10 VERY beautiful Easter desserts from Russia (PHOTOS)

Russian Kitchen
MARIA AFONINA
A special place on the Russian Easter table belongs to kulich (Easter cake), paskha (a curd-based dessert) and painted eggs. Check out what Moscow chefs are making this year.

1. Kulich in 12 hours

It is said that kulich should never be cooked in a hurry or in a bad mood. According to traditional recipes, the dough takes time to “rise” several times. The Magadan restaurant, for instance, takes around 12 hours to prepare the cake. Decorate with icing, chocolate and Easter pryaniki.

2. Chocolate kulich

Moscow’s famous Cafe Pushkin decided to place the dessert inside a chocolate frame. All you have to do is select your preference: white or dark.

3. Snow-white meringue

This cake from the Buro.Tsum cafe captures hearts and mouths with its airy meringue decoration. The curves of the ribbon glaze accommodate marzipan eggs, golden sugar and violets. The dough is based on Italian panettone with candied and dried fruits, including raisins, plus milk and caramel chocolate.

4. Faberge-style chocolate eggs

Cafe Pushkin has also come up with a whole collection of chocolate eggs made to resemble the legendary Easter eggs of the Carl Faberge jewelry company. Exquisite craftsmanship by master chocolatiers.

5. Kulich with gold and raspberries

These tall, luxurious kulich cakes with a delicate honey-vanilla aroma are served at the Sybarite restaurant. They are decorated with nasturtium leaves and raspberries, or with gilded almonds, velour and gold leaf.

6. Easter pryaniki

Honey and ginger pryaniki (spice cakes) with sugar fondant, made in the form of Easter bunnies and eggs, are the Eastertide specialty of the Zhemchuga cafe.

7. Curd paskha

The classic Russian Easter dish known as curd paskha is shaped like a truncated pyramid and symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher. The version made by the Drinks&Dinners restaurant is prepared with custard, candied fruit and raisins, and served on a pistachio base. A little chocolate, nuts and candied fruits for decoration round off the dessert nicely.

8. Easter cake

An ornate Easter cake is an unusual, but elegant solution for Orthodox Easter. At Coffeemania, the cake is decorated with a bird’s nest with eggs.

9. Kulich with lemon filling

For Easter, the Georgian-cuisine Mziuri restaurant bakes cakes from curd dough with poppy seeds, filled with lemon cream. A delicious meringue is placed temptingly on top.

10. Kulich with dried flowers

At the Shinok restaurant, kulich is prepared according to age-old recipes with candied fruits and raisins, decorated with glaze and dried flower petals. These were traditionally used to decorate kulich (and the home for Easter), since fresh flowers at this time of the year had not yet blossomed.

READ MORE: Cruffin kulich: A modern take on an iconic Russian Easter pastry (RECIPE)