Traditional Easter Cake

Traditional Easter cake is a tender, fragrant sponge layered with pastry cream and topped with a glossy white icing, studded with pastel candies or chocolate eggs. The cake itself is light because whole eggs are whipped with sugar until thick and pale, then folded with flour so gently that air stays trapped inside.

Ingredients for Traditional Easter Cake

Whole eggs whipped with sugar create the structure and lift. All-purpose flour provides the tender crumb without making the cake tough. Unsalted butter melted and folded in at the end adds richness and moisture. Milk and vanilla extract flavor the batter. Baking powder gives a gentle boost to rise. For the filling, whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and unsalted butter are cooked into a smooth pastry cream, flavored with vanilla extract. The topping is powdered sugar, egg white, and lemon juice beaten into a stiff icing that sets smooth and white. Salt seasons everything.

Why This Traditional Easter Cake Works

The cake layers are made by whipping whole eggs and sugar together until they roughly triple in volume and turn pale yellow. This beating traps air bubbles throughout the batter. When you fold in the flour carefully, you keep those bubbles intact so the cake rises in the oven and stays tender when it cools.

The pastry cream is thickened with cornstarch rather than flour alone, which gives it a silky texture that stays smooth when piped or spread. Cooking it over low heat and stirring constantly prevents lumps and keeps the eggs from scrambling.

The white icing is made from powdered sugar and egg white, which sets firm enough to hold its shape and stay white, unlike a buttercream that would yellow over time. A little lemon juice brightens it and keeps it from tasting too sweet.

Mistakes To Avoid

Overmixing the batter after you add the flour knocks air out of it and the cake bakes up dense and squat instead of tall and airy. Fold gently and stop as soon as no white streaks remain. The cake should look light, not smooth like a pudding.

Using cold eggs or cold butter straight from the refrigerator means they do not whip to full volume and the cake stays heavy. Set eggs out 30 minutes before you start and melt the butter only when you are ready to fold it in.

Baking the layers on the wrong oven rack makes them brown too fast on top or bake unevenly. Place the racks in the middle of the oven so heat circulates evenly around both pans, and rotate them halfway through baking.

Filling or frosting the cake while the layers are still warm softens the cake and makes it crumble when you slice it. Wait until the layers have cooled to room temperature, then refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 2 hours so the filling sets and the cake holds together cleanly.

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Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, divided
• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
• 1 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pastel candies or chocolate eggs for decoration

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Whip egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar on high speed with an electric mixer for 3 to 4 minutes until pale yellow and thick.
3. In a separate bowl, whip the 6 egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
5. Fold half the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture with a spatula until no white streaks remain. Fold in the flour mixture, then fold in the remaining egg white mixture until just combined. Pour melted butter and milk down the side of the bowl and fold gently until no white streaks remain.
6. Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake on the middle racks for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
7. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto wire racks, peel off the parchment, and cool completely, about 1 hour.
8. While the cakes cool, make the pastry cream. Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Whisk in 1 1/4 cups milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat.
9. Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in softened butter and vanilla extract, and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
10. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half the pastry cream on top. Place the second layer on top and spread the remaining pastry cream on it.
11. Make the icing. Whip egg white, powdered sugar, and lemon juice on high speed with an electric mixer for 3 to 4 minutes until thick, glossy, and stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe the icing over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with pastel candies or chocolate eggs while the icing is still soft.
12. Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 2 hours so the icing sets and the cake firms up before serving.