Cakes are an important part of most Easter celebrations, but you don’t have to settle for just carrot cake this Spring. Easter celebrations around the world serve up fruit cake, sponge cake, and raisin-almond creations such as Simnel cake for the festivities. Skip the usual cake recipes this Easter, and add a touch of global inspiration to your holiday table with any of these unique Easter cake ideas from around the world:
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Easter Cake Idea: Kulich (Russia)
Russia celebrates Easter by baking a rich, candied fruit and rum cake known as the Kulich. This is usually baked in a tall pan to create a cylinder shape, then topped with a thick layer of sugary icing. The cake itself is similar to a Christmas fruit cake in flavor, but is much lighter. Kulich can also be made in advance to soak up the rum flavoring.
Recommended reading: Best Russian Cookbooks
Easter Cake Idea: Simnel Cake (Great Britain)
Simnel cake has been served since the Middle Ages in Great Britain, and was originally created to celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s an almond-raisin cake that’s only slightly sweet, and is covered with a thick layer of almond paste. It’s a fairly rich cake that can be served with tea or coffee after your Easter meal, and tastes even better when it’s made a few days in advance.
Easter Cake Idea: Mona Cake (Spain)
Mona cake (translated �⒬˜monkey cake’) is a simple mixture of eggs, sugar, flour, and cinnamon. It’s a light and fluffy sponge cake that is traditionally decorated with chocolate eggs, colored sugar, and sometimes frosting. Today, children in Spain decorate their Mona cakes with their favorite characters and designs, and usually give them to parents and grandparents as gifts. This simple Mona Cake recipe is a great way to start the tradition in your own family.
Easter Cake Idea: Kransekake (Norway)
If you want to tap into Norwegian tradition, you’ll need to whip up the traditional ring cake known as Kransekake. This chewy cake is made with just three ingredients: ground almonds, confectioner’s sugar, and egg whites. The cake is topped with a sugary icing, and baked into rings that are stacked on top of each other. This classic recipe is often used for weddings and christenings as well, and you’ll find it at many Easter celebrations throughout the country.
Easter Cake Idea: Osturkuchen (Germany)
Osterkuchen is another fruit-based cake from Europe, except this recipe calls for apples and carrots instead of the rum-raisin mixture. It’s a sweet cake that’s also made with ground almonds and covered with almond paste. This one can be made 2-3 days ahead of time so that it stays moist and rich by Easter time. Try this recipe from Germanicans for another festive, European treat.
Recommended reading: Best German Cookbooks
Easter Cake Idea: Mazurek (Poland)
The polish prefer to celebrate Easter first thing in the morning, so breakfast is where you can enjoy an authentic feast. Mazurek can be made with raisins, but is otherwise a simple cream and butter cake that resembles a thin sponge cake. You can top it with powdered sugar, almond glaze, and fresh fruit, and its perfect when served warm.
From the Kransekake from Norway to the Mona Cake of Spain, there are plenty of ways to give your Easter table a Spring makeover this year! Try something new that the whole family can enjoy with any of these sweet cake ideas from around the world.
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