These gorgeous Easter recipes will keep you warm and happy over the upcoming long weekend of chocolate, family and more chocolate.
Carrot cupcakes. Photo by Sarah Duff.
Easter is a tradition that’s dripped down from the North, where the obsession with bunnies and flowers fit very nicely with the warmer days and fresh green leaves of spring. Down South, though, it’s an entirely different affair. Here, Easter is the last gasp before we really get into winter – with all the stews and mashed potatoes that are medically necessary in grim weather. Here are our recommended Easter recipes – whether you’re a traditionalist or not!
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Savoury Easter recipes
Slow-cooked Karoo lamb shank
Lamb is the tradition main meal of choice for Easter, and this recipe for slow-cooked Karoo lamb shanks is one of our most popular recipes, ever. It’s perfect for a cold long weekend!
Slow-cooked Karoo lamb shank. Photo by Sarah Duff.
Lamb bobotie
This delicious lamb bobotie is a great South African twist on the traditional “lamb for Easter” idea.
Karoo lamb bobotie. Photo by Sarah Duff.
Oxtail potjie
And if the weather turns autumnal over the weekend, what better to cook for a big group of family and friends than an oxtail potjie? Serve with some juicy red wine (we recommend a Cabernet Sauvignon).
Oxtail potjie – in the shortlist of best comfort food ever.
Easter desserts and puddings
Dark chocolate hot cross bun bread and butter pudding
In the best Easter recipe ever, combine three of the best ideas ever with this dark chocolate hot cross bun pudding. Make sure you share it with your family (otherwise you’d probably eat it all yourself – it’s a serious danger!)
Yes. This is as delicious as it looks. Photo by Sarah Duff.
Carrot cupcakes
These are great for providing sustenance on an Easter egg hunt – they’re easy to eat on the go, and you can feel satisfied that the small ones are at least eating something vaguely vegetable-related. Besides, it’s exactly what the Easter bunny would prefer.
Carrot cupcakes. Photo by Sarah Duff.
Chocolate, Amaretti and coconut fridge biscuits
These gloriously retro biscuits are delicious and don’t require any baking – a win-win, we say!
Chocolate, Amaretti and coconut fridge biscuits. Photo by Jane-Ann Hobbs
Chocolate and lavender cupcakes
For something different, try these chocolate and lavender cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing. (They’re vegan, so they’re practically health food!)
Chocolate and lavender Easter cupcakes
Traditional malva pudding
In cold weather, you want a dessert that’s warm and squidgy to sink your spoon into. This malva pudding is one of our absolute favourites!
Malva pudding – the ultimate South African dessert. Photo by Danielle Bonora.
What to do with leftover Easter chocolate
We realise that this is not a problem that you’re likely to have. But if by some miracle you have more chocolate in your possession than you are able to eat, we’ve compiled a list of five things you could do with it – from making a chocolate sauce to sabotaging your enemies.
Piles of chocolate. Heaps of chocolate. A veritable army of chocolate.
This year why not try a traditional Easter dish from Ecuador or Italy? Click here for 10 Easter recipes from around the world.
