Easter Eats

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Easter is only a few days away and we are enjoying this week getting ready for time with our families for the holiday. I rounded up some recipes from the archives if you're still menu planning and need some inspiration. One thing is for sure...Easter with my family on Sunday is going to include my Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake. It's the perfect Easter dessert!

Breakfast/Brunch- 

Classic Belgian Waffles
Crustless Mini Quiches
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Tomato Corn and Zucchini Fritatta

Small Bites/Starters-

Sweet Pea Crostini
Steamed Mini Atichokes with Butter Dijon Aioli

Salads/Sides-

Baby Greens with Figs, Goat Cheese + Champagne Vinaigrette
Endive, Citrus and Arugula Salad
Green Bean Salad with Pickled Onions + Fried Almonds
Brussels Sprouts Leaf Salad

Desserts-

Coconut Macaroons
Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake (THE BEST)
Strawberry and Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

I enjoy baking but I LOVE cooking. Baking always seems to get a bit tricky and if you aren't paying close attention and making precise measurements, you could end up with a complete disaster. When I cook, I do my thing, I let my mind wander and most of the time I don't even closely follow the recipe. Cooking is my therapy and I love spending time in the kitchen.

This Lemon Almond Ricotta cake though...I loved making it! It came together seamlessly, the recipe was easy to follow and the end result was incredible. A friend made this cake for my birthday last year and I knew it would be the perfect end to our Easter meal. It might even be my new favorite Springtime dessert! Lemon and almond go together like a dream and the ricotta creates such a nice balance. Using almond meal instead of flour gives this cake a unique texture that I love. Our Easter meal was complete when we finished with a delicious slice of this gem of a cake.

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

recipe from Honey and Figs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste equivalent amount

zest from 2 lemons

4 eggs, separated and at room temperature

2.5 cups almond meal

10.5 oz. ricotta cheese. 

almond flakes

Freeze whisk attachment and mixing bowl.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 20 cm. round springform pan with parchment paper and set aside. 

Beat softened butter, 1 cup of the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and pale, about 5-6 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add almond meal and beat on medium to combine. Gently fold in the ricotta cheese. 

Remove bowl and whisk from the freezer and beat egg whites and the remaining powdered sugar (1 cup) until soft peaks form. This took me 8-10 minutes. Fold stiff egg whites into the cake batter and gently combine. 

Pour mixture into cake pan and sprinkle with almond flakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then cover with tin foil. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until cake is done, the top is slightly browned and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before removing from the springform pan. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.

Sweet Tweets

I love these Easter treats so much, that I decided to re-post them today as the Easter weekend approaches. Whether you are a fan of the sugary marshmallow puffs or not, you have to admit these little fellas are adorable. These couldn't be easier and make such a fun and festive treat to drop off to the tiny people in your neighborhood, send in a care package or sweet favors for an Easter themed party. Just grab some lovies to help you, peeps of every color, some melting chocolate and pastel sprinkles. 

Because everything is better with sprinkles. 

You can find the original post with a link to the "Sweet Tweets" printable {HERE}. 

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut macaroons remind me of being a kid, and my first 12 years of life in the lovely state of Michigan. Every time we ventured into Detroit's historic Greektown, a trip to the Astoria Bakery was a must after dinner. And without fail, I always came home with a giant coconut macaroon of my own. This was qyite easily one of my favorite treats of all time. I love, love love anything coconut! I had some extra egg whites left from a batch of gelato and I knew they needed to be whipped up into some coconutty goodness. 

Just in time for Easter, here's a simple coconut macaroon recipe to add to your files. I made half of this batch plain and the other half with chocolate chips. Next time, I'm going to drizzle some extra dark chocolate atop each cookie. And can you imagine how adorable these would be made into bite sized coconut easter nests with a few jelly beans in the center!?

These macaroons are just a good little cookie. Simple and sweet.

Coconut Macaroons

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup sugar

2.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together with your hands. 

Form mounds, about 1.5 tablespoons each, and place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. 

Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Covered Sweet Tweets

You all know that I love festive little treats! These chocolate covered cuties are perfectly packaged and fun to hand out to your favorite Peeps this Easter weekend.

This is what I like to think of a mash-up of two Pinterest discoveries. I found the idea to cover Peeps in chocolate here and the free "Sweet Tweets" printable can be found here. All you need is some good chocolate (I used Ghiradelli) and colorful sprinkles. And our beloved sugary marshmallow chicks, of course. Download the free printable, print on cardstock, grab some scissors and you're ready to go.

Covering Peeps in chocolate is pretty much life changing.

Chocolate Covered Peeps

Peeps of all colors

Ghiradelli dark and white chocolate chips

Sprinkles

Using a double boiler, melt chocolate. Pour sprinkles onto a plate or into a bowl. Once chocolate is melted, dip each peep in chocolate, then in sprinkles. Set to dry on parchment paper. Once the birdies are dry, package in ziploc bags and staple the decorative package topper on each side.

Wishing you all an Easter weekend filled with love, happiness, and many blessings!