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Sharing Special Holiday Recipes: Celebrating Easter and Passover Written by Holly Stupak
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ach year followers of Christian faiths close out Lent by attending church services and gathering with friends and family for spring-inspired celebrations. There are many classic Easter traditions you can incorporate this year on April 17th. Some traditions like visiting the Easter bunny or attending an Easter egg hunt may already be a part of your holiday plans, but perhaps this is the year you’d like to try a new tradition or even a new recipe. However you choose to honor Easter this year, traditions are important because they connect us with our past.
up. Today, Jennifer and her sister take turns making the cake for dessert for Easter. Her family’s Easter dinner always includes ham, candied sweet potatoes and bunny cake. “The bunny cake recipe is now included in a family cookbook that my sister made for our family 18 years ago after my grandmother passed away,” Jennifer explained. “My sister wanted to record our family recipes as a keepsake and remembrance of my grandmother.”
Jennifer Noll with one of her first bunny cakes
For Broomall resident Jennifer Noll, making a delicious bunny cake is a tradition she looks forward to every Easter. This Easter tradition began when she was four years old and continues to this day. It started with her Aunt Marie making the cake and continuing to make it every Easter while she and her cousins were growing
Bunny Cake
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients • 1 tsp salt • 2 eggs • 1 tsp vanilla • ½ cup butter • 1 cup buttermilk • 1½ cups sugar • 2 cups flour • 2 Tbsp cocoa
• 1½ tsp baking soda • 1 Tbsp vinegar • 1 oz red food coloring
Jennifer’s daughter, Lianna Noll and her cousins ready to enjoy a bunny cake Photos courtesy of Jennifer Noll
Directions Grease and flour 8-inch pans. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Stir the cocoa and coloring together to make a paste. Add to the creamed mixture. Mix salt and vanilla in milk. Add alternately with flour. Mix baking soda with vinegar. STIR IN. DO NOT BEAT AFTER VINEGAR AND SODA HAVE BEEN ADDED. Bake at 350º for 40 minutes. Red Velvet Icing Ingredients • 5 Tbsp flour • 1 cup sugar • 1 cup milk • 1 tsp vanilla • 1 cup butter Directions In a double boiler, mix flour and milk. Boil the mixture until thick then let cool to room temperature. Beat butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Beat until creamy. Add cooled flour and milk mixture and beat until thick and creamy.
30 Marple Friends & Neighbors / Bringing People Together
To make cake into a bunny: Turn one cooled cake layer upside down. Mark the center of cake with toothpick. Measure about 2″ in from two sides of cake lining up the toothpicks. Using the tip of a sharp knife, lightly draw a 2″ wide x 6″ long oval, football-shaped, to make the ears. Cut with a serrated knife. The middle part of the layer will be the “bow tie.” Place whole cake layer in center of large tray. Place ears and bow tie, rounded side up. Frost entire surface and sides of cake, connecting the pieces together with frosting. Sprinkle with coconut. Cut licorice pieces for mouth and whiskers. Cut jelly beans in half for eyes, nose and bow tie. Serves 8.
Enjoy!
