Easter Sunday With Bridget White Kumar

Bridget White Kumar is known for her cookbooks on Anglo-Indian cuisine and extensive research on Anglo-Indian food. She shares her Easter favourites with Silver Talkies readers in her own words.

The word ?Easter? is supposedly named after ?Eastre?, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A festival was held in her honor every year at the vernal equinox as a ?salute to spring? marking re-birth. There are many symbols associated with Easter Sunday such as eggs, rabbits, chickens, lilies, etc. It is believed that Easter Eggs represent the beginning of life while rabbits and chickens represent the rebirth of the earth. The ?Easter Bunny? or the ?Easter Hare?, became symbols of fertility because hares and rabbits give birth to frequent multiple young ones.

A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday. The Cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Many will remember the old Nursery Rhyme ?Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns, One a penny, Two a Penny, Hot Cross Buns.?

The Easter Cake represents all the good stuff that were sacrificed during the 40 days of Lent. Easter Sunday is the time to rejoice and be happy at the resurrection of Christ and what better way to rejoice than to indulge in a rich cake with sweet butter icing!

Here are some easy recipes for delicious Easter Treats from my Recipe Book A Collection of Simple Anglo-Indian Recipes. The recipes are very simple to follow and readers would love making them no matter what the occasion.

Bridget White Kumar in her kitchen

EASTER BUTTER SPONGE CAKE WITH BUTTER ICING

Serves 6

Time required: 1 hour

Ingredients

300 grams refined flour or Maida

200 grams powdered sugar

250 grams butter

4 eggs beaten well

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees C.

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla essence and mix well. Fold in the flour a little at a time. Add milk if the mixture is too thick. Pour into a greased and floured cake tin and bake in a moderate oven (180 Degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes (Or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean) . Cool and then remove from the tin.

FOR THE BUTTER ICING

Beat 200 grams butter and 500 grams icing sugar together until creamy. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla essence and 2 drops pink or green food colour. Using a spatula, cover the cake with the butter icing. Then with a wet fork make soft peaks across the surface of the icing. Decorate as desired

HOME MADE CHOCOLATE EASTER EGGS

Makes 10 small eggs

Ingredients

500 grams icing sugar

50 grams cocoa powder or drinking chocolate

100 grams butter

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

¼ teaspoon salt

2 bars cooking chocolate melted

½ cup warm water

Blend the icing sugar. Cocoa powder / drinking chocolate, butter, vanilla essence, salt, melted chocolate and warm water together. Mix well to a smooth dough. Form into 10 small balls and mould into egg shapes. Decorate as desired.

HOME MADE MARZIPAN EASTER EGGS

Makes 10 small eggs

Ingredients

250 grams almonds

250 grams sugar

300 grams icing sugar

2 egg whites

A little rose water for grinding

¼ teaspoon almond essence

Grind the almonds with the egg whites and rose water to a smooth paste. Transfer the paste into a heavy bottomed pan and add the sugar. Cook on low heat stirring all the time till the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and add the icing sugar and a few drops of colour of your choice. Knead till it forms a dry ball. Divide the mixture into 10 even sized balls and mould into egg shapes. Decorate with royal icing.

Silver Talkies featured Bridget White Kumar and her immense work with Anglo-Indian food earlier. Read it here.