Orthodox Easter is right around the corner. In Russia, people celebrate it with colored eggs and an abundance of baked goodies. This year I am improvising with a Russian Easter Cake recipe. While a traditional recipe calls for white flour, sugar, butter, and yeast, I am creating a lighter (but not less delicious) version of it by using only whole ingredients. I am sure that this cake can become a beautiful addition to any celebration!
Easter in our family has always been a time of celebration being together. By the end of April, the long-awaited Siberian spring has already pleased us with the nice weather, so we could spend the Easter weekend at our summer house around nature. Since childhood, I have left many beautiful and vivid memories of this Holiday.
Baking for Easter has always been a Russian tradition that my mother and other family members continue to follow. I can admit without a doubt, that mom’s rolls she bakes once a year with nuts, poppy seeds, and dry fruit are incredibly delicious! Possible the best rolls ever! (Hey, mom ?)
After moving to the United States and being far from my family, it certainly became more difficult for me to follow Russian traditions. There was definitely some sadness accumulating inside of me. Just recently I realized that following traditions give a sense of belonging to something bigger. It fills me with some special triumph and tranquility as well as provides a vital sense of community. So to make this long and poetic story short, this year I am coloring eggs and baking Easter Cakes!
Speaking of the recipe. It’s an alternative, meaning it does not taste like traditional sweet Easter bread. In my opinion, it’s even better! Plus, it’s quick, simple, and wholesome. Almond flour can be made by processing nuts in a blender for a few seconds. For the icing, it’s best to use cream part of full-fat coconut milk. Good luck!
Ingredients
- 1 banana ripe
- 1 cup yogurt coconut, goat milk, etc.
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar optional
- handful raisins
- handful chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- splash vanilla extract
Icing
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1 tsp raw honey
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put can of coconut milk in the fridge. In a blender process banana, eggs, yogurt, sweetener (if using).In a medium size mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients with the banana-egg mixture. Stir well until the consistency is smooth.Use a muffin or popover pan for baking. Make sure to use muffin cups to avoid sticking cakes to the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool, meanwhile process the icing ingredients in a blender. Using a spoon, decorate cakes with icing, feel free to add anything else you like. Store the cakes in the fridge.
Happy Easter!
xx,
Zhenya
Products we used for this recipe
