Just 5 fancy-looking but not-too-tricky Easter recipes to make this weekend.

Easter is the most wonderful time of the year. 

Extended weekends, chocolate eggs in every nook and cranny of the house and unlimited time with our loved ones. Truly, what is there not to love?

In saying that, it gets a little tiring eating the same old thing, so we compiled a nifty list of recipes to make this long weekend extra special. 

Whether you're a beginner wanting to whip something easy up these holidays or a whiz in the kitchen looking to impress the family, here are five recipes for you to make:

Easter Bunny Surprise Cake 

By recipe blogger and baking addict @bakingenvy.

Image: Wiltshire.

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes + 20 minutes cooling time

Ingredients: 

• 350 g (12.5 oz) unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups (600 g) caster sugar / superfine sugar
• 1 tbsp (20 mL) vanilla essence OR 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups (460 g) plain flour / all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp (12 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
• 1/4 cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

Cake Batter

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan/convection) or 170°C (standard). Grease and line a 24 x 13 cm loaf tin and a 27.5 x 17.5 cm slice tin with baking paper. Set aside.

2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat together butter, sugar and vanilla essence until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well in between. The mixture should be very pale and fluffy.

3. Sift over flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well incorporated. Do not over-mix.

4. Add milk, a little bit at a time, stirring until well combined. Try not to push too much air out of the batter.

Chocolate Bunnies

1. Transfer two cups of batter to another bowl. Sift over the cocoa powder. Stir until well combined.

2. Spread the chocolate cake batter evenly over the base of the slice tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

3. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Using a bunny-shaped cookie cutter (or any Easter themed cutter), carefully cut out as many pieces of chocolate cake as possible. NOTE: your cookie cutter should be no taller than 6 cm or it will pop out the top of the cake.

4. Transfer the bunny-shaped cake pieces to a separate tray or plate lined with baking paper. Freeze for 20 minutes.

Assembling the cake

1. Spread a thin layer of vanilla cake batter into the bottom of the loaf tin. Starting from one end of the loaf tin, place the frozen bunny-shaped cake pieces side by side so they form a bunny-shaped log in the centre of the loaf tin. Make sure they are firmly pressed against each other to prevent vanilla batter seeping in between.

2. Carefully distribute the remaining cake batter around the bunny-shaped log. A layer of cake batter should completely cover the bunnies.

3. Bake for 1 hr 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean (or with a just few moist clinging crumbs). If the top of the cake begins to brown too much during cooking, cover with aluminium foil.

4. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the loaf tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Caramel, Apple and Walnut Tart

By Australian pastry chef and MasterChef guest judge Kirsten Tibballs.

Image: Supplied.

Kristen Tibballs is an Australian pastry chef and chocolatier who shares her love for baking and creating with over 760,000 followers online. 

Unfortunately, we're not exactly... professionals... when it comes to baking but if you're looking for a challenge then this delicious caramel, apple and walnut tart might just be the perfect task to take up this weekend. 

Prep: Four hours

Cook: 180 minutes

Ingredients: 

Taco Shell:

• 120 g unsalted butter
• 65 g pure icing sugar, sieved
• 50 g whole egg
• 290 g plain flour
• Generous pinch of salt
• Plain flour, for dusting

Vanilla Cake:

• 90 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 50 g brown sugar
• 40 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 50 g whole egg
• 110 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Generous pinch of bicarbonate soda
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 30 g Greek yoghurt
• 15 g double cream

Caramel:

• 75 g fresh cream 35% fat
• ¼ tsp salt
• 175 g caster sugar
• 125 g unsalted butter, cubed
• 50 g good-quality milk chocolate

Sauteed Apple:

• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 200 g caster sugar
• 20 g unsalted butter

Candied Walnuts:

• 60 g water
• 80 g caster sugar
• 40 g walnuts

Instructions: 

Taco Shell

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and icing sugar until there are no lumps of butter remaining. 

2. Add the egg and mix to combine.

3. Lastly, add the flour and salt. Continue to mix until the ingredients just come together as a dough.

4. Press the dough into an even, flat square and wrap in plastic wrap before placing into the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

5. Heat the oven to 165°C, fan forced.

6. On a lightly floured workbench, roll the dough out to 4mm in thickness.

7. Use a round cutter, 250mm in diameter, to cut a disc of dough.

8. Line a tart ring, 190mm in diameter, with the dough and place onto a lined baking tray. 

9. Chill the tart shell in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using a sharp knife to trim the excess dough off the top.

10. Line the dough with heat-proof plastic wrap, or scrunched baking paper, and fill with uncooked rice.

11. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes before removing the lining and baking for a further 7 minutes.

12. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Vanilla Cake

1. Heat the oven to 165°C, fan forced.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, caster sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

3  Gently whisk the egg with a fork to break it up, then slowly add it to the butter mixture while mixing.

4. Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and cinnamon.

5. Add the sieved ingredients and salt to the mixer, followed by the yoghurt and cream, then mix until combined, careful not to over-mix.

6. Transfer the batter into a piping bag and pipe it into the base of the prepared tart shell, filling it halfway.

7. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer is inserted and comes out clean.

8. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Note: This recipe makes more batter than required for the tart. The excess mixture can be used to make apple muffins. Dice 1 granny smith apple and toss with 1 tablespoon of flour prior to mixing it through the batter, then transfer into a muffin tin and bake.

Caramel

1. Place the cream and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. In a separate saucepan, add the sugar a third at a time and heat until completely dissolved and caramelised to a golden colour.

3. Remove from the heat and carefully add the hot cream while whisking.

4. Add the butter, a cube at a time, and whisk to incorporate.

5. Pour the caramel over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and incorporated.

6. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Sauteed Apple

1. Peel the apple and cut it into 8 pieces, removing the core.

2. Add the sugar, a little at a time, to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until dissolved and caramelised to a golden colour.

3. Add the butter and stir to incorporate.

4. Add the apple pieces and cook them in the caramel until just tender, gently agitating every so often to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom.

5. Remove from the heat and allow the apple pieces to cool completely in the caramel at room temperature.

6. Transfer the apple pieces onto a wire cooling rack and allow the excess caramel to drip off.

7. Discard the caramel and set the apple pieces aside, ready for assembly.

Candied Walnuts

1. Heat the oven to 165°C, fan forced.

2. Place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.

3. Reduce the heat to bring the syrup to a simmer and add the walnuts. Simmer for a few minutes.

4. Strain the syrup from the walnuts and scatter them over a lined baking tray.

5. Place into the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes until the walnuts are golden in colour.

6. Set aside to cool completely at room temperature.

Assembly 

1. Place the tart onto a serving plate.

2. Arrange the sauteed apple pieces on top of the cake layer.

3. Transfer the prepared caramel into a piping bag and cut a small tip off the end. Pipe the caramel around the apple pieces, over the surface of the cake, until it reaches the top of the tart shell.

4. Garnish with candied walnuts.

Chocolate and Coffee Layer Cake

By Australian pastry chef Kirsten Tibballs.

Image: Supplied.

If you don't think you can nail the recipe above, then Kristen Tibballs has another sweet treat that could be up your alley. This Chocolate and Coffee Layer Cake is, admittedly, still a challenge to make but if you want a break from the Easter eggs this weekend, give this cake a crack! 

Prep: 4 hours

Cook: 90 minutes

Ingredients: 

Chocolate Cake: 

• Vegetable oil spray, for greasing
• 220 g plain flour
• 55 g dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 220 g caster sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 60 g coconut oil, or vegetable oil
• 55 g whole eggs
• 125 g buttermilk 
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 125 g hot water

Chocolate and Coffee Buttercream:

• 200 g fresh cream 35% fat
• 200 g good-quality dark chocolate 58%
• 50 ml coffee, Jura espresso 
• 300 g unsalted butter

Chocolate Soak:

• 100 g water
• 75 g caster sugar
• 15 g dutch processed cocoa powder

Chocolate Garnish:

• 300 g good-quality dark chocolate

Instructions:

Chocolate Cake

1. Heat the oven to 165°C, fan forced.

2. Grease a cake tin, 180mm in diameter, with vegetable oil spray then line the base and sides with baking paper.

3. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate soda and baking powder in a large bowl, then add the sugar and salt and mix to combine.

4. Place the coconut oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 1 minute.

5. Remove from the mixer then add the dry ingredients and fold through by hand until combined.

6. Pour in the hot water and fold through.

7. Transfer into the prepared cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes.

8. Allow to cool at room temperature.

9. Using a serrated edged knife, trim the top off the cake to create a flat surface, then cut the cake into 3 equal layers.

Note: You can make your own buttermilk by combining 125g milk with 4g fresh lemon juice.

Chocolate and Coffee Buttercream

1. Boil the cream in a small saucepan.

2. Pour the hot cream over the dark chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated to create a ganache.

3. Add the espresso and mix to combine, then set aside at room temperature.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and softened.

5. Swap the paddle for a whisk attachment and add the chocolate ganache. Whisk until smooth and combined.

Note: If the buttercream is too soft to pipe, place it into the refrigerator to firm up before whisking again.

Chocolate Soak

1. Combine the water, sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan and gently heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and there are no lumps of cocoa powder remaining.

2. Allow to cool completely at room temperature before assembling the cake.

Chocolate Garnish

1. Temper the chocolate by placing it into a microwave-safe plastic bowl, and heat in 30-second increments, stirring in between. Once you have 50% solids and 50% liquid, stir vigorously until the solids have completely melted. If you have some resistant buttons, you can gently heat the chocolate with a hair dryer while stirring.

2. Pour some of the chocolate onto a stone workbench and spread it out with an angled palette knife. Work the chocolate backwards and forwards until it begins to go dull and is set to touch.

3. Using a large metal scraper, scrape the chocolate to create pointed curls.

4. Repeat the process with the remaining chocolate.

Assembly

1. Transfer the prepared buttercream into a piping bag fitted with an 8mm star nozzle.

2. Place the first layer of cake onto a serving plate and brush the surface with the chocolate soak.

3. Pipe a layer of buttercream over the first layer of cake.

4. Repeat with the remaining layers of cake, chocolate soak and buttercream.

5. Top with the chocolate curls and dust with cocoa powder.

Note: Dutch-processed cocoa powder, for dusting.

Easter Layer Cake 

By Amanda Michetti.

Image: Supplied.

Believe it or not, you can never have enough cake and the thing is, during Easter, you're allowed to eat all the sweet foods you want... because it's Easter! 

This Easter Layer Cake is for the family, and if you're a parent wanting to include your kids in the cake decorating, then this one might be the one for you.

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Ingredients: 

Cake:

• 155g unsalted butter, softened
• 155ml vegetable oil
• 415g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 560g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• Pink, blue and yellow gel food colouring

Buttercream:

• 300g unsalted butter, softened
• 5400g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 80g speckled mini eggs, to serve
• 80g mini chocolate eggs, to serve

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and Grease and line the base and sides of 3 x 20cm (8 inch) Rose Gold Round Cake Pans with baking paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer) beat together the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition until incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until combined.

4. Fold through half the flour mixture to the butter mixture then add the buttermilk and fold through. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk folding each through until just combined.

5. Divide the batter evenly into three bowls and add a few drops of each Gell food colouring until you have pink, blue and yellow batter.

6. Transfer each coloured better to one of the cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool in tip for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Trim around the edges of each layer cake to expose the coloured crumb.

7. To make the buttercream, beat butter and vanilla bean paste in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for 8 minutes until pale and fluffy. Turn the mixer off and sift in the icing sugar. Mix on lowest speed until icing sugar has begun to incorporate, then increase speed and mix on high for 2-3 minutes.

8. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag with a large round nozzle and pipe a layer of icing on top of one the blue cake layer, top with the yellow cake layer and pipe more buttercream on top, then top with the pink cake layer and pipe on the remaining buttercream. Scatter mini eggs in the centre to serve.

Easter Chourek 

By Masterchef winner Emelia Jackson.

Image: Supplied.

MasterChef winner Emelia Jackson went out of her way to give us something right out of the family cookbook. 

"While I’m a huge fan of hot cross buns, this traditional Macedonian sweetened bread always reminds me of Easters with my family growing up," Jackson tells Mamamia. 

"It’s a nostalgic favourite and there are many heritages that have a variation so it is something close to many people’s hearts."

She added: "I’ve spent hours working on this recipe so anyone can cook it, and I’ve found the secret is in proofing it properly – my Belling oven makes this so easy in just a few hours.

"This recipe is perfect for a small family Easter or a big festive celebration! You can easily double or triple the recipe and bake all the loaves together in a larger capacity oven."

Prep: 2 hours 15 minutes

Cook: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 240ml lukewarm milk
• 21g instant yeast
• 765g plain or bread flour
• 180g caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 15g mahlepi
• Zest of 1 orange and lemon
• 2 tsp vanilla bean
• 3 eggs
• 50ml oil
• 50g softened butter
• Egg wash & Sesame seeds

Instructions: 

1. Combine 80ml milk with yeast, 3 tsp flour and 1 tsp sugar and set aside to get frothy.

2. Combine all ingredients, including the frothy yeast mix, in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook and knead until the mix is springy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

RISE 1: Set your oven to the bread proofing function and rise for 30-45 mins. Knock back, divide into 6 even balls, roll into logs and braid into 2x braided loaves.

RISE 2: Again using the bread proofing function, allow to rise for one hour. 

3. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame and bake at 170ºC for 30 mins

Feature Image: Supplied.

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