Our Best Easter Baking Recipes
Photo, Erik Putz.
Spring has (almost) sprung, which means the Easter long weekend is almost here. And there are tons of baked goods you could bake up for the holiday! Here are some of our top Easter baking recipes, including everything from hot-cross buns and glazed monkey bread for brunch, to an elegant cinnamon-twist wreath.
Classic Hot Cross Buns
These buns (seen above) are packed with fruit and sweet spices and marked with a cross. Fun fact: They were banned from sale in Elizabethan England every day except for Good Friday, Christmas or for burials. Get this hot-cross buns recipe.
Plant-Based Hot Cross Buns
Made with oat milk, maple syrup and vegan butter, these plant-based hot cross buns make a wonderful addition to any Easter spread. Get this plant-based hot cross buns recipe.
Mini Egg and Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Cake & Loaf Bakery in Hamilton, Ont.—now closed, sadly—used to offer a slew of treats stuffed with Cadbury Mini Eggs every Easter, including these colourful chocolate chunk cookies that you'll want to devour as soon as they come out of the oven. Get this mini egg and chocolate chunk cookies recipe.
Classic Carrot Cake
Decorate this show-stopping carrot cake with (easy!) candy carrots. Get our classic carrot cake recipe.
Braided Egg Bread
This loaf doesn’t need much more than the sweet-and-toasty crunch of sugar and slivered almonds to showcase its lovely texture and egg-wash shine. A newbie to braided breads? Don’t worry; the dough is deceptively easy to work with. If you’ve ever plaited a friendship bracelet—or hair, let’s be honest—you’re more than qualified to pull off this springtime baking project. Get our braided egg bread recipe.
Mini Egg Skillet Cookie
Baked in one pan, this candy-egg-dotted skillet treat is sure to be an Easter hit. Get our Mini Egg skillet cookie recipe.
Mini Hot Cross Buns
Mini hot cross buns are perfect for Easter. When made this way, they’re just like monkey bread! Get this mini hot cross buns recipe.
Carrot Cake With Fluffy White-Chocolate Icing
Our unbelievably moist four-layer carrot cake recipe decked out in white-chocolate cream-cheese frosting is perfect for birthdays, or just because. Get our carrot cake with fluffy white-chocolate icing recipe.
Braided Bread With Mini Eggs
Italian and Greek cuisines both feature a braided Easter bread dotted with colour-tinted hen’s eggs. Although we love the classic recipe, we like tucking in candied eggs just after baking for a hint of chocolate. Get this braided bread with mini eggs recipe.
Coconut Shag Cake
Coated with crisp coconut flakes, each forkful is light, airy and unbelievably delicious—everything you want in a cake. Or, use our substitution instructions to turn it into an excellent, birthday-ready classic yellow cake. Get our coconut shag cake recipe.
Lemon Poppy Seed And Raspberry Tart
This tart is made with a shortbread crust and a bright raspberry filling— making it half cookie, half pie and 100 percent delicious. Sturdy enough to hold in your hand yet elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, this dessert will impress any guest. Get Michelle Rabin's lemon poppy seed and raspberry tart recipe.
Lemon Meringue Trifle
Looking for a great make-ahead desert? This lemon meringue trifle recipe improves over time as the ladyfingers soak in the limoncello & lemon juice.
Chocolate Mini Egg Scones
These mini-egg studded scones are almost cake-like in texture. Get this chocolate mini egg scones recipe.
Raspberry And Streusel Coffee Cake
This not-too-sweet cake is perfect for a post-Easter-brunch indulgence. Get this raspberry and streusel coffee cake recipe.
Cinnamon Twist Wreath
Luxurious ingredients like butter and eggs are often given up during Lent, so they play a major role in traditional Easter breads. This sweet dough also comes with brown sugar and cinnamon to really sweeten things up. Get this cinnamon twist wreath recipe.
Cinnamon Roll Bread
Using our cinnamon wreath recipe (with a few tweaks) we created a beautifully rolled bread loaf with a double swirl in the middle. Serve warm with butter. Get this cinnamon roll bread recipe.
Classic Cinnamon Buns
Easter celebrations and sweet indulgent breads go together like coloured eggs and a basket. Of course, we never need a reason to bake up a pan of buttery-rich cinnamon rolls. Get this classic cinnamon buns recipe.
Baby Babka Buns
These sweet buns, topped with crunchy streusel and swirled with butter and dark chocolate, are breakfast and dessert all rolled into one. Get this baby babka buns recipe.
Monkey Bread
A sweet and gooey pull-apart bread the whole family can dig into at once. Get this monkey bread recipe.
Caramel-Pecan Sticky Buns
An easy brunch treat, crammed with brown sugar and pecans. Get this caramel-pecan sticky buns recipe.
Lemon Loaf
A delicately zesty, glazed loaf that no one can resist. Get our lemon loaf recipe.
Mini Egg Shortbread
These pretty spring shortbread stay delicious for weeks. Get our mini egg shortbread recipe.
Lemon-Elderflower Cupcakes
These easy cupcakes have a fresh, floral flavour that makes them perfect for spring. Get our lemon-elderflower cupcake recipe.
Watch: How to make the best-ever cinnamon buns
The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.
Chatelaine celebrates, inspires, informs and empowers. We know that Canadian women contain multitudes, and we cover all of the issues—big and small—that matter to them, from climate change to caregiving, Canadian fashion and what to cook now.
