Easter brunch sweet and savory:
3 beautiful ideas to feast and enjoy

The relaxing time of Easter offers the perfect opportunity for a lavish brunch with family or friends.
We have a few suggestions here that are not only delicious, but also simple and beautiful to look at.
Our dear colleague Laura Matteucci shows us many delicious and everyday recipes in her food blog
at www.thecookingglobetrotter.com. Three of them we have here for you to try.

Simple coconut carrot cake

Zutaten:

     3 eggs
150 g brown sugar
120 g butter, melted or sunflower oil - lactose free
100 g flour of your choice, also gluten free
 1.5 tsp cinnamon powder
 0.5 tsp ginger, grated
    1 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp baking soda
 0.5 tsp salt
100 g grated coconut
200 g carrots, grated (about 3 carrots)

Frosting:

     1 tablespoon coconut shavings
200 g natural yogurt or coconut yogurt - lactose free
     1 tablespoon powdered sugar
        Marzipan carrots and chocolate eggs as decoration – optional

Instructuions:

1. Preheat your oven at 160C (fan). Spray a plumcake (about 1 liter) baking tin with oil or butter.
2. Separate the eggs, beat the whites until stiff.
3. Mix the yolks with the sugar and beat until creamy. Add the melted butter while mixing slowly.
   Pour in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and amalgamate well.
4. Use a spatula to add the grated carrots and coconut flakes. Finally add the egg whites to the dough,
   carefully mixing from the bottom to the top.
5. Pour the dough in the buttered baking tin. Bake for 35 Minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Let the cake cool down on a grate.
7. Mix the yogurt with coconut flakes and powder sugar and pour it over the cake before serving.
   Decorate with marzipan carrots and/or chocolate eggs, if you wish.
8. Enjoy!

Easy homemade bagels

Ingredients:

  50 g of semolina or polenta
500 g of bread flour
  10 g of salt
  15 g of sugar (possibly brown)
  15 g of olive oil
    5 g of instant dry yeast
  40 g of black sesame seeds
270 ml of refrigerator cold water
    2 Tbsp of honey
  30 g of white sesame seeds for decorating

Instructuions:

1. Get a tray that will fit in your refrigerator, line it up with baking paper, and sprinkle it with polenta or semolina,
   this will make the bottom crunchy and not soggy.
2. Make the dough by mixing together flour (500), salt (10), sugar (15), olive oil (15), instant dry yeast (5),
   black sesame seeds (40), and cold water (270ml). You can use a kitchen machine or knead by hand,
   do so for 5 to 10 minutes, pausing every now and then until.
3. Divide the dough into 10 balls of more or less the same size.
4. Roll each one out into a rope of approximately 15cm.
5. To form a circle, wrap the rope around your four fingers (not the thumb), with the ends meeting beneath your fingers.
6. Gently roll it on the kitchen counter (dust with flour if you need to) with a little pressure to make the ends stick together.
7. Place the obtained rings on the tray you prepared at the beginning, leaving some space in-between as they will grow.
8. Cover the tray with plastic wrap, not too tight, or the raising bagels will stick on it.
   Let them rest in the fridge for 12 to 16 hours.
9. Remove from the refrigerator and let them come back to room temperature, this will take 30 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Line up your baking tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 220C (or 200C if using a fan oven).
11. Fill a big pot with water, add two tablespoons of honey and bring to a boil.
12. Place one to three bagels in the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Use a big spoon with holes to
    turn them and to get them out and drain the water before putting them on the baking tray, semolina/polenta side down.
13. Sprinkle with the white sesame seeds, which make a lovely contrast, as soon as you get them out of the water,
    or they won’t stick, and remember to leave some space in-between.
14. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
15. If you manage to, let them cool down before slicing them!
16. Enjoy!

Pumpkin seeds spread

Ingredients:

  50 g pumpkin seeds, coarsely ground
    1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
250 g curd cheese
125 g creme fraiche
  20 g pumpkin seed oil
    1 tsp salt
    1 pinch of pepper

Super fast preparation:

Mix everything well and finished!

We wish you a happy Easter, lots of fun cooking and bon appétit! 

Pictures: thecookingglobetrotter.com