Holidays & Occasions Easter 65 Easter Cakes For The Prettiest Holiday Finale By Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Kimberly Holland Kimberly Holland Kimberly Holland is a writer and editor with 15 years of experience in food, lifestyle, health, and nutrition content. She has been published in Southern Living, Real Simple, Allrecipes, EatingWell, Cooking Light, and other publications. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on February 7, 2024 Close Photo: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck There is more to Easter Sunday celebrations than church, dresses, dinner parties, and egg hunts. You've also got to debut a delicious Easter cake for the occasion. Lucky for you, we've got Easter cake recipes that will wow your friends and family at every egg hunt this season. From the deliciously springy Hummingbird Cake to a Lemon Bar Cheesecake, we've got all the Easter cakes you could ever think to make. Our Strawberry Dream Cake has a full layer of strawberries standing up inside, making for a beautiful surprise when you slice in. In the mood for something a little simpler? Opt for our Strawberry Cupcakes. Go ahead and choose your favorite Easter cake recipe, that is if you can pick just one from the bunch. Don't worry about making too many—think of those extra Easter cakes as decoration for your cake stand collection and Easter table. We're sure any and all of these pretty holiday cakes will be enjoyed. 01 of 65 Easy Bunny Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox A bunny cake is a no-brainer for Easter, but some renditions can be quite hard to pull off. Our easy version is not too difficult to make and is a great baking project to do with the kids. Get The Recipe 02 of 65 Carrot Cake With Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Maple lends a classic cream cheese frosting subtle caramel notes and it pairs deliciously with moist and tender carrot cake. Arrange the "carrots" (orange candy-coated almonds) in rows to look like a vegetable patch. Get The Recipe 03 of 65 Strawberry-Lemonade Cake Jen Causey This pastel cake is beautiful for an Easter spread and tastes just like spring. A drop of pink food coloring adds a pretty pink hue to the dreamy Strawberry Frosting, which covers tender lemon cake layers filled with Strawberry-Lemonade Jam. Get The Recipe 04 of 65 Chocolate Chick Cake Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Inspired by ornately jeweled antique eggs, this chocolate cake is an easy but beautiful way to end an Easter meal. Cadbury mini eggs and chocolate chicks make a fun topping for the kids. Get The Recipe 05 of 65 Easter Egg Lemon Cake With Whipped Cream Topping Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones For those who find frosting too sweet, try this sheet cake with a lighter whipped topping that allows the lemony flavor of the cake underneath to shine through. We cut a stencil from parchment paper to help create the colorful egg decoration. Get The Recipe 06 of 65 Coconut-Carrot Cake With Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Can't decide between coconut cake and carrot? We've got you covered. This sheet cake is also easy to prepare when you're not quite ready to tackle layers. Get The Recipe 07 of 65 Key Lime Pound Cake Jen Causey Serve a taste of the Keys this spring with this twist on a classic pound cake. The sweet and tart Key lime glaze doubles the tropical flavor. Get The Recipe 08 of 65 Strawberry Dream Cake Photo: Greg Dupree We love the look of upright strawberries between the layers when you slice into this cake. The berries and cake layers are embedded in a cloud of creamy mascarpone frosting. Get The Recipe 09 of 65 Chocolate Strawberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford This beautiful layer cake tastes like a chocolate-covered strawberry. You can bake the cake layers a day in advance, wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and storing them in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble. Get The Recipe 10 of 65 Coconut Cream Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller The egg yolks, half-and-half, and coconut milk in this recipe result in an extra rich filling. Look for packaged coconut shavings to garnish this sweet treat in your grocer's natural foods section. Get The Recipe 11 of 65 Easter Carrot Cake Trifles Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn These adorable trifles are a fun treat for the whole family. Prepare a carrot cake mix, then layer chunks of cake with cream cheese frosting and top with a bunny decoration. Get The Recipe 12 of 65 Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake Jennifer Causey The pastel purple shade of the glaze on our Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake fits right in with Easter. No artificial coloring is required to achieve this cheerful hue—just plenty of fresh blueberries. Get The Recipe 13 of 65 Hummingbird Sheet Cake Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Hummingbird is a classic, but the original recipe requires stacking three-layers of banana-pineapple cake. With this version, you can still feed a crowd, but with much easier assembly. Get The Recipe 14 of 65 Strawberry Patch Cake Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones We bet you've never seen a cuter cake than this. The best part? The marshmallow daisies on top are easy to make and only require a pair of scissors to pull off. Get The Recipe 15 of 65 Easter Egg Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Robin's-egg blue icing makes this cake visually stunning for Easter. The recipe starts with a rich chocolate cake mix, then puts the focus on springtime decorations for the holiday table. Get The Recipe 16 of 65 Chocolate Bundt Cake Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Boxed cake mix and boxed brownie mix meet in this decadent and easy recipe that has twice the chocolate of your usual cake. It transforms from delicious to delectable when topped with a chocolate drizzle and edible pansies. Get The Recipe 17 of 65 Cheerwine Bundt Cake Jessica Furniss Our recipe uses a box of white cake mix and a few add-ins to amp up the cherry soda flavor and color. Top it with a thick white glaze and bright maraschino cherries. Get The Recipe 18 of 65 Lemon Raspberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford This lemon cake with cream cheese-raspberry frosting is truly elegant. This recipe will delight anyone who loves the contrast between sweet and tart. Get The Recipe 19 of 65 Lemon-Lime Pound Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez This recipe is based on a classic Southern favorite called 7UP Pound Cake, which was created in the 1950s when the soda company suggested using its soft drink instead of other liquid in pound cake recipes. The result: one of the best, and simplest, cakes you'll ever make. Get The Recipe 20 of 65 Hummingbird Bundt Cake Photo: Jennifer Davick From pineapple to cream cheese, the same ingredients first featured in the 1978 version of this popular layer cake still shine in our new version—simplified by baking in a Bundt pan. Get The Recipe 21 of 65 Sweet Tea-And-Lemonade Cake Hector Sanchez This Arnold Palmer-inspired cake is perfect for springtime. You can make the icing tipsy if you're having an adults-only Easter dinner. Get The Recipe 22 of 65 Coconut Pound Cake Antonis Achilleos Studded with pecans and enriched with cream cheese, this is no ordinary Coconut Pound Cake. But it's the half cup of bourbon that makes it a Southern specialty. Get The Recipe 23 of 65 Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes Micah Leal You won't find a drop of artificial flavor or dye in these gorgeous spring cupcakes. The secret to the pink frosting is freeze-dried strawberries, which are blended into a powder. Get The Recipe 24 of 65 The Ultimate Carrot Cake Alison Miksch What makes it ultimate? How about the addition of Granny Smith apples and coconut. These layers are tender, so remove from pans carefully. Get The Recipe 25 of 65 Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake Alison Miksch Chocolate enthusiasts will be over the moon for this recipe, but it has enough unexpected flavor—thanks to the addition of the buttermilk glaze—that you'll also win over the harder-to-please dessert eaters at the table. Warning: You—and they—won't be able to resist a second slice. Get The Recipe 26 of 65 Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake Jennifer Davick When you serve this decadent spring dessert at Easter, wow the crowd with edible flowers. You can also garnish with candied oranges and lemons or kumquat slices. Get The Recipe 27 of 65 Strawberries-And-Cream Sheet Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez This simple and swoon-worthy sheet cake gets an extra burst of berry flavor from gelatin. But it's the strawberry-flecked frosting that really makes it worthy as a centerpiece on your table. Get The Recipe 28 of 65 Easter Bunny Cake The kids will love this sweet cake that they can help decorate and devour. Make the meringue cookie bunny ears the night before so you'll be ready to assemble. Get The Recipe 29 of 65 Hummingbird Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox The legendary Hummingbird Cake loaded with flavors of pineapple and banana is our most popular recipe of all time. If that's not reason enough to make it, we're not sure what could convince you. Get The Recipe 30 of 65 Heavenly Angel Food Cake Southern Living The rich, moist texture of this divine angel food cake is unlike any other. Made from scratch in minutes, it's spread with frosting that's a lemon lover's dream. Get The Recipe 31 of 65 Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Jennifer Davick To make the strawberry swirls, pour in 1/3 of the batter, swirl in the strawberry glaze, and repeat a second time before adding the final 1/3 of batter on top. The result is a marbled looking cake sure to impress your family. Get The Recipe 32 of 65 Best Carrot Cake Tina Cornett Make this classic favorite for a crowd and you might not have any leftovers to bring home. Adding crushed pineapple for extra moisture and sweetness as well as a luscious Buttermilk Glaze makes this truly the Best Carrot Cake. Get The Recipe 33 of 65 The Lane Cake Hector Sanchez This legendary Southern cake is the ultimate labor of love, and your Easter guests will taste it in every bite. This Alabama original has a peachy filling and fluffy Peach Schnapps meringue frosting. Get The Recipe 34 of 65 Lemon Bar Cake Jennifer Davick; Food Styling: Vanessa Rocchio; Prop Styling: Missie Crawford A bright citrus dessert is always welcome on the Easter table, especially when it's made with the hands-off ease of the slow cooker. Skip the frosting and dust with powdered sugar. Get The Recipe 35 of 65 Grand Marnier Cakes Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly This orange dream gets topped with a sweet glaze, whipped cream, and fruit segments. Mini Bundt pans make for the prettiest presentation of this vintage recipe. Get The Recipe 36 of 65 Banana Pudding Poke Cake Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox This oh-so-moist poke cake was made to feed a crowd, though we expect there won't be any left after the meal. This cake-and-banana-pudding mashup requires advance planning, but you can use instant pudding as a time-saver. Get The Recipe 37 of 65 Chocolate Éclair Cake Micah A. Leal This layer cake honors the beauty and perfection of a truly authentic éclair. With toasted pastry flecks in a buttercream, chocolate ganache, and real pastry cream, this recipe does the pastry justice. Get The Recipe 38 of 65 Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake Jennifer Causey With a lemon cookie crust and sweet lemon curd topping, this cheesecake really is a dream. You can make the lemon curd up to two weeks in advance to save you a step on Easter. Get The Recipe 39 of 65 Lemon-Orange Pound Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly This recipe, courtesy of the Junior League of Houston, is drizzled with two icings so every bite is different. Decorate the cake plate with citrus slices for your special Easter luncheon. Get The Recipe 40 of 65 Mini Confetti Cakes Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke These mini cakes are perfect for little hands. Plus, the edible flowers are an easy and gorgeous way to make them festive. Get The Recipe 41 of 65 Mary's Mango Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall This cake tastes bright and sunny, so it's perfect for an early Easter brunch. The recipe comes from Mary Moehling, the mother of Robert Moehling, who owns the popular Robert Is Here fruit stand in Homestead, Florida. Get The Recipe 42 of 65 Banana Pudding Cheesecake We feel like the name probably says it all for this incredible recipe. Packed with all the flavor of traditional banana pudding, this twist on cheesecake will take everyone by delicious surprise. Get The Recipe 43 of 65 Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio These easy cupcakes start with a box of cake mix, but your guests will never know. The adorable Easter nests can be made with bright-green edible paper and egg-shaped malted milk balls. Get The Recipe 44 of 65 The Coconut Chiffon Cake Hector Sanchez This storied layer cake is the queen of cakes, guaranteed to earn "oohs" and "aahs" from your Easter crowd. Our version has a Coconut-Mascarpone Filling and White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Get The Recipe 45 of 65 Buttermilk-Lime Mini Cakes With Vanilla-Mascarpone Buttercream Greg DuPree These cakes might be miniature, but they'll make a big impact. While perfect for Easter, they also make great desserts for baby or wedding showers. Get The Recipe 46 of 65 Lemon Bar Cheesecake Photo: Jennifer Davick Love lemon bars? Love cheesecake? Then we've got great news for you, because cheesecake and lemon curd are a match made in heaven. Get The Recipe 47 of 65 Hummingbird Cupcakes With Candied Pineapple Wedges Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox This might be the easiest Hummingbird Cake recipe ever, and it makes two dozen cupcakes for a big Easter crowd. Pro tip: Don't drain the pineapple juice from the can, as it gives the cake its incredible moistness. Get The Recipe 48 of 65 Cinnamon Coffee Cake Antonis Achilleos This coffee cake will be the best way to finish off Easter brunch with a warm cup of coffee. The sour cream in the batter helps balance the sweet cinnamon streusel. Get The Recipe 49 of 65 Tropical Carrot Cake Micah A. Leal Update your classic carrot cake with the tropical taste of banana, pineapple, and coconut. This cake is a riff on our beloved Hummingbird cake, combining some of its elements with a traditional carrot cake. Get The Recipe 50 of 65 Classic Coconut Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox With coconut sponge, coconut filling, and a light whipped cream frosting, this layer cake is a coconut lover's delight. The real punch of coconut flavor comes from the filling, which features both frozen coconut flakes and coconut extract. Get The Recipe 51 of 65 Carrot Cake Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Both cheesecake and carrot cake lovers will be thrilled with this layered dessert. A thick layer of carrot cake is substituted for a crust in this spiced cheesecake packed with fresh ginger and cinnamon. Get The Recipe 52 of 65 Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless The best part about this strawberry shortcake recipe is how easy it is to put together. The cake, strawberry topping, and mascarpone mixture can all be prepped and held separately for a day, then assembled before serving. Get The Recipe 53 of 65 Pineapple-Coconut Cake Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley Tropical pineapple and coconut are a match made in dreamy cake heaven. Toast the coconut to enhance its nutty flavor. Get The Recipe 54 of 65 Cream Cheese Pound Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Pound cake is appropriate at every occasion. You can top this classic pound cake with seasonal fruit and dollops of whipped cream for pretty Easter presentation. Get The Recipe 55 of 65 Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze Hector Manuel Sanchez Bright lemon and lavender give this pound cake bright and fresh springtime flavor. We recommend looking for dried lavender buds at specialty food markets like Fresh Market or Whole Foods. Get The Recipe 56 of 65 Four-Layer Coconut Cake Southern Living Take your Easter celebration to the next level (literally) by adding an extra layer to your dessert. Just make sure you have four 9-inch cake round cake pans in the kitchen, or borrow a couple from a neighbor. Get The Recipe 57 of 65 Strawberry Icebox Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Busy hosts rejoice: You can still put a picture-perfect dessert on the table without turning the oven on. This recipe is made with chocolate wafers, whipped cream, and strawberry jam. Get The Recipe 58 of 65 Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Two favorite holiday desserts—crème brûlée and cheesecake—meet in this incredible mashup recipe. You'll need a kitchen blowtorch to create the glazzy layer of caramelized sugar. Get The Recipe 59 of 65 Angel Food Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Light, fluffy angel food cake is absolutely heavenly to serve on Easter. Use a tube pan for this recipe—a Bundt pan has too many nooks and crannies for this pillowy cake. Get The Recipe 60 of 65 Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos If you have family members with dietary restrictions, this dairy-free and gluten-free dessert will delight them. This cake is built with layers of meringue and topped with coconut cream. Get The Recipe 61 of 65 Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely This was one of our most popular cake recipes of 2019, so it's definitely holiday-worthy. It may seem intimidating to make homemade caramel, but this photo-worthy frosting is a great place to start. Get The Recipe 62 of 65 The Lemon Cheese Layer Cake Southern Living This vintage cake reminds us of Grandma, and a floral topper is beautiful for Easter. The orange-flavored cake layers are filled with a buttery lemon curd. Get The Recipe 63 of 65 Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes With Cherry-Swirl Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner The kids' table will be thrilled to see this colorful confection on Easter. Cheerwine added to a classic white cake mix creates a pale pink crumb that tastes of almond extract and mild cherry. Get The Recipe 64 of 65 Petite Blueberry Cheesecakes Give everyone their own personal cheesecake with this sweet spring recipe. These petite cheesecakes look super fancy, but they only require five easy steps to put together and are baked in a muffin pan. To customize, trade the blueberries for your family's favorite fruits. Get The Recipe 65 of 65 White Cake With Berry-Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Prepare a white cake mix according to the directions on the box, then get ready to create a masterpiece. This cake is all about adding the icing tinted with freeze-dried raspberries. Follow our step-by-step instructions for frosting a rose cake for spectacular results. Get The Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit