Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ following his crucifixion. According to the New Testament, it occurs on the third day after his burial. It also marks the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, penance and prayers.Easter is celebrated across the world with great pomp. The Easter egg holds a special significance as the egg is an ancient symbol of life and birth. In Christianity, it became associated with Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. Over centuries, the custom of Easter eggs has evolved from hard boiled eggs to now having decorated chocolate eggs, plastic eggs filled with candy or jellybeans. The Easter Bunny, a popular Easter gift, first came from the American culture, per se.

Easter Sunday falls on 21 April this year, and here are a few curated innovative Easter recipes that include buns, chocolate eggs and a special cake to make your celebration special. The festival is a perfect opportunity to get together over a delicious brunch with your closed ones.

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Nutty Chocolate Eggs

Ingredients

White chocolate: 500 gm

Chocolate color (varied):drop

Choco chips: 100 gm

Sugar: 50gm

Peanut butter: 100 gm

Raisins (chopped): 10 gm

Walnuts (crushed): 10 gm

Method

Break white chocolate into small pieces. Melt on double boiler and strain. Divide into 3 batches. Mix peanut butter, sugar, raisins, walnuts and choc chips. To every batch of melted chocolate add a drop of color as per liking and mix thoroughly.Now add melted chocolate to egg mould halves.Cool and demould. Take two halves and stuff with peanut butter mix.Join both halves using white chocolate as adhesive.

Almond Rocks

Ingredients

Chocolate mousse

Dark chocolate: 250 gm

Almonds toasted: 200 gm

Method

Break dark chocolate into small pieces and melt over double boiler. Strain and cool a bit (just warm).Add toasted almonds and mix. Now put small heaps of the mix on silpat baking sheet)/or butter paper.Let it Cool. Now set top with white chocolate drizzle.

( Recipe courtesy: The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa, New Delhi)

Easter Buns

Ingredients

Flour: 500 gm
Sugar: 50 gm
Salt: 10 gm
Yeast: 15 gm
Butter: 70 gm
Eggs: 1 nos
Cinnamon: 5 gm
Tuti Fruity: 100 gm
Raisins: 50 gm
Cashew nut: 50 gm
Milk: 250 ml

Method

Mix all ingredients together and make dough. Divide the dough into 50 gm each and give them a round shape. Put them into a baking tray and keep into proving chamber for 45 minutes.

Mix 100 gm flour and 70 ml water together and make dough. Apply egg wash on top of proved buns and make a cross with thin flour dough strips. Bake at 190 c for 15 minutes, cool them at room temperature and serve.

(Recipe courtesy: Chef Shivanand Kain, Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort, Greater Noida)

Simnel Cake

Ingredients

Butter: 2 tbs
Brown Sugar: 1/2 cup
Eggs: 2
Rum: 5ml
Almond Powder: 1 tps
Flour: 3 tbs
Black Currant: 1 cup
Sultana: 1/2 cup
Orange/Lemon Peel: 1 tbs
Sweet Spice: 1 gm

Almond Filling-for layering

Almond Powder: 3 tbs
Icing Sugar: 2 tbs
Egg Yolk: 2

Almond Paste Topping:

Almod Powder: 1.5 cup
Castor Sugar: 1.5 cup
Egg White: 1
Rose Water: 1 tsp

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 deg C. Cream the Butter and Sugar in a large bowl until fluffy using wooden spoon. Add Rum. Introduce eggs one by one into the bowl while constantly mixing.Fold in the flour and the rest of the ingredients. Make the almond filling by mixing all ingredients, divide into two, roll each out to the dia of the cake pan/ring.

Layering

Place the ½ mixture into a greased, butter paper lined ring/pan. Place one roll of almond filling on top of the cake mixture, repeat the process for the second layer. Bake in preheated oven for an hour.

Almond paste for topping

You can use almond powder or almond meal. Alternately you may make it yourself by blanching, peeling, drying and then grinding almonds. In a food processor place the almond powder, start on low speed and add the sugar till mixed well. Add the rose water. Add egg whites to get a soft pliable dough consistency that’s easy to work with. Decorate the cooled cake with almond topping. Traditionally it is always topped with small eggs made from the same almond topping. Flash bake the finished cake under the grill or hot oven at 230 deg C to get little browning on top for the classic Simnel cake

( Recipe courtesy: Chef Anuj Kapoor, The Grand, New Delhi)