Desserts For Spring Entertaining

Make these desserts with seasonal fruits and fresh flavors for any springtime celebration from Easter through Mother's Day and beyond.

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Siba's Sunday Trifle

This elegant dessert is deceptively simple to make, thanks to a few sneaky shortcuts.

Get the Recipe: Siba's Sunday Trifle

Pink Velvet Macarons

Channel spring's blooms with this sweet bouquet made of macarons.

Get the Recipe: Pink Velvet Macarons with Cream Cheese Filling

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Fresh, sweet berries and creamy cheesecake are layered on top of a rich graham-cracker crust — no baking required!

Get the Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Spring Flower Cupcakes

What's better than a bouquet for someone you love? A bouquet of beautiful flower-topped cupcakes, with both style and (delicious) substance.

Get the Recipe: Cupcakes with Piped Flowers

Banana Cream Carousel Icebox Cake

Leave the circus for the cake with this no-bake beauty that makes party prep a cinch.

Get the Recipe: Banana Cream Carousel Icebox Cake

Lemon Icebox Bars

Get the best out of lemon zest with these dessert bars... no oven required!

Get the Recipe: Lemon Icebox Bars

Mother’s Day Cake

Baker extraordinaire Zoe Francois conceived this stunning lemon sponge cake with raspberry preserves to celebrate the women who raised and nurtured us. Show the same level of care when piping beautiful meringue flowers, which gain definition and flavor when gently blowtorched.

Get the Recipe: Mother's Day Cake

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Need a portable dessert for a spring picnic? Can't go wrong with these chocolate chip cookies!

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Momofuku Milk Bar Crack Pie

This recipe yields two deliciously addictive pies, but we swear we won’t tell if you keep one all for yourself.

Get the Recipe: Momofuku Milk Bar Crack Pie

Strawberry Trifles

Serve individual trifles of amaretto-soaked pound cake, whipped cream and balsamic-tossed strawberries for the perfect finish to any meal.

Get the Recipe: Individual Strawberry Trifles

Simple Birthday Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

Simple white cake is made even more tender with the addition of sour cream to the batter. Semisweet chunks of chocolate and pillowy soft marshmallow frosting remind us how playful cakes can be — perfect for a joyous birthday celebration.

Get the Recipe: Simple Birthday Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

Almond Shortbread Cookies

A splash of almond extract intensifies the flavor of these almond shortbread cookies.

Get the Recipe: Almond Shortbread Cookies

Coffee Angel Food Cake

Coffee lovers will find it hard to resist this angel food cake with shots of espresso in the batter and the sweet, dripping glaze. Serve with vanilla frozen yogurt for a look that is reminiscent of a frothy cappuccino.

Get the Recipe: Coffee Angel Food Cake

Bizcocho Cupcakes

Inspired by a classic Dominican confection, this sweet treat features citrus flavors and flurry meringue frosting.

Get the Recipe: Bizcocho Cupcakes

Torta di Carote (Carrot Cake)

Italian yeast adds a tinge of vanilla flavor to this carrot cake.

Get the Recipe: Torta di Carote (Carrot Cake)

Tiny Lemon Angel Cakes with Lemon Confit

Top mini lemon-infused angel food cakes with a sweet-tart glaze and garnish with candied lemon rinds. Use whipped egg whites for an airy texture and low fat content.

Get the Recipe: Tiny Lemon Angel Cakes with Lemon Confit

Walnut Cake With American Frosting

Sandwich vanilla buttercream between layers of walnut cake, and then top with a frothy meringue-like frosting. This is the perfect cake for any celebratory occasion.

Get the Recipe: Walnut Cake with American Frosting

Perfect No-Cook Cheesecake

A punch of citrus zest balances the richness of this no-bake cheesecake.

Get the Recipe: Perfect No-Cook Cheesecake

Carrot Cake

Orange cream cheese frosting gives this dessert citrus fragrance, but it's the moist, rich, raisin- and walnut-studded carrot cake that counts.

Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake

Lemon Cupcakes

Top light lemon cupcakes with a sweet-tart lemon butter icing for a refreshing, tangy dessert.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Cupcakes

Chocolate Marshmallow Madness Cupcakes

A fluffy marshmallow topping turns these hot chocolate cupcakes into a light spring treat. Garnish with miniature marshmallows and semisweet chips for additional sweetness and texture.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Marshmallow Madness Cupcakes

Tres Leche Cake

This popular Latin American sponge cake contains three different kinds of milk — condensed, evaporated and heavy cream — which provide moisture without making the cake soggy.

Get the Recipe: Tres Leche Cake

Rhubarb Parfait

Look forward to late-spring rhubarb: Its tart stalks cook down into a thick compote that begs to be covered in sweet whipped cream.

Get the Recipe: Rhubarb Parfait

Lemon Meringue Pie

Alton keeps it simple with his fresh, zesty lemon-curd filling and three-ingredient meringue. The flaky, buttery short crust is perfect for bringing these flavors together.

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

Transition from winter to spring with sweet, refreshing strawberries and dense pound cake scented with orange zest and amaretto.

Get the Recipe: Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

Red Velvet Cake

This perennial favorite is considered festive thanks to its lively red color and the tantalizing combination of cocoa-tinted cake with cream cheese frosting.

Get the Recipe: Red Velvet Cake

Apple Bundt Cake

Bundt cakes are the simplest of celebratory cakes — their decorative shape makes them guest-ready but they require little prep work or adornment. This cake is filled with cinnamon-dusted Golden Delicious apples.

Get the Recipe: Apple Cake

Yogurt Panna Cotta With Fresh Fruit

With a little forethought, panna cotta is one of the simplest desserts for a dinner party. Make it up to a couple of days ahead, then unmold right before dessert and serve with in-season fruit. This lighter version uses nonfat yogurt in place of the traditional cream.

Get the Recipe: Yogurt Panna Cotta with Rose-Scented Raspberries

Olive Oil Coffee Cake

Extra-virgin olive oil makes this coffee cake moist and gives it unique, complex flavor. Crowned with a buttery streusel of marcona almonds and dark brown sugar, the cake makes a great companion to your morning coffee or finale at a casual spring party.

Get the Recipe: Olive Oil Coffee Cake

Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes With Strawberry Glaze

Creamy mascarpone cheese keeps Giada's crowd-friendly, bite-sized cupcakes moist and fluffy, and it serves as a perfect complement to her sweet strawberry-glaze topping.

Get the Recipe: Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cake

Like a giant after-dinner mint, this rich chocolate cake is studded with bits of peppermint pattie candies. Serve with mint syrup and cocoa fudge sauce to further enhance the flavors.

Get the Recipe: Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cake

Strawberry Rhubarb Slump

This slump — or stewed fruit topped with dumpling dough — is made with seasonal strawberries and rhubarb for a sweet celebration of the spring season.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Rhubarb Slump

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Pie

Emeril's light-as-air dessert is part pie and part cheesecake, but with chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse and a cookie crust, it's 100 percent delicious.

Kelsey's Strawberry Shortcake

Celebrate strawberry season with a classic dessert starring these red gems. Kelsey keeps hers simple, with a buttermilk biscuit base and vanilla whipped cream.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake

Petit Fours

These tiny, delicate cakes — layered with apricot jelly and marzipan underneath smooth, sugary icing — look like they belong in a French patisserie.

Get the Recipe: Petits Fours

Beehive Cake

This beehive-shaped cake pays tribute to honeybees and their sweet offerings. Under the flying marzipan bees, you’ll find a moist banana cake with a walnut and honey buttercream frosting.

Get the Recipe: Beehive Cake

Lemon Pound Cake

This rich and tangy pound cake makes for a refreshing dessert on an ordinary weeknight or, when placed on a pretty pedestal stand, a perfect holiday dessert.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Pound Cake

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake With Hawaiian Sea Salt

This classic dessert recipe celebrates the beginning of pineapple season with its beautiful exposed-fruit topping. Pink Hawaiian sea salt adds a unique, briny touch when sprinkled over the finished cake.

Get the Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with Hawaiian Sea Salt

Mango Kulfi

This lighter version of a favorite Indian ice cream is studded with mango juice, fresh mango and toasted pistachios.

Get the Recipe: Indian Ice Cream: Mango Kulfi

Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie

Baking (or at least eating) this classic pie is practically a quintessential rite of spring. Make yours special with a crisp almond-crumb topping.