6 Easter Dessert Recipes To Make This Year

Your house may be brimming with chocolate eggs – but that doesn’t mean we should forget about pudding for Easter lunch. We’ve rounded up a selection of tasty Easter desserts to impress your guests with this year, from a traditional simnel cake to a hot cross bun trifle, plus a pudding made with leftover Easter egg chocolate. Find some Easter pudding recipe ideas below.

Easter Dessert Recipe Ideas

Soft Chocolate Cake With Easter Eggs

Ingredients:

• 250g chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 150g sugar
• 80ml milk
• 80ml sunflower seed oil
• 250g flour
• Pinch of salt
• 50g chocolate chips

Method:

1. To prepare it, start melting 250g of chocolate in a bain-marie (dark or milk, whatever your preference!) and once melted, leave it to cool.
2. In the meantime, whip 3 eggs with 150g of sugar and work them until the mixture is light and fluffy. At this point add 80ml of milk and 80ml of sunflower seed oil.
3. Gradually add the melted and cooled chocolate, 250g of sifted 00 flour, a pinch of salt and 50g of chocolate chips to the mixture.
4. Pour the mixture into a pan and bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes at 180°.
5. Soft, fluffy and delicious, your Easter eggs will become even better!

Recipe from Eataly

Hot Cross Bun & Butter Pudding

Ingredients:

• 10 hot cross buns
• 100g butter, softened
• 100g marmalade
• 100g dark chocolate (or leftover Easter egg chocolate)
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 550ml full cream milk
• 150ml double cream, plus extra to serve
• 4 medium eggs
• 2 heaped tbsp raw cane sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Custard, to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Slice the hot cross buns widthways into three rounds each. Spread each round with butter. Spread half the rounds with marmalade. Finely chop the chocolate.
2. Arrange half the hot cross bun rounds in a large ovenproof dish in overlapping rows. Sprinkle half the chocolate over the buns and dust with 1 tsp mixed spice. Repeat with the remaining hot cross bun rounds, chocolate and mixed spice, overlapping the rounds in the dish.
3. Pour the milk into a small pan. Add the double cream and gently warm till just steaming. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking constantly as you add it, till the eggs and milk are smoothly combined. Pour over the hot cross buns. Set aside for 30 mins to soak.
4. When you’re ready to cook the pudding, preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Bake the hot cross bun pudding for 25-30 mins, till the top is golden brown and a little crisp. Serve the pudding warm with cream or custard.
5. This pudding is a great way to use up leftover hot cross buns, especially if they have gone a bit stale. Outside of Easter, you can swap the hot cross buns for ordinary fruit buns, leftover brioche or just plain slices of bread.

Recipe from Abel & Cole

Ginger Hot Cross Bun Trifle

Serves 8-10

• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 hot cross buns
• 1 jar Opies Stem Ginger
• 600ml double cream
• 75ml Disaronno
• 250g salted caramel
• 800g chocolate custard
• 50g chocolate chips or chocolate stars, to decorate

Method:

1. Split the hot cross buns then toast until golden. Cut each half into quarters and line in the bottom of a trifle dish. Finely dice 2-3 balls of stem ginger and scatter over the top, then pour over half the syrup from a jar of Opies Stem Ginger followed by the Disaronno.  
2. Beat the double cream until very thick, then spread over a layer of double cream followed by a layer of chocolate custard. Repeat the order then add the salted caramel, reserving a tablespoon or two for the topping. 
3. Finely dice another 2-3 balls of stem ginger and scatter over the salted caramel. Place the remaining double cream into a piping bag and pipe over the final layer of double cream. Drizzle over the remaining salted caramel followed by the chocolate chips or stars.  

Recipe from Opies

Carrot Patch Tray Bake

Makes 24 portions 

Ingredients:

For the cake 

• 400g self-raising flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 350g light muscovado sugar 
• 350ml sunflower oil 
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten  
• 300g grated carrot 
• 250g sultanas 
• 200g walnuts, chopped into small pieces 
• Grated zest of 2 oranges 

For the frosting 

• 140g butter  
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 
• 280g icing sugar  
• 200g cream cheese  

To decorate 

• A few fresh small carrots with their tops, washed and trimmed 
• 50g nut brittle, crushed

Equipment

• Large tray bake tin, greased and lined with parchment paper 
• Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or electric beater, or bowl and wooden spoon) 

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200C. Place the flour, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl and dry whisk through to distribute everything evenly. 
2. Place the muscovado sugar in a large bowl, add the oil and, with a whisk, mix well to break down any lumps. Add the eggs and whisk through to combine. Add the grated carrot, sultanas and nuts to the mix and stir well. Add the flour and cinnamon mix and gently fold through until fully combined. 
3. Pour into the lined tin and bake for 35-45 mins until cooked through, well risen and golden. Test in the centre with a skewer to make sure it’s completely cooked – the skewer should come out clean. 
4. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, remove the paper and leave to cool completely before icing. 
5. Make the frosting by beating the butter and vanilla in your stand mixer until pale, light and creamy (an electric beater or wooden spoon would also work). Gradually beat in the icing sugar until light and fluffy. Lastly, on a slow setting, gently beat in the cream cheese. 
6. Spread the frosting over the top of the tray bake in an even layer. To decorate, add a few baby carrots, chopped at different heights, and sprinkle with crushed nut brittle. 

Recipe by Juliet Sear

Raspberry Simnel Cake

Ingredients:

• 500g ready made marzipan
• 150g raspberries plus 11 for the top (about 50g)
• 200g self raising flour plus 1 tbsp
• 175g butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs plus an egg yolk, beaten
• 50g ground almonds
• 150g sultanas
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten to loosen

Method:

1. Line a 20cm loose bottomed baking tin with parchment.  Roll out a third of the marzipan to a 20 cm circle – you can use the base of the tin to cut round.  Wrap the remainder and any off cuts and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 170C/fan oven 150C/gas mark 3.  Toss the 150g raspberries in the extra tbsp of flour and set aside.  Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then gradually whisk in the eggs (3 whole and 1 yolk).  If the mixture begins to curdle add a tbsp of flour and mix in.  Sift the flour over the mix and fold in gently until smooth.  Fold in the ground almonds, sultanas and floured raspberries.
3. Scrape half the cake mixture into the tin and carefully lay the marzipan round on top.  Add the remaining mixture, level the top and bake for around 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Roll out half the remaining marzipan to a circle and sit it on top of the cooled cake.  Shape 11 balls from the leftover amount and arrange in a circle on top.  Preheat the grill to medium.  Brush all over with the egg white and then place under the grill or use a blow torch to brown gently.  Remove from the grill, leave to cool and then decorate with the fresh raspberries.

Tip: The cake keeps well in an airtight container for up to five days without the extra berries on top.  Alternatively freeze the cake before adding the marzipan top for up to a month.

Recipe from Love Fresh Berries

Galatopita (Milk Pie)

One dessert or sweet treat traditional in Greece over the Easter period, is galatopita – a milk, egg and semolina bake that’s smooth, comforting, just sweet enough and a gorgeous custardy treat for anyone who’s gone through the 40 days of Lent without eggs and dairy. It’s simple and a guaranteed hit, both as a deliberate after-dinner sweet thing, or something that can be picked at during coffee and tea breaks over a bank holiday weekend. This is Mrs Kalliopi’s recipe – Marianna from Oliveology’s mum! 

• Prep: 10 mins 
• Cook: 1 hour 
• Serves: 10 – 12 

Ingredients:

• 1.2 litres whole milk 
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 
• 200g golden caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting 
• 150g fine semolina, plus a little extra for dusting 
• 6 medium eggs 
• 2-3 tsp cinnamon 

Method

1. Heat your oven to 180C. Place the milk in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over a medium heat. Add the vanilla and stir well. Add the semolina and sugar. Use a whisk to start bringing it all together. As the milk warms up and the semolina hydrates, you will see the mixture slowly thickening up. Keep whisking the mixture for 15-20 mins, so that it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pot. The texture we’re going for is like that of a very thick béchamel sauce, or Greek yoghurt. It should also be smooth, not grainy. 
2. When ready, remove the pot from the heat and leave for 5 mins so that it’s no longer scalding hot. Then add the eggs one at a time, whisking constantly, so that each egg is incorporated before you move on to the next one. The mixture will now be even silkier. 
3. Oil and dust with semolina a shallow 20cm x 30cm baking tray. Pour in the mixture. Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp sugar and sieve 1-2 tsp cinnamon on top. 
4. Bake for 40-45 mins, until the pie has puffed up a little and wobbles only a touch. Remove from the oven, then leave to cool and firm up before slicing. (It keeps well in a cool place for 2-3 days.) Serve with extra cinnamon dusted on top.  

Recipe by Ed Smith