Our favourite Easter cakes and sweet treats
It's not just chocolate eggs for Easter. Check out our decadent collection of Easter cakes and dessert recipes.
Easter means spending time with friends and family and enjoying the beginning of spring. It's eating copious amounts of hot cross buns (lathered with butter of course), Sunday lunch with a delicious leg of lamb, and let's not forget the Easter dessert centrepiece for a memorable finish.
Here are a few of our all-time favourite Easter sweet treat recipes.
Traditionally enjoyed on Good Friday due to the religious connotations depicted by the piped on cross. Make sure your yeast is within date and that your milk is only just warm (rather than hot), otherwise you will kill the yeast and your buns won't rise. Which will result in a dense and chewy hot cross bun, and no one wants that!
It's important to knead the dough for at least 10min. This helps develop the gluten, which in turn creates a smooth and elastic dough, resulting in a better finished bun texture. To check whether the gluten in your kneaded dough has developed sufficiently, pull the dough taut, lightly press the surface with your finger, and it should spring back.
If you enjoy the taste of hot cross buns but want to try something a little different this year, give our lemon drizzle hot cross buns a go.
Traditionally enjoyed on Mothering Sunday, Simnel cake soon became a way to celebrate the end of lent due to its luxurious qualities; being crammed full of dried fruit and topped with decadent marzipan. A lighter fruit cake than Christmas cake, a Simnel cake is now the epitome of Easter since it's topped with 11 marzipan balls said to represent the 11 disciples of Jesus (minus Judus). For an easier and just as flavoursome option why not try our Simnel traybake?
Easter eggs are a symbol of new life and Spring and so have become the perfect way to spread the Easter joy. Check out our GHI Easter Egg Taste Test winners to bag yourself the best on the market!
Prefer more savoury recipes? We've got our best ever Easter lamb roast recipes for a fail safe lunch.
Crustless Honey and Ricotta Cheesecake
This recipe is inspired by a traditional Greek dessert called melopita.
Mini Egg Blondies
How could anyone resist these squares of Easter joy?! Fudgy, decadent and utterly delicious. Kids will love helping with these.
Recipe: Mini Egg Blondies
Mini Earl Grey Loaf Cakes
These pretty little cakes are delicately fragranced with earl grey tea and make a beautiful afternoon treat.
Recipe: Mini Earl Grey Loaf Cakes
Simnel Spiced Daisy Biscuits
These subtly spiced biscuits are sure to become a new favourite.
Recipe: Simnel Spiced Daisy Biscuits
Double Chocolate Shortbreads
These chocolatey shortbread biscuits are sandwiched with a rich white chocolate ganache, though you could always use a shop-bought chocolate hazelnut spread if you’re short on time.
Recipe: Double Chocolate Shortbreads
Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
If you love chocolate and orange then you'll love these spiced chocolate hot cross buns that are smothered with a spiced orange butter too.
Recipe: Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
Rhubarb & Rose Cupcakes
These rhubarb and rose cupcakes make the most of the short (but sweet) rhubarb season and make a lovely addition to your Easter lunch too.
Recipe: Rhubarb & rose cupcakes
Orange Blossom Baklava Cheesecake
Delicate floral notes and warm sweet spices perfume this silky cheesecake and crunchy topping.
Simnel Cupcakes
We’ve turned the traditional Easter cake into cute and colourful cupcakes.
Recipe: Simnel Cupcakes
Apricot and Cardamom Hot Cross Buns
Nothing beats a homemade hot cross bun! These are scented with cardamom and studded with dried apricots for a new twist. Divine served warm, split and slathered with salted butter.
Easter Egg Tiffin
A guaranteed hit with little ones, tiffins are good way of using up leftover dried fruit, nuts and biscuits so try experimenting with different combinations.
Recipe: Easter Egg Tiffin
Double Decker Rocky Road
Kids and adults will love this fun twist on classic rocky road. Swap the biscuit balls and Mini Eggs for any Easter treats you have left over.
Recipe: Double Decker Rocky Road
Crème Egg Traybake
Crème Egg Traybake: Celebrate Easter in all its glory with this colourful traybake. If you’re not a fan of Crème Eggs then top with your favourite chocolate instead.
Recipe: Crème Egg Traybake
Fried Egg and Bacon Biscuits
Who wouldn’t want breakfast at teatime?! Amuse your guests with these sweet egg and bacon biscuits.
Recipe: Fried Egg and Bacon Biscuits
Mini Egg Cheesecake Squares
Mini Egg Cheesecake Squares: These layered cheesecake squares are the perfect Easter teatime treat. If making for children you may like to swap the orange zest for 1tsp vanilla extract.
Recipe: Mini Egg Cheesecake Squares
Baileys Chocolate Loaf Cake
With a boozy Baileys twist and a delicious rich chocolate flavour, this fabulous bake with novelty bunny decoration is a celebration of all things Easter.
Recipe: Baileys Chocolate Loaf Cake
Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Tear-and share this rich hot cross bun loaf for an indulgent Easter breakfast.
Recipe: Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Coconut Rum Cupcakes
Coconut, rum and lime are a recipe for success. If you’re making these for children, omit the Malibu and simmer the syrup for less time.
Recipe: Coconut Rum Cupcakes
Easy Chocolate Easter Bark
This chocolatey, tasty treat is SO easy to make
Recipe: Easy Chocolate Easter Bark
Cherry bakewell cookie cups
Oh how we love cherry bakewell tarts, and we've stuffed these cookie cups with the flavours for the perfect treat.
Recipe: Cherry bakewell cookie cups
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