completed bite-sized delights result in a harmonious gathering of three seemingly contrasting flavors that actually complement one another. The Crème Egg laces the egg tarts with the wonderful taste of Cadbury’s milk chocolate. The chocolate egg’s crème fondant filling, which adds undertones of its distinctive sweet flavor notes, blends into the custard when you bite into the tart as a whole. The crème egg-pastel de nata combo is approved in my books!

While the Crème Eggs’ flavor stands out more to my taste buds, matcha’s gentle role is pretty delightful. Since I used a matcha latte mix instead of pure matcha, the icing’s mild flavor is earthy, milky and sweet – all at the same time. Much like the Crème Eggs, the icing’s touch on the tarts is beautiful. Aesthetics-wise, matcha’s vibrant green color reminds me of Easter’s beauty and lush green trees that are flourishing in spring’s presence. This tart is certainly one of my new go-to desserts for Easter and spring, especially because it incorporates three of my favorite tastes!

Have a blessed Easter, dear friends!