Make Easter special with at-home desserts

The glorious celebration of Easter Sunday is on the horizon and today’s column will feature some sweet desert ideas. Though community events will not be taking place, enjoy an at-home egg-hunt- inside or out, depending on the weather – and celebrate the true meaning of the day with a family dinner. Whether you have ham or hamburger makes no difference, it’s the tender togetherness that matters. Cherish it, and follow up with any of todays’ dessert offerings that run the gamut from melt-in-your-mouth cookies to heavenly mousse and fruit tarts. Enjoy.

Butter Fingers

1 cup butter

3/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

4 cups flour

2 cups finely chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 Tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Mix flour and salt and add to creamed mixture. Beat well. Stir in nuts and add vanilla and water. Beat well. Roll into tiny pencil-like rolls, the size of little finger (about 3 inches long). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar at once after baking and place on waxed paper.

Cakes are special and it’s so easy to purchase a ready-made angel food or pound cake to slice and serve with raspberry jam, lemon curd or orange marmalade. For baking yourself, here’s a festive recipe.

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons poppy seed

1 tablespoon finely grated/shredded orange peel

1 teaspoon Grand Marnier (or other orange liqueur) optional

Orange Icing (recipe follows)

Set oven at 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9x9-inch baking pan. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed 3-4 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar; beat 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, beat at low/med. speed just until combined.

In a small saucepan, heat and stir milk and butter until butter melts. Add to better, beating until combined. Stir in poppy seeds, peel and liqueur, if used. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted at center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove, cool completely. Drizzle cooled cake with icing or dollop with whipped cream.

Orange icing; In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel, and enough orange juice to make icing of consistency you prefer (1-2 tablespoons allowing a choice of drizzling or icing.

Easier than cake and utterly delectable are (pictured0 simple little goblets of white chocolate mousse perhaps topped with fresh strawberries raspberries or blackberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Perfection itself.

White Chocolate Mousse

1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker’s Premium White Chocolate

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided

In a double boiler or heavy pan over low heat (or in microwave) melt white chocolate and 1/4 cup of the (un-whipped) cream, stirring occasionally until white chocolate is almost melted, then stir until completely melted. Cool 20 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Beat remaining whipping cream on medium speed of mixer until soft peaks form (do NOT over-beat); gently but thoroughly fold HALF of the whipped cream into white chocolate until completely incorporated. Then fold in remaining whipped cream until just blended. Refrigerate 2 hours or until ready to serve. Makes six half-cup servings.

Our final offering showcases a selection of fruits*nestled on smooth cheesecake and contained in a crust of your choosing.

Cheesecake Fruit Tart

1 ready-made 9-inch pie crust – classic or graham cracker, pre-baked

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 half-pint basket EACH of fresh ripe blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries

2-3 fresh ripe pears, mangos, oranges or nectarines (whatever’s in season) thinly sliced into wedges

1/4 cup apricot preserves or apple or currant jelly

With electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, 2 tablespoons Amaretto, and extracts in large bowl until blended and smooth. Spread in prepared crust. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. Mound small berries in center; surround with slices of chosen fruit (peeling if necessary). Place blackberries or strawberries (halved if necessary) around outer edge.

Stir jelly in small saucepan over low heat until melted, stirring in the remaining tablespoon of Amaretto. Brush glaze over fruits as evenly as possible. Refrigerate up to 2 hours.

• All the fruits mentioned can be substituted with what’s available – create your own beautiful showpiece. If you don’t want to use liqueur, simply add an extra teaspoon of almond extract; too, trade off the glaze for whipped cream if you wish.

Happy Easter.