Homemade Treats Make Easter Even Sweeter
Easter is always one of my favorite baking occasions. Not that I need an excuse to bake cute things, but the extra incentive to make adorable pastel creations gets me in the kitchen fast. And, let me tell you, whether you want to bake things in the shape of bunnies, chicks, or Easter eggs, there's a pan or cookie cutter out there for it.
Last night I tested out Nordic Ware's decorated Easter egg baking pan, a pan that produces nine egg-shaped cakelets (or muffins). Wilton makes a similar pan as well. The pans imprint three different patterns on the eggs, perfect for decorating the eggs in whimsical ways with bright frostings and sparkling sugars. I just used a standard icing of milk and powdered sugar, colored with food coloring, and I was so happy with the results that I could barely go to sleep afterward. I particularly love the pattern with ribbons and diamonds--it reminds me of delicate porcelain eggs one might keep in a curio cabinet. All evening, I kept sneaking back into the kitchen just to peak at the happy colors and patterns.
The pan comes with the following recipe for orange pound cake, one of the nicest cakes I've baked recently. The amazing citrus smells wafting from the oven are enough to tempt even yellow or chocolate cake purists. A simple glaze keeps the cakelets moist and adds an extra zing of orange. The cakes are perfect for an Easter or spring brunch, and would be extra lovely wrapped in cellophane and placed inside Easter baskets.
Nordic Ware's Orange Pound Cake Easter Eggs
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
For the glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons orange juice
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour Easter egg pan.
2. In medium bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, salt, orange peel, and vanilla; mix well. Add milk, flour, and baking powder; mix until blended.
3. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan.
4. While cakes are cooling in pan, prepare glaze. In small saucepan, heat glaze ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Remove cakes from pan and place on cooling rack; brush warm orange glaze over cakes. Cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Makes 9 egg-shaped cakes.
--KitchenMaus
Laura McMullan on March 31, 2009 at 04:58 PM
LOVE this! I love nordic ware so this might have to be my next purchase. I have the stadium pan and we use it for parties and kids' birthdays and I love how well it works.
Easter Greetings on March 31, 2009 at 11:54 PM
Hi,
Really beautiful. Get inspiration for my upcoming easter recipe work.
Easter is on its way. I have already created free easter e cards. Please check out and send them to your dear ones all free..
http://www.dgreetings.com/easter-cards/
wow gold sellers on April 01, 2009 at 02:19 AM
Awesome idea!!! I'll be trying this one out as soon as possible since Easter is only a few days away.
Easter Egg on April 01, 2009 at 03:48 AM
To play Easter egg hunt, one needs to have colored plastic eggs. The color of the easter eggs varies with the color of the surroundings in which the game is planned. Fill a beautiful Easter basket with colored eggs and the players can use this as the centerpiece. It’s also important to decorate the place with flower bouquets and create ample room to hide those Easter eggs.
Dawn Smith on April 01, 2009 at 10:31 AM
what a great post....this sounds really delicious...I will need to check this out...I was wondering which site offers the ingredients...i recently explored a great site www.myethnicworld.com ...my search ends here.