Great Easter Dessert Ideas

Easter (or Pascha in my home) has become a big deal and a time of feasting. It’s also time for me to experiment with new dishes and desserts, hence these Easter dessert ideas that I will be sharing with you. The purpose is inspirational, but I have done my best to scout the internet for these dessert recipes. It’s easy to pull them up once you search them on Google, Bing, etc. In some instances – I have linked to another site for the recipe.

Pashka

Pashka (derived from Pascha – the Eastern Orthodox term used for Easter), is a cheesecake-like dessert without the crust. It is traditionally made as a celebration of the Fasting season (Lent), and the beginning of Easter. You’ll find variations of the dessert online, but it is largely based on cream cheese, cheese, almonds, currants, etc.

I find the recipe over at CD Kitchen much simpler, and a yummy potential.

Easter egg cookies

If you are a baker, you must already have your favorite cookie recipe. Give the same cookies an oval shape and decorate them with an Easter theme (cookie cutters, food coloring, sprinkles, icing will be playing a big role here), and you are good to go. Here is another generic example that you can use:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Food coloring
• Easter-themed sprinkles
• Optional: white chocolate chips or candy melts

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream together the softened butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture, and beat until well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. If the dough is too sticky, you can add a little more flour.
6. Divide the dough into several portions, depending on how many colors you want for your Easter egg cookies.
7. Add a few drops of food coloring to each portion of dough, and knead until the color is evenly distributed. You can use different colors to create a variety of Easter egg designs.
8. Roll out each colored dough portion on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
9. Use egg-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the Easter egg shapes from the rolled-out dough.
10. Carefully transfer the cut-out cookies to the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each cookie.
11. Decorate the cookies with Easter-themed sprinkles, gently pressing them into the dough.
12. Optional: Melt some white chocolate chips or candy melts according to the package instructions, and drizzle it over the cookies for an extra decorative touch.
13. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
14. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
15. Once cooled, your Easter egg cookies are ready to enjoy! Serve them at your Easter celebration or package them up as gifts for friends and family.

Easter cupcakes

Shake things up this Easter and design your usual cupcakes into an egg nest. This is one of many things you can do with your Easter cupcakes. You can also add a Cross, carrot, bunny ears etc, as toppers.

Pudding in a glass

This is the easiest of all my Easter dessert ideas. Make a pudding of your choice and decorate with bunny ear shaped cookies. I like the recipe from The Foodies Kitchen. Since you’ll be dunking a part of these into the pudding, I don’t think it’s necessary to include the icing.

Decorated carrot cake

Carrot cake with carrot decorations as a topper makes for a charming and delicious dessert, especially for Easter or any springtime celebration. Here’s a recipe to make a classic carrot cake along with instructions for creating carrot decorations as a topper:

Carrot Cake Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots (about 4-5 medium carrots)
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans), optional
1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz (226g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Carrot Decorations:

Orange fondant or modeling chocolate
Green fondant or modeling chocolate
Optional: Edible food coloring to enhance colors

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil until well combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
6. Fold in the grated carrots, chopped nuts (if using), and shredded coconut (if using) until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until smooth.
11. Once the cakes are completely cooled, level the tops if necessary, then place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting over the top.
12. Place the second cake layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting. Smooth the frosting with an offset spatula.
13. To make the carrot decorations, roll out orange fondant or modeling chocolate to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a carrot-shaped cookie cutter or knife to cut out carrot shapes. Roll out green fondant or modeling chocolate and cut out small leaf shapes.
14. Attach the green fondant leaves to the top of the orange carrot shapes using a small amount of water or edible glue.
15. Place the carrot decorations on top of the frosted cake as desired.
16. Serve and enjoy your delicious carrot cake with adorable carrot decorations as a topper!

This cake will surely be a showstopper at your Easter celebration or any springtime gathering, and the carrot decorations add a delightful touch to the presentation.

You may also like: 

• St. Patrick’s Day Food ideas

Traditional Easter cake

Also known as Kulich, this is more of a bread than a dessert, but it is still yummy, nonetheless. It originates among the Slavic people and is a hit during the Easter season. Here’s a basic recipe for making Kulich:

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup mixed candied fruits and/or raisins (optional)
1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)
Zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons milk (if needed)

Instructions:
Activate the yeast: In a small bowl, combine warm milk with sugar and yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until frothy.

Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture, melted butter, eggs, lemon/orange zest, and vanilla extract. Mix until the dough comes together.

Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If using, knead in the candied fruits and/or raisins and slivered almonds until evenly distributed.

First rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Shape the Kulich: Punch down the risen dough and divide it into equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place them into greased Kulich molds or tall cylindrical tins. Fill each mold about halfway. Cover with a kitchen towel and let them rise again for another 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the Kulich for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. If the tops start to brown too quickly, cover them loosely with aluminum foil.

Glaze: While the Kulich is cooling, prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled Kulich.

Decorate: Optionally, you can decorate the Kulich with sprinkles, additional candied fruits, or slivered almonds before the glaze sets.

Serve: Slice and serve the Kulich with tea or coffee. It’s best enjoyed fresh but can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.

I hope you find your inspiration from these Easter dessert ideas. Some of these could easily be contents for this year’s Easter baskets. Pin/share/tweet to spread the inspiration of the Easter season.