Straight from the kitchen of one of our community’s amazing moms: a rich and delicious recipe with cocoa, cashews, and creamy custard, perfect for making and sharing with the whole family over the Easter holidays

Elena Levati, founder of the blog www.conunpocodizucchero.it and a member of the Avui community, presents her homemade version of the Mona de Pasqua: the queen of Easter tables!

This delicious and easy recipe, without butter, features chocolate and a soft, moist texture that delights both young and old.

The cake base, enriched with cashews and Greek yogurt, is prepared in just a few minutes using an electric whisk. The filling is a smooth and delicate cocoa custard cream, and to complete the flavor and delight the palate, there's a crunchy topping of cashews and chocolate.

**More about Elena**

Hello! My name is Elena, I’m Italian and I’ve been living in Badalona for almost 7 years. I have two daughters, Ludovica, who is 9 years old, and Olivia, who is 5. They are such lively little girls that I’m always looking for activities to do with them, with the intention of creating beautiful family moments and positive memories. But the first place we try to do this is our kitchen!
We absolutely love getting messy with flour while preparing a cake or developing our creativity by inventing new recipes! Since 2008, I’ve had a cooking blog where you can find a section designed for kids: recipes to make with them or just for them! If you like it, I look forward to seeing you in my virtual space!

Are you ready? We wish you a Happy Easter and bon appétit!

Ingredients:

For the cake

90 g cashews
100 g wheat flour
15 g unsweetened cocoa powder
8 g baking powder
2 large eggs (110 g) at room temperature
135 g brown sugar
250 g Greek yogurt "stracciatella" (plain with chocolate pieces) at room temperature
75 g seed oil

For the crunchy topping:

60 g cashews
60 g chocolate chips

For the cocoa custard cream:

125 ml whole milk
100 g sugar (divided into two 50 g portions)
15 g flour
2 medium egg yolks
Lemon peel
100 ml water
50 g unsweetened cocoa powder

For decoration:

Colorful feathers
Chocolate eggs

Instructions

1. Prepare the cake base:

Finely grind the cashews and place them in a bowl with the flour, cocoa, and baking powder; mix well.
Beat the eggs for 3 minutes with an electric whisk, then add the sugar and beat at maximum speed for 10 minutes until you obtain a frothy mixture.
Gradually add the Greek yogurt while continuing to beat at low speed, then slowly add the oil.
Finally, incorporate the previously prepared dry mixture using a spatula with gentle, smooth movements.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and flour an 18 cm mold and pour in the prepared mixture.
Chop the cashews for the topping, mix them with the chocolate chips, and sprinkle over the cake.
Bake the Mona de Pasqua in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes.

2. Prepare the filling:

In a saucepan, combine the egg yolks and 50 g of sugar; mix vigorously with a hand whisk.
Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
Heat the milk with the lemon peel, strain it, and gradually pour it into the egg mixture, whisking well. Place over low heat and, stirring constantly, bring the cream to a boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes and then remove from heat.

In another saucepan, mix the cocoa with water and the remaining 50 g of sugar. Place over low heat and, stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes and then remove from heat.

Add this dark sauce to the custard cream, mixing well. Allow it to cool.

3. Assemble the cake:

Once the cake has cooled, cut it into two equal parts, fill with the cocoa custard cream, and decorate with colorful feathers and chocolate eggs. Now you can enjoy your homemade Mona de Pasqua!

Notes:

You won't use all the custard cream; you can store it in the refrigerator in a container for up to 5 days or freeze it.
It's very important that the eggs and yogurt are at room temperature.

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