Best Easter baking recipes | Gourmet Traveller

Dust off your mixing spoon, man your oven and have your eggs at the ready as we present some of our all-time favourite Easter baking recipes, from Easter desserts to Easter lunch ideas. Play your desserts Easter adjacent with a classic carrot cake recipe, or put together a spectacular chocolate cake as your pièce de résistance dessert. For traditionalists, a hot cross bun wouldn’t go astray, but there’s something special about an Easter butterfly cupcake, too.

If you’re looking more for Easter brunch recipes, lean into Greek-style dishes with a silverbeet and feta filo tart, or perhaps something in between, like a maple, bacon and pumpkin tart.

Whether you’re a sweet or savoury baker, a chocolate chips or a shaved chocolate lover, or just hanging out for the Easter Bunny, you’ll find something impressive in our best Easter baking ideas.

Easter baking ideas for 2025

A two-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, topped with walnuts, on a wooden cake stand. A thick triangle slice of carrot cake is in the foreground, on the left. — Sixpenny's carrot cake *(Credits: Benito Martin)*

Sixpenny’s carrot cake with candied walnuts

The cake that saved Sixpenny during lockdown.

hot cross bun recipes choc cross buns — The ultimate choc-cross buns for Easter and beyond *(Credits: Mikkel Vang)*

Best hot cross bun recipes for Easter

Fruit and spice, choc-cross buns, and a a little something called a hot cross cannoli.

Sweet Italian Easter bread

Gubana is a half brioche, half strudel from Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It’s traditionally eaten after Lent.

Colomba Pasquale

A recipe for a classic Colomba Pasquale.

Ricotta and pecorino tarts (casadinas)

This recipe for ricotta and pecorino tarts (casadinas) is by Giovanni Pilu from Pilu at Freshwater.

Cassata

There’s a good reason Sicily is known as the sweets centre of Italy, and cassata – decorative and delicious – is it.

Golden half moon folded pastry on a plate. — Photo: Ben Dearnley *(Credits: Ben Dearnley)*

Abruzzo cheese pies

These golden brown half moon shaped pastries from the Abruzzo region of Italy are irresistibly flaky and cheesy.

Eight savoury buns together with a saucer of syrup. — Photo: Ben Dearnley *(Credits: Ben Dearnley )*

Tuscan rosemary buns

Tired of your usual breakfast? These soft, savoury buns are the answer.

Aerial view of three Calabrian dried fruit and nut pastries on a blue plate. — Photo: Ben Dearnley *(Credits: Ben Dearnley)*

Pitta ‘mpigliata

Crisp, chewy, sweet and nutty all in one bite, plus pretty as a rose. It’s no wonder these scrolls appear at both Easter and Christmas.

Torta Pasqualina

This Ligurian specialty is perfect for Easter picnics – just transport your pie in its tin.

Two twisted pastries with big blue candied eggs in the centre. The pastries look as though they are a nest for the egg. — Photo: Ben Dearnley *(Credits: Ben Dearnley)*

Cuddura Cull’ova (Sicilian Easter biscuits)

These playful Sicilian biscuits are traditionally given on Good Friday for good luck. The dough is also incredibly forgiving – if you stuff up rolling the shapes the first-time round, just re-roll.

Almond and rosewater shortbread

Australian Gourmet Traveller Greek Easter biscuit recipe for almond and rosewater shortbread (kourabiedes).

Praline bread pudding with bitter chocolate sorbet

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for praline bread pudding with bitter chocolate sorbet.

Kefalonian pie

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Kefalonian pie.

Kourabiedes

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for the Greek pastries kourabiedes.

Ginger twist with quince and spiced custard

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for ginger twist with quince and spiced custard.

Hazelnut and chocolate puddings

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for hazelnut and chocolate puddings.

Sticky cinnamon finger buns

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Sticky cinnamon finger buns

Ensaïmada

A delicious flaky pastry that hails from Mallorca. Break a piece off, dip in hot coffee, repeat.

Patouda

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for patouda.

Jam roll

Australian Gourmet Traveller fast dessert recipe for strawberry or raspberry jam roll

Silverbeet, rice and feta fillo tart

A hearty tart that’s packed full of green goodness as well as flavour. Sounds like the complete package.

Strawberry and mascarpone rolled sponge

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for strawberry and mascarpone rolled sponge by Rodney Dunn.

Little chocolate buns

Australian Gourmet Traveller and Fergus Henderson recipe for little chocolate buns

Ciaramicola

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Ciaramicola

Brown sugar butterfly cakes with raspberry cream

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for brown sugar butterfly cakes with raspberry cream.

Sesame rings

Australian Gourmet Traveller Greek pastry recipe for sesame rings.

Chocolate and hazelnut babka

Take a buttery, brioche-like loaf, add a generous swirl of rich chocolate and what do you get? A little slice of heaven.

Pinbone’s maple, bacon and pumpkin tart

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for maple, bacon and pumpkin tart from Pinbone in Sydney.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

Easter baking ideas for 2025

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