FAVORITE EASTER DESSERTS
There are so many amazing desserts you can make for the Easter holiday, I never know quite where to begin. I lean toward the simple ones. Some are fun to make with kids, so that scores big points with me. Some just taste great, like the strawberry cake, which is more to the liking of the more mature pallet. I have included the ones I’ve made over the years in case you want to recreate them to remind your tongue of Granny and Paw’s Easter. (I wish I knew how to make macarons. I probably got your hopes up with the banner photo. Sorry. Maybe next year, I’ll try).
Mawmaw Emily’s STRAWBERRY CAKE
SERVINGS: 12 • BAKE: 25 min.
Recipe and photo from Taste of Home. Click here to visit their webpage.
INGREDIENTS
1 package white cake mix
1 package (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
FROSTING
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup crushed strawberries
4-1/2 to 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of two greased 8-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease paper.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, gelatin, sugar, and flour. Add water, oil, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed two minutes. Fold in chopped strawberries. Transfer to prepared pans.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks. Cool completely.
For frosting, in a small bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in crushed strawberries. Gradually beat in enough confectioner’s sugar to reach desire consistency. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.
OPTION: To reduce calories, you can skip the frosting and use whipped cream or whipped topping instead.
GARNISH: You may want to garnish with some pretty berries and some sort of easter decoration. Or a bunny face is always fun.
CHEWY GOOEY RICE KRISPIE CHICKS
SERVINGS: 24 chicks
Photo is borrowed from Hungry Happenings. They also have a nice recipe. Click here to visit that website. I will replace this photo with a photo of my version when I find it. The recipe is so old, it was made on a typewrite (pre-1980 I’d say). Sorry. I don’t remember the source.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup margarine or butter
7 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
1 lb. mini-marshmallows
Yellow food coloring
Mini chocolate chips (eyes)
Candy for beaks (cut up candy corn, jelly beans, or circus peanuts)
Pretzels for feet (twists or sticks)
Little frosting colored yellow if you want to pipe on little tufts of feathers on the head (I don’t do this, but they’re cute anyway)
DIRECTIONS
Melt 1/2 cup margarine or butter in a large saucepan on low heat.
Add 1 lb. mini-marshmallows and stir constantly to avoid burning.
Add about ten drops of yellow food coloring after the marshmallows are completely melted and stir until uniform in color. You can adjust the amount of food coloring based on your color preference.
Remove from heat and stir in 7 cups of Kelogg’s Rice Krispies. Set aside for about ten minutes until mixture is cooled enough to handle, but still warm enough to work with.
Spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray or coat with margarine. If the Rice Krispies start sticking to you, add some more non-stick spray or butter to your hands.
Take small handfuls of the mixture and form them into a rounded triangle shape for the chick’s body.
While the chicks are still warm, decorate the chick’s according to your preference.
You can add a little tuft of feather at the top using the Rice Krispie mixture or pipe some yellow frosting.
BUNNy TAILS
SERVINGS: 4 dozen • BAKE: 20 min.
Photo and recipe from Taste of Home. Click here to visit their webpage.
INGREDIENTS
1 c. white baking chips, melted
1 c. coconut
DIRECTIONS
Drop melted chocolate by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper or parchment. Sprinkle each generously with sweetened flaked coconut, and let stand until dry.
EASTER BASKET CUPCAKES
SERVINGS: about two dozen cupcakes & 2-1/2 cups of frosting
Photo from Taste of Home. This links to their recipe which is much fancier than mine. Click here to visit their webpage. You can find the frosting recipe here.
INGREDIENTS
Cake mix of your choice. Enough to make about two dozen cupcakes. Make them according to package directions.
FROSTING
Here’s the part that matters to me!
1/2 cup butter (softened)
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons of 2% milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Green food coloring
Coconut, jelly beans, Peeps (bunny style)
Pipe cleaners
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine butter, confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and thick.
Tint the frosting green to your liking with the food coloring.
Stick a peep bunny in the middle of each cupcake. Trim as needed.
Tint some coconut green while you’re at it. Press it on to the frosted cupcakes to make nests.
Add 3-5 jelly beans to the nest.
Trim, bend and insert pipe cleaners to make basket handles.
(I am still looking for Easter photos. I think my Easter Basket cupcakes are way cuter than this).
pineapple sunshine cakE
SERVINGS: 20 • PREP: 25 min. • BAKE: 15 min.
Recipe and photo from Taste of Home. Their recipe is the same as the one I got from my girlfriend about 20 years ago except mine has no garnish with cherries and walnuts. Here is their recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 package (9 ounces) yellow cake mix
1-1/2 cups cold fat-free milk
1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, well drained
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Grease 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes or until soft-set.
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in pudding mixture until blended. Spread evenly over cake.
Sprinkle with pineapple; spread with whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving.
I have a flat plastic bunny head that came from a store-bought cake years ago that I set into the Cool Whip. Sprinkle with pecans (optional).
HAPPY EASTER FROM GRANNY & PAW