18 Easter Desserts to Channel Spring

Leg of lamb and roast ham aside, Easter dishes run the gamut. Spring vegetables, like beets, asparagus, spring peas, and new carrots will likely appear in some form. You can count on a sort of special-occasion starch, like big, fat yeast rolls or flaky biscuits. The constant gracing of every holiday spread, though, is the show-stopping Easter desserts.

Layered, iced, or frosted, Easter desserts highlight bright pastels, earthy flavors, natural aromas, and seasonal berries and citrus. They give a sweet finish to the feast, and leftovers (plus coffee) guarantee a better way to greet Monday morning. We dove into our recipe archives and found a few favorite Easter desserts to embellish your spring feast.

Our Favorite Easter Desserts

Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Cake

Ricotta gives this simple skillet cake a rich and tangy crumb. The cake recipe itself acts like a blank canvas for any type of seasonal fruit—cranberry and orange, figs, sour cherries—here, we opt for a springtime combo of blueberry and lemon.

Blackberry Doobie

Springtime blackberries shine in this dessert that falls somewhere between cobbler and sweet dumplings. The chewy, hot buttermilk biscuits sop up the jammy blackberries and their juices, and we recommend topping with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for that syrupy hot-cold combination.

Ricotta Zeppole

These crispy, fluffy balls of ricotta-enriched dough pose as the Italian rendition of beignets. They’re equally delicious served with coffee as they are with fernet, so keep this recipe handy for an Easter brunch or post-Easter dinner treat.

Baklava Cookies

A traditionally Turkish dessert, baklava serves as the point of inspiration for these thumbprint cookies. Packed with plenty of pistachios and floral honey, you get to enjoy all the baklava flavors with none of the fussy phyllo dough.

Hummingbird Cake

Bright with tropical flavors and slicked with tangy cream cheese frosting, the hummingbird cake pulls all the best elements of pineapple-upside-down cake, banana cake, and carrot cake. Serve this Easter dessert and let it act as a harbinger for warmer days ahead.

Raspberry Bars

Crunchy bits of pecans stud delicate, meringue-like crust in these sandwich bars, giving them a crisp texture that contrasts with the jammy, raspberry filling.

Nathalie Dupree’s Lemon and Berry Tart

Treat the lemon curd as a blank canvas and top with your favorite berries—raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry all work. Be patient with the homemade lemon curd, which requires lots of stirring and precise timing. However, your guests’ reactions at the end result will make it all worth it.

Gluten-Free Mango Cranberry Crisp

Looking for a way to treat yourself that’s friendly for the gluten-sensitive at the table? This dessert has got you covered with its seedy, buttery crumble covering fresh mango pieces and tart cranberries.

The Perfect Strawberry Cake

Welcome strawberry season with this step-by-step guide to crafting the perfect (we mean it) strawberry cake. This recipe, from Sugar Bakeshop in Charleston, pairs a strawberry filling with strawberry buttercream and fresh strawberries on top for good measure.

Cranberry-Pear Pie

Buttery and flaky crust, tart cranberries, and spiced pears all work together in this dish. Resist the urge to cut yourself a slice immediately. The juices set as it cools, keeping the filling from spilling out.

Lemon Polenta Cake 

Polenta adds a playful texture and savory edge to this bright lemon cake, that gets drizzled in a lemony caramel sauce. You can portion the batter into a prepared muffin tin for individual-sized desserts.

Golden Berry Chantilly Cake

Baking enthusiasts, this one’s for you. Complete with three to four cake layers, a homemade berry filling, and mascarpone-cream cheese frosting, this Easter dessert is one worth a whole day in the kitchen. Don’t rush this one—the cake and utensils should be as cool as possible to avoid melting the butter in the frosting.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie with Lemon Cream

Strawberry pie meets cheesecake in this straightforward, no-bake Easter dessert (aside from the crust). Make extra lemon cream to enjoy with pound cakes, ice cream, and fresh fruit.

Coconut Pecan Cake

Coconut cake always feels holiday-worthy, especially when it’s three-layered and blanketed in toasted coconut flakes. The cake stays ultra moist in this recipe, thanks to dousing each cake layer with a simple syrup before topping it with the coconut cream filling.

White Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Strawberries and Lemon Ricotta

The fluffy and spongy cake is aromatic with notes of vanilla and sea salt, and it makes the perfect bed for the macerated strawberries and tangy lemon ricotta.

Acorn Cheerwine Cake

Moist and packed with cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon, these personal-sized cakes pack mighty flavors. Cheerwine gives the batter a dark fruit sweetness that’s balanced out by acorn flour’s nutty, earthy notes.

Mixed Berry Tart

Spring berries get their moment in this beautifully simple springtime tart. The vanilla pastry cream and elegant berry-pistachio topping keep this dessert light, making it an ideal sweet finish to the feast.

Peach Iced Tea Sorbet

Cool, sweet, and refreshing, this peach iced tea sorbet is just the treat for a warm spring day. Feel free to use frozen peaches if you can’t find fresh ones in the store.