Easy Easter Desserts Recipes

When it comes to Easter desserts, coconut pies and Easter cakes in the shape of bunnies and lambs immediately come to mind, but for many of us, the Easter dessert recipes that really remind us of our childhoods are sweet coffee can breads, complete with a glaze of powdered sugar drizzling down the sides, and some type of bar cake loaded with sweet cream frosting and raisins.

The following Easter recipes have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with my family and will undoubtedly find a home on your dessert table as well.

Coffee Can Easter Bread
Ingredients You Will Need:
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup dark raisins
¼ cup brandy
1 tablespoon shortening
½ cup milk, room temperature
¼ cup sweet butter
1 ½ tablespoons dry yeast
¼ cup white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups bread flour
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
½ cup nuts
Frosting or Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Soak the raisins in brandy for about one half hour before you begin baking.

Use shortening to grease the coffee can. If you are a little concerned about the can itself, cover it with foil, grease the foil inside the can and bake the bread for 1 ½ hours in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat the milk and butter on low-just until the butter melts. Remove it from the stove and set aside. Using a heated bowl, add the yeast, sugar and salt to one cup of flour and mix thoroughly. (Heat the bowl by running hot water over it for several minutes. Thoroughly dry the bowl before you begin.)

Pour the milk and butter mixture into the flour and then beat on low with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the egg and egg yolks, one at a time, and add the zest. Add the rest of the flour, making sure to blend well before adding the raisins and nuts.

Knead the bread in the bowl with your hands until it is smooth. Place the dough into a warm, greased, glass bowl. Turn the dough several times to coat it evenly, and then cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. (When covered with a clean dish towel, the bread tends to dry out more.) Let it double in size.

Knead the dough for several minutes. Shape the dough into a large oblong ball and place it into the prepared can. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean and the bread emits a hollow sound when thumped.

Glaze before serving.

Spicy Bar Cake
Ingredients You Will Need:
4 cups water
1 cup dark raisins
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup shortening
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
4 cups white flour
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 piece poster board

Frosting:
1/3 cup shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put the water and raisins into a small saucepan and simmer for about eight minutes. Shut the heat off and add the shortening. Stir until the shortening has melted. Set the mixture aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and baking soda together. Blend well. Add the spices and continue blending. Add the salt and sugar and then cream in the cooled raisin and shortening mixture. Beat the eggs and add them to the mixture. Blend well.

Pour the batter into a greased 9x11 inch cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the cake when a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake and then cut it into four equal parts so that you can assemble two bar cakes.

Make the frosting stiff. If you want the taste of cream cheese, add one softened three-ounce package to the frosting ingredients and mix with an electric beater.

Cut the poster board into pieces that are the correct size for each bar cake. The poster board should be long enough for the cake to be placed on top of it and still have enough leftover poster board to run up both ends.

Place the bottom layer of each cake onto the poster board. Frost the top and add the second layer. Frost the top of the cake and pull the poster board up the sides of the cake. For gift giving, allow the frosting to harden before you wrap the entire cake with plastic wrap. The finished product will look and taste much like the A&P version that graced our tables on past Easter celebrations.