Bunny Brunch
Easter is sort of a mixed-up holiday. First of all, not everyone celebrates it. For those who do observe Easter, not everyone does it on the same day. (Orthodox Easter is a week later this year). And then there is the Easter feast—some people do breakfast, some do brunch and some do dinner. And then some people just do chocolate…

We don’t really have a set celebration for Easter. We have done dinner and breakfast. But, for the most part, we default to brunch. Now that the kids are older and it’s harder to get them out of bed, there are no egg hunts to be concerned about. (The baskets still happen though. Lord help us if there are no baskets! However, now they are less about the chocolate bunny and more about things like movie tickets and clothes without stains…I still sneak a little chocolate in though.) No egg hunts mean we can sleep in and start the party a little later which is great on a Sunday. Nothing like enjoying a beautiful late morning and a lovely Bloody Mary while dining al fresco…

As for the food, we always have a ham which we like to serve with some sort of biscuit to make little ham sandwiches. We like a really good cheddar biscuit or one of our favorites like these Sausage and Sage Biscuits or our Easy Self-Rising Biscuits.

Then there is some version of eggs. They could be scrambled or deviled but there are always eggs. Casseroles are a frequent choice as well. Our Asparagus Bread Pudding Layered with Fontina is perfect for Easter Brunch.

And, of course, Easter baking wouldn’t be complete without the sweet stuff. Hot Cross Buns are a must. And, traditionally we have carrot cake or this Carrot Cake Cheesecake for dessert. But, I took a poll this year and the results tell me I should go in a different direction. This year is less about the carrot and more about the lemon.

I’ve been sort of on the bundt cake bandwagon lately. (They’re just so easy to do and there a so many fun pans!) So I think I am going to use a new tiered bundt cake pan set that I just got and make a show stopper of a lemon cake cause cake is good no matter the time of day.

Lemon Pound Cake Bliss
Yields 12 to 16 servings

Adapted from King Arthur Flours

Ingredients
For the Cake
16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter*, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
1 cup milk, whole milk preferred
finely grated rind of 2 medium lemons

For the Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 4 cups), sifted
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the batter
Beat together the butter, sugar, and salt. Combine at first and then beat until fluffy and lightened in color.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once all the eggs have been added, and beat briefly to re-combine any residue.

Measure the flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess with the back of a knife. Whisk the baking powder into the flour. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three equal parts alternately with the milk. Start by adding flour, then milk, and continue until you end with the last third of the flour. The batter may look slightly curdled when you add the milk. That’s OK; it’ll smooth out as you add the flour. Mix until everything is well combined. The batter will look a bit rough, but shouldn’t have any large lumps. Stir in the grated lemon rind.

Prepare the pan
Thoroughly grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan.

Bake the cake
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, leveling it and smoothing the top with a spatula.

Bake the cake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A pan with a dark interior will bake cake more quickly; start checking at 40 minutes.

Make the frosting
While the cake is baking, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth (about 5 minutes). Beat in lemon zest and juice. This frosting can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Stir until smooth before using.

Cool the cake
Remove the cake from the oven, and carefully run a knife between cake and pan all around the edge. Place the pan upside down on a cooling rack. If the cake drops out of the pan onto the rack, remove the pan. If the cake doesn’t drop onto the rack, let it rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift the pan off the cake. If the cake still feels like it’s sticking, give it another 5 minutes upside down, then very gently shake the pan back and forth to loosen and remove it.

Frost the cake
Once the cake has cooled completely, frost the top and sides of the cake.