Easter Desserts to Make Your Celebration Even Sweeter
Sure, Easter eggs are fun, but wouldn't you rather have delicious lime tartlets or Baked Alaska cupcakes?
After you’ve found (most of) the Easter eggs and all of the baskets have been handed out, the best part of Easter is here: sweets time. Whether you’re a peanut-butter-and-chocolate type of person, or can’t get enough sour candy, there’s no shortage of options buried in the handfuls of faux green grass that will inevitably make their way into your home.
Some of us look forward to this holiday because of that candy. Others may be more inclined toward the seasonal dishes that await us on a springtime spread: rhubarb pies, cream cake topped with fresh fruit, creatively decorated Easter egg cookies, and—of course, carrot cake. (But ours is also made with spiced apple.)
If you’re like us, you’re not only excited to get your hands on these delectable desserts, but you’re excited to try a few new recipes this year, too. So, we gathered up a few recipes for that precise purpose. Try your hand at crostatas (they’re sort of like miniature pies), lime tartlets, or carrot cake with goat cheese frosting. We’ve also got baked Alaska cupcakes, granola crisp, and sugared rose petals to top, well, any type of cake. We’re focusing on springtime ingredients that are just coming into season, and dishes that work for any size group.
You can make the custard sauce for this delicious cake up to 1 day ahead or while the frosted cake chills. The cake cuts best when refrigerated at least 2 hours.
2 /20Iain Bagwell
Mini Rhubarb Ginger Crostatas
The filling in these pies is on the tart side, so they’re especially good with vanilla ice cream. Semolina flour in the dough is optional but adds complexity and crunch.
3 /20Sunmin Park
Mini Easter Egg Cakes
Serve these adorable cakes at a special holiday gathering and watch everyone’s surprise when they discover the lemon curd “yolk” in the center. Making them is simple enough that family or friends can help. These could be both a pre-Easter activity and a holiday dessert.
4 /20Thomas J. Story
Grapefruit Pie
This citrus pie features a gorgeous colorful crust that will look so cheerful on your Easter table.
5 /20Victor Protasio
Cream Cake with Fresh Strawberries
There’s nothing more delicious than a cake topped with fresh berries and whipped cream.
6 /20Thomas J. Story
Baked Alaska Cupcakes
To create this single-serving update on the retro Baked Alaska, scoop strawberry ice cream onto cupcakes, cover them generously with meringue, and toast the meringue using a culinary torch.
7 /20Erin Kunkel
Lime Tartlets with Orange Blossom Cream and Toasted Fennel
Emily Rosenberg, a pastry sous chef at the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, adds toasted fennel seeds to give the tart a subtle crunch. It’s delicious with ice cream or spooned into biscuits or onto pancakes, and lasts a month in the fridge.
8 /20
Apple Galette
This galette recipe from Alice Waters can be made with other fruits, like plums, peaches, pears, or apricots.
9 /20Leo Gong
Spiced Apple Carrot Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting
Use goat cheese as a gourmet substitution for cream cheese in a carrot cake frosting. The sweetened cheese adds depth of flavor and complements the richness of the cake.
10 /20Thomas J. Story
Burnt Basque Cheesecake
If you or your guests are gluten-free, make it GF-friendly by using tapioca flour.
11 /20Chez Panisse
Chez Panisse Sugared Rose Petals
At Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, spring desserts are often served with a seasonal flourish: a sprinkling of sugared rose petals. Chopped into colorful confetti or served whole on a cake or candy tray, the petals have a delicate crunch, inviting flavor, and subtle fragrance. Sprinkle the sugared petals onto any dessert or plate at your Easter party to add a bit of extra flowery flavor and beautiful display.
12 /20Thomas J. Story
Fresh Fruit Meringue
Subtle and ethereal meringue is an ideal way to feature seasonal fresh fruit. Chef Saehee Cho tops hers with lemon curd, edible flowers, and the first strawberries of the season, but any ripe seasonal fruit will do.
13 /20Thomas J. Story
Derby Pie
“This pie is famous in our household,” gushes Queen Street Raw Bar & Grill chef Ari Kolender. “My grandmother used to airmail it to me when I first moved to California, and has been making it so long, she couldn’t (or wouldn’t) tell you where she got the recipe. I’m led to believe that she invented it!“
14 /20Monocle Project
Mini Key Lime Tart
The guests of our Sunset Secret House Party in Palm Springs loved these little tarts from Melvyn’s at Ingleside Inn. Perfect for large gatherings, mini key lime tarts offer easy serving alongside a delicious taste, especially from limes that have recently been harvested at the start of their season.
15 /20Ren Fuller
Granola Berry-Barb Crisp
This easy-peasy fruit dessert from Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections in Los Angeles comes together in minutes. Use your favorite granola for the topping alongside the berries of your choice. Bonus: It’s also incredible for breakfast.
16 /20Annabelle Breakey
Strawberry Tallcake
We created this elegant, elongated version of strawberry shortcake by stacking cake layers with berries and whipped cream. With strawberries at the height of their growing season, we use them in both their natural and jam form. This creates a light dessert.
17 /20Thomas J. Story
Jasmine Tea Shortbread
This fragrant shortbread cookie from San Francisco-based cook and blogger Kristina Cho gets its flavor from finely chopped jasmine leaves, which turns each bite into a one-of-a-kind speckled treat. Top with Meyer Lemon Sugar Glaze for a cookie version of a cup of tea with fresh lemon.
18 /20Thomas J Story
Pistachio Raspberry Cake
Combining raspberries and pistachio creates an amazing merge of sweet and salty flavors, and the white and light green coloring of the cake will match flawlessly with your Easter decor. “Baking and icing a cake from scratch can be daunting. But you don’t have to do it all in one day,” says Rosie Daykin, owner of Butter Baked Goods in Vancouver.
19 /20Annabelle Breakey
Lemon Meringue Cake
Our butter cake meets classic lemon meringue pie. We used a loaf pan to change the shape of the cake—a simple twist that dramatically alters the presentation. A light and airy dessert, this cake feels perfect for a springtime Easter day.
20 /20Thomas J. Story
Lemon and Vanilla Angel Food Cake
This delicate, cloud-like cake from Kristen Murray, pastry chef and owner of Maurice restaurant in Portland, is an adaptation of one from her great-aunt Crys. Rice flour replaces regular flour so the cake is gluten-free, with a little crunch.