Italian Easter Dessert Recipes To Try: Our Best Ideas

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, olive oil, and egg until well combined.
4. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Don’t overmix.
5. Fold in toasted sesame seeds.
6. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten the balls slightly with your palm.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
8. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

1. In a food processor or using an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, beat the egg with ice water. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and pulse until the dough comes together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently until it forms a ball.
5. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
7. On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a circle large enough to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Transfer the dough to the pie dish and press it into the bottom and sides. Trim any excess dough and crimp the edges.
8. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and flour. Mix until well combined and smooth.
9. Pour the creamy ricotta filling into the prepared pie crust, spreading it evenly.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown.
11. Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
12. Dust with powdered sugar over the top of the pie before serving.
13. Slice and serve chilled. Enjoy your classic Italian ricotta pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Combine the pudding mix, cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil in a bowl, and mix until smooth.
3. Add chocolate chips to a small bowl and dust with flour.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate chips until they are dispersed throughout the cake.
5. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan, add the batter, and bake for at least 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven, and after five minutes, transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
7. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

1. Before starting to mix everything, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a cookie sheet.
2. Take a large bowl and add flour, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt to it before you mix it all together. 
3. Use a separate bowl for the wet ingredients and combine the softened butter with the sugar before you beat the eggs with the vanilla extract and orange zest into it – then add the dry ingredients mix from step 2 and combine it well using either a food processor, electrical mixer, or whisk.
4. Fold in the chopped almonds and mix them, the dough should be sticky.
5. Divide the dough in half and roll each half on a lightly floured surface into a log about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Then put those logs onto the prepared baking sheet and place them with enough space apart.
6. Place the sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 25-40 minutes – the logs should be lightly brown before you remove them from the oven – let them cool off at room temperature for 10 minutes.
7. Once cooled off enough, turn the oven temperature down to 325°F (160°C) for the second baking and use a serrated knife to cut your baked cookie dough diagonally into 3/4-inch slices – then lay those slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes. 
8. After those 10 minutes, take them back out and turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes or until they’re golden and crisp.
9. You’re done with the baking, promise! Take the biscotti out and let them cool off on the baking sheet – you will notice they will continue to harden as they cool down.

Enjoy your delicious biscotti by either dipping them into a cup of coffee or your favorite sweet dessert wine!!

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, softened butter, granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt.
3. Mix until the dough comes together.
4. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the greased baking pan.
5. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until it’s lightly golden.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and flour.
7. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
8. Stir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest until the mixture is smooth.
9. Pour the lemon filling over the baked crust.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the edges are set, and the center is slightly firm.
11. Let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
12. Once cooled, refrigerate the lemon bars for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, to allow them to set.
13. Once chilled, cut into squares or bars.
14. Dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving.

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. Spray and flour a springform pan
3. Combine crust ingredients into a large bowl, mixing thoroughly
4. Line the springform pan with tin foil, and pat the mixture into the pan. Bake for ten minutes, taking out of the oven and letting cool while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake
5. Using a clean food processor or handheld mixer, beat ricotta cheese and cream cheese until completely smooth
6. Add in sugar, salt, and extract of your choice, again, beating thoroughly
7. Begin to add eggs slowly and one at a time
8. Finally, add your rum and lemon zest
9. Pour filling into the crust
10. Place cheesecake into the preheated oven and bake for about 50 minutes
11. Once finished, let cool on a wire rack. CAREFULLY remove the springform pan, making sure crust isn’t sticking to the sides
12. Cover loosely in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 8 hours
13. Add desired toppings and serve

For the Crust, do this:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt, then add butter and work it through the flour using fingers or a pastry cutter until the mix looks like coarse crumbs.
2. Knead the hand-made dough until it comes together, however, if it’s too dry, you can try to add a little cold water, a tablespoon at a time.
3. Once you have a lovely, smooth dough, divide the dough, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour.
4. Tip: You can also use a food processor if you have one!

For the filling, do this: 

1. To prepare the filling, prepare a skillet over medium heat where you cook the sausage (previously sliced into smaller pieces) in a pan over medium heat until it is thoroughly cooked, then remove it from the heat and drain any extra grease.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Then mix in the cooked meats like sausage, ham, prosciutto, and salami.
3. Beat the 6 eggs and add them to the mixture, where you add parsley, salt, pepper, and mix it well together. 

To assemble it all, do this:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Roll out one piece of dough to fit a 9-inch springform pan, ensuring it covers both the bottom and sides before pouring the filling into the crust.
3. Roll out the second piece of dough and place it over the filling to create the top crust. Then simply pinch the edges to seal and make small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape – voilá!

Tip: To get a shinier finish, brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg!

Then bake it for 45 minutes to an hour in a pre-heated oven until the crust is golden brown, and the filling is set. Once done, let it cool for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving – enjoy!

1. First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare the baking pan by greasing it using either nonstick spray or butter, then lightly flour it – use a 9×13 inch pan here.Note: If you’re using box cake to make the chocolate cake, skip step 2.

    

2. Take a large bowl and add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to it, mix it. 
3. Use a medium bowl and add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until everything is well combined.
4. Start adding the wed ingredients from step 3 to the dry ingredients from step 2 as you’re mixing it until it becomes smooth – use a hand mixer or food processor to make mixing easier.
5. Boil the water and add 1 cup of it to the chocolate cake batter (yes, the batter will be thin, but that’s ok!) – then pour everything into the prepared pan and set aside.
6. To prepare the creamy ricotta cheese mixture use a separate bowl and mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until it’s well mixed and smooth.
7. Pour the ricotta mixture carefully on top of the cake batter from step 5 and spread it evenly – then bake it for 60 minutes or until the center is set.
8. For the frosting use a medium bowl and mix the instant pudding mix and milk until thickened, then fold in the whipped topping or homemade whipped cream and spread it over the cooled cake.Optional: If you want to make the creamy chocolate pudding topping from scratch, mix together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. Add 2 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of the pudding mixture to a saucepan and whisk it over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and continue to whisk for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Remove it from the heat and let it cool off at room temperature before pouring it over the pan with the cake batter and cheese layer.

    

9. Leave the cake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or even better, overnight. 

Lastly, slice it and enjoy it chilled – you could even garnish it with  chocolate shavings or a bit of cocoa powder.

Step 1: Take a large bowl and dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until the dissolved yeast becomes frothy – then add the flour, sugar, olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture – mix until you have a dough formed using either your hands, a hand mixer with a dough hook, or a food processor.

Step 2: Knead the sticky dough on the surface with a little flour for about 10 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic – you want it to be elastic and not super sticky. 

Step 3: Take a medium bowl and grease it with olive oil, then place the dough into it and cover it with a cloth – let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, it needs to double in size.

Step 4: While it’s rising, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Step 5: Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, take it again and punch it down before placing it on a lightly floured surface – then roll it out into a large rectangular shape. 

Step 6: Spread half of the grapes over the dough, then sprinkle half of the sugar (and cinnamon or lemon zest if you’re using it) over it as well – roll up the dough along the long side, enclosing the grapes.

Tip: If you want to save time, you don’t have to do anything else to the dough. However, if you want to braid it, you will want to give it a braided look, take a sharp knife and make the cuts from right and left to the middle until you have a braided look. 

Step 7: Place the rolled dough on a rectangular baking pan or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put the remaining grapes on top of the dough – press it lightly into the dough, so it’ll stick. If you have any leftover dough, wrap plastic wrap around it and place it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Tip: Sprinkle rosemary or other herbs to garnish your bread.

Step 8: Bake the bread dough in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes – you want it to be golden brown and hollow when you tap it (that’s how you know it’s ready!)Once done, take it out of the oven and let it cool off at room temperature on a wire rack before you cut into it while it’s still warm to enjoy – even better, enjoy it with a glass of Italian wine or a cup of coffee.

Espresso Panna Cotta

1. Before you start making the cream, prep the gelatin by sprinkling one pack over a small bowl filled with cold water (3 tbsp water for 1 pack) – let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until it becomes spongy.
2. In a medium saucepan add the heavy cream, milk, sugar, and instant coffee (or the cold brew) – then heat over medium heat while you’re stirring continuously until the sugar and coffee are completely dissolved.
   • Note: Make sure to not let it boil.
3. The next step is to take the cream mixture off the heat (low heat is ok too) and add the bloomed gelatin to it, stirring constantly until the gelatin is dissolved.
4. Lastly, pour the creamy mixture into the ramekins or similar containers halfway – let it cool off at room temperature before putting it into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
   • Note: If you want to create a layered Panna Cotta (aka multiple layers), you will need multiple serving cups with the same size to unmold the layers onto each other. It can get complicated pretty quickly, however, it looks absolutely amazing if you want to wow others.

Prepare the Espresso Cream

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form – use a food processor, if you have one!
2. Add the dissolved espresso and vanilla extract to the whipped cream and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

Put it all together:

1. Once your coffee Panna Cotta is set, spoon or pipe the espresso cream over the top to create a distinct layer. 
2. Once the coffee Panna Cotta is set, spoon or pipe the espresso cream over the top to create an even layer.
3. Lastly, refrigerate this creamy dessert for at least 30 minutes before serving it, so the flavors can fully meld together. 

That’s it! Easy peasy! Garnish with some dust cocoa powder or chocolate shavings and enjoy!

1. Preparing the Cake
   • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), then grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
   • In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients first (the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.) – using a hand mixer or similar on medium speed.
   • Add milk, oil, vanilla extract, and eggs to the flour mixture – mix it on low speed until it’s combined. Then slowly add water and mix until it’s smooth (yes, the batter will be thin).
   • Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
   • Once done, take it out and allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool off completely at room temperature.
2. Preparing the Cannoli Filling
   • In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until it’s smooth.
   • Start folding in the mini chocolate chips and orange zest into the cannoli cream, if you’re using any (I recommend it to give it that fresh taste!)
   • Once done mixing, place the sweet ricotta filling in the refrigerator to chill while the cakes cool.
3. Preparing the Frosting
   • In a large bowl, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy – then gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition.
   • Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt – beat the mix until it has a smooth texture.
4. Assembling the Cake
   • Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread half of the cannoli filling over it – repeat this with the next layer until you’ve reached the top of this delicious cake.
   • Once you reach the final cake layer on the top, add frosting to the entire cake.
   • Garnish the top of the cake with mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, and a dusting of powdered sugar – or any other decorations you can think of! You can also add orange zest for an extra pop of color and flavor.
   • Once you’re done, let the cake chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving it to help set the filling.

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1. Prep the Crust: 
   • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
   • In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar and mix it until the crumbs are evenly coated.
   • Once fully coated, press the crumb mix into the bottom of a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan (or cake pan) with parchment paper underneath and make sure it’s packed tightly and evenly on the sides of the pan.
   • Bake the crust in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes – or until it’s set and lightly golden. 
   • Remove the baked crust from the oven and let it cool at room temperature while you prepare the filling next.
2. Prep the Filling:
   • In another large mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until it’s smooth and creamy.
   • Take a separate medium bowl and whip the heavy cream until it reaches stiff peaks. 
   • Tip: This can take a few minutes, so use an electric mixer or food processor if you have it.
   • Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese until well combined – this means you slowly mix it in insteading of adding everything at once.
   • Now, add the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the cheese mixture. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved, and the filling is smooth and well incorporated.
   • Tip: Use fresh lemon zest to get that fresh lemon flavor!
3. Assemble the Torta:
   • Step 10: Pour the mascarpone filling over the cooled graham cracker crust in the springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula or wooden spoon – refrigerate the Mascarpone Torta for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow it to set and the flavors to meld before adding any toppings on top of the cake (berries are the best in my opinion).

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