Easter baking ideas: cakes, biscuits and buns

Easter cake recipes

Almond, apricot and Amaretto cake

Diana Henry’s luxurious and impressive cake makes a great alternative to traditional simnel cake. It has a rich batter flavoured with marzipan, Amaretto and vanilla that’s sure to go down a treat with guests this Easter.

Recipe: almond, apricot and Amaretto cake

Speckled mini egg cake

This show-stopping recipe from Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite looks divine and the speckled effect is actually not hard to do – just flick a (clean!) toothbrush dipped in a mixture of cocoa powder and vanilla extract. It’s the perfect Easter cake for children, or any big kids with a love of Cadbury's Mini Eggs!

Recipe: speckled mini egg cake

Mango and passion fruit cake

Sweet a fruity but with no refined sugar, this gorgeous passion fruit cake uses the natural sweetness of mango puree and maple syrup. It’s topped with fresh whipped cream and a drizzle of passion fruit, which makes it a deliciously indulgent treat reminiscent of a summer pudding. 

Recipe: mango and passion fruit cake

Easy lemon drizzle loaf

If the above cakes just seem like too much hard work, or you fancy something a bit lighter and less sickly, you could do a lot worse than baking a traditional lemon drizzle loaf. It’s easy to throw together (especially if you have a mixer) and is popular with almost everyone.

Recipe: lemon drizzle loaf

Simnel cake

Simnel cake is a traditional fruit cake with a topping of 11 marzipan balls to represent the 12 apostles, minus Judas. Its been a traditional staple of a British Easter. It's much lighter than a Christmas fruit cake, so don't let it hang around too long! If you prefer cupcakes we also have a recipe for simnel muffins which are topped with a disc of marzipan and a scattering of colourful mini eggs.

Recipe: simnel cake
Recipe: gluten-free vegan simnel cake
Recipe: simnel muffins

Orange drizzle cake

This gorgeously sweet and zingy orange cake recipe from Mary Berry is ideal for an Easter afternoon tea.

Recipe: orange drizzle cake

Citrus and ricotta cake

A beautiful Sicilian spring cake flavoured with orange, lemon and almonds.

Recipe: citrus and ricotta cake

Simnel traybake

Sometimes you want something a bit more casual than a big cake, and this gluten-free traybake is just the thing. It combines the traditional fruit and marzipan flavours of simnel cake with a sweet iced top with flaked almond sprinkle that gives it a bit of a Bakewell tart vibe.

Recipe: gluten-free simnel traybake 

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Easter biscuit recipes

Easy Easter biscuits

Decorate your own Easter biscuits with colourful icing and sprinkles. Use this basic buttery biscuit recipe with a cookie cutter of your choice, such as Easter bunnies, chicks, eggs and flowers, and give the grandchildren – or yourself – the chance to be creative.

Recipe: easy biscuit recipe

Fruity lemon Easter biscuits

These crumbly, buttery gluten-free Easter biscuits have a zesty lemon flavour with sweet currants dotted throughout, and what's more there's a gluten-free version too!

Recipe: gluten-free fruity lemon Easter biscuits

Almond and fennel seed biscotti

If colourful bunnies and chicks aren’t your idea of appetising then why not try this grown-up Easter bake? Diana Henry’s gorgeous almond and fennel seed biscotti are perfect with a refreshing cup of tea and they can keep for up to two weeks.

Recipe: almond and fennel seed biscotti

Leftover biscuit cake

A simple no-bake ‘cake’ made from leftover biscuits crumbled into melted chocolate. In the unlikely event that you end up with too many Easter eggs it’s also a great way to use up leftover chocolate – just combine the ingredients in a pan, turn out and leave to cool until solid. Easy peasy!

Recipe: leftover biscuit cake

Easter bun recipes

Simnel swirl Easter buns

These lovely little sticky buns are a cross between hot cross buns and traditional Simnel cake, making them a must-bake this Easter. A little more luxurious than a hot cross bun, these spiced buns combine dried fruit with marzipan and chopped almonds.

Recipe: Simnel swirl Easter buns

Cinnamon lemon buns

For a lighter version of the Simnel swirl buns above try these soft and sweet cinnamon and lemon buns.

Recipe: cinnamon lemon buns

Date and toffee hot cross loaf

Instead of the more usual buns why not try baking a loaf you can slice and enjoy fresh or toasted with a good dollop of butter. This one is stuffed with sliced dates and small pieces of toffee, but you could always use the more traditional currants if you prefer.

Recipe: date and toffee hot cross loaf

Hot cross buns

If all else fails you can never have too many of the trusty and traditional hot cross buns.

Recipe: hot cross buns 

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