I'm going to be serving a fruit tart (ordered from a local Italian Bakery). I've also made and decorated sugar cut out cookies.

I was going to make a strawberry Swiss roll, but thought the better of it. I'm making the whole Easter dinner, so I went an easier route for dessert.

Last year I made sugar cut out cookies, mini baklava cheesecakes, and peanut butter cookies(decorated with a half Reeces mini peanut butter cup to look like a flower pot with a sugar flower cake decoration coming out of it). It was a lot of work and excessive.

I've always loved Blitz Torte with fresh strawberries. You could use other berries if desired.

Blitz Torte with Fresh Berries

The difference between a torte and a cake is similar to the difference between a pie and a tart: slight. Torte is the German word for cake. German layer cakes, like other European layer cakes, are often different than American layer cakes in several respects: they're shorter (often no more than 2 1/2-inch high), wider (10 to 12-inch in diameter), and contain less flour, relying on bread crumbs or ground nuts for body and texture.

In this country, a torte usually refers to a rich, moist cake of several thin layers with jam, pastry cream or whipped cream in between the layers. Blitz Torte, a popular German torte, calls for a moist, dense yellow cake to be topped with meringue, cinnamon sugar and almonds, and filled with custard. In this Americanized version, the torte is filled not with custard, but with raspberries bound with whipped cream. The combination -- almonds, cinnamon, raspberries, whipped cream and cake -- is superb. This cake is an impressive end to a celebratory meal.

Cake
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks, beaten light
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping
4 egg whites
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sliced blanched almonds

Filling
1 cup (8 ounces) whipping cream
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) confectioners' sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or, if frozen, thawed and drained

Preheat the oven to 350F; lightly grease two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans.

Cream the shortening with 1/2 cup sugar and salt, then beat in the egg yolks, vanilla and milk. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Divide the mixture between the prepared pans, pressing it out with the back of a spoon.

Beat the egg whites with 3/4 cup sugar until stiff. Spread this meringue over the batter in the pans. Combine the cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle over the meringue. Top with almonds.

Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until the cake just begins to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from the oven, cool slightly, then remove the cakes from their pans to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cakes cool, make the filling. Using a chilled bowl and chilled beaters, whip heavy cream until thick. Add the sugar, and continue to beat until stiff. Gently stir in the raspberries.

Place one cake layer on a plate. Spread with filling. Top with the other cake layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

note: I don't put one cake on top of the other, but have two cakes to cut for a larger number of servings.

I'm doing dense, fudgy brownies- blood sugar levels be damned. If the gods smile, I'm swirling in homemade caramel.

Fresh strawberry pie is the only way to go here.
With a creamy layer of 'filling'
Between the crust & the berries.
And lots of whipped cream on top!

Mm-m-m-m-m-m-m-mm-m. . . ..
My mouth is watering already.

Rusty

Wow - mini baklava cheesecakes - did you post the recipe? Will you post the recipe?
Theresa - that torte does sound good. Does the meringue top bake up crunchy or does it sink into the cake?
I wish fresh strawberries were an option - but in these parts fresh strawberries appear about the middle of June. Haven't even seen rhubarb yet.
Jane

Jane, the meringue stays on top and is definitely meringue-y. I simply cut slices of the cake and serve the berries and whipped cream over the slice or spooned next to the cake slice. So much easier to do and neater looking I think.

Teresa

I cheated a lot on the mini baklava cheesecakes.
I bought mini phyllo tart shells (maybe 2 dozen) and bought no-bake cheesecake filling (enough for 1 cheesecake).
I bought walnuts that were already broken into small pieces (1 cup?).
I added honey to the walnuts (enough to hold the walnuts together, but not enough so it would run).
I put a little of the honey walnut mix in the bottom of the phyllo cups. I added a little of the cheesecake filling and then topped with a little of the walnut and honey mixture.

That was it. Not exactly a recipe. It looked impressive though and tasted yummy.

Key Lime Pie and NY Cheese Cake as well as the requisite Carrot Cake on the menu here.

I like lemon desserts at Easter. Lemon meringue pie and lemon bars especially.

Only 2 choices ever here.....carrot cake or home made angelfood cake with lemon curd and whipped cream.
Linda C

As of now, I know of coconut cake, lemon tart with strawberries, and raspberry swirl cheesecake. Depending on how ambitious the kids feel, we may have more.

I think if you're providing the whole meal, make it easy on yourself and buy something from the bakery. I did--didn't mean to but I saw it and the rest is history. I heard Ina Garten give this advice one: If your having company, make 3 things and buy 1 (dessert or rolls). Well, I bought dessert AND rolls. With no apologies. If I can get this house clean, the table pretty and dinner on the table Easter, I'll be a happy camper!

I introduced my husband's family to russian teacakes and FIL has insisted I bring them to practically every get together since.

We always had coconut cake when I was a child, nothing else was ever an option. Now I make whatever strikes me.

We'll have homemade ice cream, we have that usually no matter what other desserts are decided upon. I have rhubarb in the freezer from last year, so Mother gets to decide whether it's rhubarb pie or whether she'd rather have a raspberry/chocolate cheesecake. I'm making cupcakes for the kids, and decorating them to look like bunnies.

Next year it'll be something else entirely, we have traditions, but desserts are always negotiable and the more the better!

I don't have any decent bakeries here in the boonies, so I make everything myself from scratch, from the dinner rolls to the desserts. I don't live far enough north in Michigan to be close to the upscale northern Michigan places, and not far enough south to be close to any big cities and too far inland to be near the really fancy lakeside communities. Since making it myself or going without are the only options, it's a very good thing I like to cook, LOL.

Annie

I'm going to make carrot cake layered with cheesecake. I saw it on the Beantown Baker blog, and I've successfully done the same thing with red velvet layers.

(Photo from Beantown Baker, recipe linked below)

Here is a link that might be useful: Carrot Cake and Cheesecake

omg!

THUD!!!

Oh my! That's going to be our Easter dessert only I'll use Lindac's carrot cake recipe since it's a favorite here on the forum. I've not made a carrot cake in years. This looks sooooo good!

Thanks for the great idea.

/tricia

I think I have to make this carrot/cheesecake beauty just because... and then find a place to leave all but one slice.

Eileen

I am making a fresh rhubarb pie since I have lots of new rhubarb in the garden. Or maybe pick up some strawberries and make a rhubarb strawberry pie. Everyone loves it both ways.
Clare

{{gwi:1514824}}

I have been making this cake for Easter since 1980. It is so delicious. I also add a little green food coloring to a little extra coconut for grass under the cake. From 1980 Southern Living Cookbook.

Elegant Lemon Cake Roll

4 eggs
1/4 cup sugar 1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 to 2 T powdered sugar
Creamy Lemon Filling (Recipe Follows)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 tsp water
1 or 2 drops yellow food coloring
sprigs of fresh mint

Grease bottom and sides of a 15x10x1-inch jellyroll pan and line with waxed paper. Grease and flour waxed paper. Set aside. Separate eggs and beat egg yolks in a large bowl of an electric mixer at high speed until thick. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Stir in vegetable oil and lemon extract and set aside. Beat egg whites and fold into yolk/sugar mixture. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually fold into egg mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Sift powdered sugar in a 15x10 inch rectangle on a linen towel. When cake is done, immediately loosen from sides of pan and turn out on sugared towel; carefully peel off waxed paper. Starting at the narrow end, roll up cake and towel together; let cake cool completely on a wire rack, seam side down. Unroll cake. Spread cake with 1/2 of Creamy Lemon Filling and carefully remove towel and reroll cake. Place cake on serving plate, seam side down; spread remaining filling on all sides. Combine coconut, water and food coloring in a plastic bag and shake well. Sprinkle colored coconut over cake roll. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving and keep in refrigerator. Garnish cake platter with sprigs of fresh mint. Serves 8 to 10.

Creamy Lemon Filling

1 (14oz) can Eagle Brand milk
1 to 2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/3 cup lemon juice
5 drops yellow food coloring
4 oz Coolwhip or any whipped topping - thawed

Combine milk, lemon rind, lemon juice and food coloring. Mix well. Fold in whipped topping. Yield: about 3 cups

Much like LindaC...
Angel food cake with lemon curd, strawberry sauce (from frozen berries I need to use) and whipped cream. The real deal since DH is picking up fresh milk this afternoon!

I have to make strawberry sauce for a pancake topper at our church breakfast anyway. Dinner is on Saturday and I have to be at church cooking by 8am.

We'll have leftovers for dinner Sunday night.

Deanna

That Carrot Cake with cheesecake is stroke of genius!

That carrot cake/cheesecake could make me rethink avoiding carrot cake! The only reason I was avoiding it is that it isn't real popular with the kids in our family and I always find it heavy for dessert - but I guess I could cut thin slices. My reason for avoiding pavlova is that it is the only dessert my sister knows how to make and she has brought it on every occaision for the last 25 years! I found some beautiful strawberries today - imported from California so I'm going to make a trifle with broken sponge cake, broken macaroons,lemon pastry cream, barely sweetened whipped cream and strawberries and a precious pint of raspberries that I won't tell you the price of. Then for a small family dinner with our DDs and their boyfriends on Sunday, I'm going to make Theresa's Blitz Torte with some more of the great strawberries - they are red all the way through. Almost unheard of this time of year here.
Jane