3 Recipes To Get You Egg-cited For Easter Baking

Easter is right around the corner, and what better holiday is there to celebrate with something sweet? If you’re looking for sweet recipes with some of your favourite Easter themes, Bake Good and Mazola have you covered. —Vita Daily

Hot Cross Buns With Bread Booster

• 1 cup (250 mL) 3.25% whole milk
• 1 (2-1/4 tsp/11mL) envelope Fleischmann’s Quick Rise Yeast
• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (250 mL) bread flour
• 4 (20 mL) teaspoons Fleischmann’s Bread Booster
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) condensed milk
• 1 orange, zested
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) Sultana raisins, soaked and drained

Topping:

• 3 tbsp. (45 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 (2 mL) teaspoon Mazola Vegetable Oil
• Pinch salt
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, melted

In small saucepan set over low heat, cook milk for 3 to 5 minutes or until milk is warm (120ºF to 130ºF/50ºC to 55ºC on instant-read thermometer). Add yeast; let stand for about 10 minutes or until bubbles form on surface. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, mix all-purpose flour, bread flour, bread booster, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and salt on low speed. Mix in condensed milk and orange zest. Mix dough on low speed until ball of dough starts to form and pulls away from side of bowl. Add butter, 1 tbsp. (15 mL) at a time, until incorporated. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface; knead in raisins. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic, and dough springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers. Cover with tea towel; let stand for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 9 portions. Shape each portion into ball. Place buns on 9-inch square parchment paper–lined baking pan, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Cover with tea towel; let stand for 40 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size. In small bowl, stir together flour, 3 tbsp. (45 mL) water, oil and salt for topping until consistency of thick paste. Spoon into piping bag fitted with small round tip. (Alternatively, spoon into resealable plastic bag with bottom corner snipped.) Using small, sharp, floured knife, score cross in top of each bun. Pipe paste into scored crosses. Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and buns sound hollow when tapped. While still hot, brush with butter. Let cool completely on rack.

Pastel Easter Doughnuts

Doughnuts:

• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 (2-1/4 tsp.) envelope Fleischmann’s Traditional Yeast
• 2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons butter OR margarine, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter OR margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Icing:

• 1 Cup plus 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 3 – 3 1/4 Cups Icing Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbsp – 4 tbsp Milk
• Gel Food Colouring

Topping:

• 1/2 Cup Candy Coated Chocolate Eggs, Chopped

Doughnuts: Heat milk and water until warm (100ºF to 110ºF) in a small saucepan. Add yeast and allow to rest 5 minutes.Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, lemon peel, and nutmeg in a large mixer bowl. Add 3 tablespoons butter, egg, and yeast mixture. Beat until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size; about 45 minutes.Punch dough down. Roll dough into a 10 x 5-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut doughnut shapes with floured doughnut cutter. Reroll dough as needed, first letting the dough rest for a few minutes. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.Dunk doughnuts in melted butter and return to the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in preheated 375ºF oven, or until lightly browned. Remove from the baking sheet and cool slightly on a wire rack. Icing: Beat butter at the medium-low speed of an electric mixer until smooth and creamy (1 to 2 minutes).Gradually add 6 cups powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract with a mixer at low speed, scraping the bowl occasionally. Mix until blended.Beat at medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until buttercream is light and airy and nearly white. If needed, add the additional powdered sugar or milk until desired consistency.Add food colouring a few drops at a time, if desired. Mix well until the desired colour is achieved.Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top of the doughnuts. Sprinkle with crushed chocolate eggs.

Easter Chick Cake Pops

Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Fleischmann’s® Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Mazola® Vegetable Oil
• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter OR margarine, softened
• 2 tablespoons Crown® Lily White® Corn Syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A dash of salt
• 2-½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons milk

For Decorating:

• 2-3 cups yellow coloured white chocolate molding/candy wafers
• 1 dash Mazola® Canola, Corn OR Vegetable Oil
• ½ cup orange coloured white chocolate molding/candy wafers for beak and feet
• 12 gummy candies cut in half for wings, we used fuzzy peaches
• Black food colouring or dark chocolate for eyes

Equipment:

• Lollipop sticks
• 8” round cake pan
• Styrofoam block
• Fine tipped paint brush dedicated for food use only

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8” round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and oil into a freestanding mixer with paddle attachment or in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until you get a sandy consistency. Add in the milk and egg, beat until smooth and well mixed. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched or toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pan, break into large chunks and let cool. To make buttercream, beat butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of milk. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time as needed, to reach desired consistency. Crumble cake into a large bowl until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, you can use the mixer for this step, then mix in some of the frosting, just until the mixture can be formed into small balls without cracking, don’t make it too moist or the balls will not hold their shape. Make 1.5” size balls by rolling between your hands, place cake balls on a tray. Follow the directions for your molding/candy wafers and melt in a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl. Melt ¼ cup of the yellow chocolate wafers. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into the chocolate and place in the cake ball halfway in, set on tray. Once you have sticks in every ball, place tray in the freezer for 15 minutes or fridge for 30 minutes to set and firm up the cake balls. Once pops have chilled, melt remaining yellow chocolate wafers in a large bowl or double boiler. You can add a dash of oil to loosen up the consistency if needed, dip each pop in chocolate coating to entirely cover the ball, making contact with the stick. Gently twist and roll cake pop and tap off extra coating, once it has stopped dripping use a cake pop stand or Styrofoam block to stick pops in to dry completely, leave to set. Continue with remaining pops until all are covered in yellow chocolate coating. Prepare for decorating your pops by cutting gummy candies in half, using some of your yellow chocolate, brush a small amount onto cut edge and stick onto the cake pop for the Chick “wings”. Add enough chocolate to seal around the edge of the wing so it is secured. You can leave like this, or once set, re-dip your pops a second time to hide the gummy candy in coating completely. Melt the orange chocolate molding wafers. Using a skewer or paint brush, create the feet and beak by dabbing a bit of chocolate on your cake pop. Using black food colouring paint dots for eyes or melt a small amount of dark chocolate to create eyes.