Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips 76 Divine Easter Desserts Full Of Spring Flavor Every Easter meal needs a wow-worthy dessert. By Patricia S York Patricia S York Patricia was the assistant food editor at Southern Living and worked with the Southern Living food team from 2006-2022. She contributed to articles about food, gardening, and pets. Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Josh Miller Josh Miller Josh Miller is a writer, editor, recipe developer, and food stylist who has been writing about Southern food and working in the publishing industry for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in Southern Living, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Taste of the South, and Southern Cast Iron magazines. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 17, 2024 Close Photo: GREG DUPREE Whether you do Easter brunch, lunch, or dinner, one of these showstopper Easter dessert recipes is sure to top off the celebration. Many of our divine Easter desserts showcase one of our favorite fruits, the beautiful and luscious strawberry. If you prefer something beyond strawberries for an Easter dessert, try the Carrot Cake Cheesecake, a delightful twist on the classic favorite, or Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream. Fanciful desserts such as Chocolate Bundt Cake, Easter Birds' Nest Coconut Cupcakes, or colorful and citrus-flavored Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting will charm children and adults of all ages. Welcome springtime with these vibrant Easter desserts for any party. 01 of 76 Strawberry-Lemonade Cake Jen Causey Serve a slice of spring with this pretty pastel cake filled with Strawberry-Lemonade Jam. To save time, you can prepare the jam ahead of time or while the cake is in the oven. Get The Recipe 02 of 76 Carrot Cake Cupcakes Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Need a no-fail dessert for Easter? With grated carrots, walnut chunks, and warm spices in the batter, every bite of these carrot cake cupcakes is heavenly. A luscious cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to the moist cake. However, you can also choose to drizzle an equally as delicious creamy glaze atop the cupcakes. Get The Recipe 03 of 76 Lemon Raspberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford In terms of fresh dessert ideas, this tangy and zesty treat takes the cake. The frosting is made with pureed raspberries and used to cushion a layer of fresh raspberries hidden inside. Get The Recipe 04 of 76 Key Lime Pound Cake Jen Causey Capture the sunshine of the Florida Keys in this refreshing citrus cake. This recipe doubles up on the tropical lime flavor with a coating of Key Lime Glaze. Key Lime Pound Cake 05 of 76 Chocolate Bundt Cake Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Your Easter guests won't believe this tasty Bundt cake is made with boxed cake and brownie mix...that is if you decide to tell them. Edible flowers add a lovely touch of spring. Get The Recipe 06 of 76 Chocolate Strawberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Chocolate and strawberry come together to create a heavenly delight. To make Easter even more special, top the cake with fresh strawberries that are dipped in chocolate. Get The Recipe 07 of 76 Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake Jennifer Causey You won't regret the extra effort involved in making this dreamy dessert for Easter. Save your self a step Easter day by making the lemon curd topping up to two weeks in advance. Get The Recipe 08 of 76 Coconut Pound Cake Antonis Achilleos Coconut, pecans, and bourbon are a Southern combo that can never go wrong. This easy, wonderfully moist pound cake is sure to be a hit at Easter. Get The Recipe 09 of 76 Coconut-Carrot Cake With Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas This sheet cake combines two seasonal favorites so no one is disappointed. Top it with carrot curls and coconut flakes for your special occasion. Get The Recipe 10 of 76 Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes With Buttercream Frosting Hector Manuel Sanchez Tint the frosting of these cupcakes in a variety of pastels to fit the colors of Easter. If you're feeling ambitious, you can also bake cupcakes in lime sherbet and orange sherbet flavors. Get The Recipe 11 of 76 Hummingbird Cupcakes With Candied Pineapple Wedges Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Treat your Easter crowd to two dozen of what just might be the easiest version of our Hummingbird Cake recipe ever. Sprinkle dried pineapple with sanding sugar for a sparkling garnish. Get The Recipe 12 of 76 Mini Confetti Cakes Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Little hands will love these mini cakes served in individual portions. Made from a boxed cake mix and whipped cream, you'll love how easy they are to prepare. Get The Recipe 13 of 76 Easter Egg Rice Krispies Micah A. Leal Here's a pretty party decoration and delightful Easter treat all in one recipe. Let the kids assist and decorate with sprinkles of their choice. Get The Recipe 14 of 76 Chocolate Éclair Cake Micah A. Leal A cake that's just as worthy of celebration as the classic eclair, this chocolate confection is stunning, simple, and worth the extra effort. Make it the day before so you can have a stress-free Easter. Get The Recipe 15 of 76 Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Dairy-free, gluten-free, and flourless, this fabulous dessert will meet any Easter guest's dietary needs without sacrificing flavor. Make the meringues in advance and chill the coconut cream for 24 hours before whipping this together. Get The Recipe 16 of 76 Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes Micah Leal Fresh ingredients combine to create sweet spring flavor in these gorgeous cupcakes. Believe it or not, the frosting uses no food coloring, getting its pink hue from freeze-dried strawberries. Get The Recipe 17 of 76 Banana Pudding Cheesecake Photo: Jennifer Davick This sinfully sweet dessert is a tasty blend of fresh bananas, creamy cheesecake, and crunchy vanilla wafers. Add the whipped cream and toppings just before serving. Get The Recipe 18 of 76 Strawberry Dream Cake Photo: Greg Dupree This too-good-to-be-true strawberry cake is complemented by a mascarpone whipped frosting flavored with almond extract. We love the presentation of cake slices with upright strawberries between the layers. Get The Recipe 19 of 76 Texas Skillet Cake Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox No sheet pan required for this recipe. Slice it up or eat it straight out of the skillet. This twist on the Lone Star State classic will be anything but left alone on your dessert table. Get The Recipe 20 of 76 Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie Jennifer Davick Cool off after a heated egg hunt with a slice of icebox Easter pie. Condensed milk and cream cheese pair with fresh strawberries for a dense, tangy filling that highlights the flavor of the ripe fruit. Get The Recipe 21 of 76 Easter Bunny Cake This cute Easter centerpiece is one bunny you'll be happy to bite into after brunch. The moist coconut cake gets topped with more shredded coconut to complete your fluffy companion. Get The Recipe 22 of 76 Mama's German Chocolate Cake Southern Living Dressed to impress, the rich frosting with pecans and flaked coconut is the star of this recipe. For an indulgently sweet dessert, look for German's Sweet Chocolate baking bars. Get The Recipe 23 of 76 Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes With Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio For this recipe, start with a white cake mix and then fill the cupcakes with pineapple. Make birds' nests with malted milk balls and edible paper. Get The Recipe 24 of 76 Grand Marnier Cakes Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Mini Bundt pans turn pound cake into an elegant dinner-party dessert. The orange liqueur glaze gives this simple orange pound cake an explosion of flavor. Get The Recipe 25 of 76 Sweet Tea Bundt Cake Micah A. Leal The only thing better than a tall glass of sweet tea is a cake that's filled with the same delicious sweet-tea flavor. Coat it liberally with the Sweet Tea Syrup to moisten the entire cake. Get The Recipe 26 of 76 Easter Birds' Nest Coconut Cupcakes Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox These coconut cupcakes are topped with a rich Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting. Mix edible luster dust with powdered sugar to tint the coconut on the birds' nest toppings and give your dessert a shimmer. 27 of 76 Best-Ever Lemon Meringue Pie It's called best-ever for a reason; this silky lemon pie will be the prized dessert on Easter Sunday. Give the pie time to chill so your guests can enjoy cool, refreshing slices. Get The Recipe 28 of 76 Pineapple-Ginger Upside-Down Cake Antonis Achilleos We all know the best part of this dessert is the sticky, caramelized pineapple, so we doubled up in this recipe. Then we added fresh, grated ginger for a little spice. Get The Recipe 29 of 76 Orange Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez This cake was first published in Southern Living back in 1995, and makes a wonderful holiday or springtime dessert. You can bake it in an Bundt pan or tube pan, depending on what you have in your kitchen. Get The Recipe 30 of 76 Lemon-Orange Pound Cake Recipe Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Combining two zesty flavors in its rich, homemade frosting, this pound cake is simply irresistible. Fancy it up for Easter with a Bundt pan and fresh citrus slices. Get The Recipe 31 of 76 Strawberry Icebox Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford This cake is a fancier version of a whipped cream-and-cookies icebox cake but with an added strawberry flavor twist. Chill for at least five hours. Get The Recipe 32 of 76 Carrot Cake Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Combine carrot cake and cheesecake to create a tender and delectable mile-high confection. The cheesecake is packed with fresh ginger to enhance the spice-cake flavor. Get The Recipe 33 of 76 Strawberry Lemonade Pie Micah A. Leal This sweet and refreshing pie take less than an hour to put together. To create the swirls, drizzle strawberry syrup on top and use a toothpick. Get The Recipe 34 of 76 Lady Baltimore Cake Micah A. Leal With a rich frosting and refined, delicate texture, this white cake is one-of-a-kind. The layers are enhanced with a filling made of dates, golden raisins, walnuts, and rum extract. Get The Recipe 35 of 76 Pineapple Pie Try baking up this sweet, Mexican-inspired dessert—you won't be sorry. Cinnamon and star anise spice up the sweet fruit filling. Get The Recipe 36 of 76 Coconut Chiffon Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox A Southern Easter favorite, this gorgeous white cake has a mascarpone-coconut filling and White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Chill the assembled layers 12 hours before frosting. Get The Recipe 37 of 76 7UP Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Bundt cakes can be dense and heavy, but lemon-lime soda adds lightness to this nostalgic cake. Top with thick ribbons of Lemon-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting and sugared lemon and lime peels for a playful look. Get The Recipe 38 of 76 Caramelized Banana Pudding Photo: Jennifer Davick, Prop Styling: Annette Joseph, Food Styling: William Smith Caramelize the bananas in brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter to make this dessert even more irresistible. Bake in individual ramekins for a pretty presentation on Easter. Get The Recipe 39 of 76 Oreo Cookie Balls Southern Living Nothing could be simpler than this three-ingredient no-bake dessert. Use pastel food dye to dress the chocolate treats up for Easter. Oreo Cookie Balls 40 of 76 Lemon Meltaways Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham These little lemon cookies are tossed in powdered sugar while they're still warm. Chill the dough well before baking. Get The Recipe 41 of 76 Mini Coconut-Key Lime Pies Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Behold: the perfect Key lime bite with just a hint of coconut. After you taste this crust, may never go back to the basic recipe. Get The Recipe 42 of 76 Peach Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall If they aren't in season yet, you can make this recipe with jarred peaches. Bourbon can belong at Easter, too. Just ask your uncle—he agrees. Get The Recipe 43 of 76 Classic Chocolate Pound Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Erin Merhar The simple but decadent chocolate pound cake has stuck around for a reason. This classic recipe needs no adornment, but a dusting of powdered sugar and a few berries can dress it up for Easter. Get The Recipe 44 of 76 Banana Pudding Poke Cake Greg DuPree This poke cake will feed a crowd, which is good—because they're going to be coming back for more. This recipe is made with a delicious homemade pudding, but you can use instant to save time. Get The Recipe 45 of 76 Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff Easter deserves next-level treats. So combine two spring party favorites—strawberry cake and banana pudding—into a cool and creamy icebox cake. Get The Recipe 46 of 76 White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Micah A. Leal We'll happily hunt for these sweet treats on Easter. We've provided instructions on how to create this decorative toothed pattern, or you can get creative and imitate Easter egg patterns. Get The Recipe 47 of 76 Chocolate Éclair Cake Micah A. Leal This three-tiered creamy, dreamy cake makes a show-stopping centerpiece. This confection is filled with chocolate ganache and real pastry cream between each layer, topped with a final covering of ganache that drips over the edges. Get The Recipe 48 of 76 Fresh Mint Chocolate Pie Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Have a bumper crop of mint sprouting in the garden? Surprise the family with this refreshing pie with a chocolate wafer crust and chocolate custard filling. Get The Recipe 49 of 76 Birds Nest Cookies Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This Easter recipe is a life saver when you're short on time and can be made by young cooks with minimal supervision. You can coat the birds nests in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips—take your pick. Get The Recipe 50 of 76 Lemon Bar Cheesecake Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell This citrus-inspired cheesecake beckons rave reviews. Half the lemon curd bakes inside the cheesecake, while the other half serves as a delectable topping. Get The Recipe 51 of 76 Chocolate Chick Cake Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones The intense chocolate flavor of this sheet cake is enhanced with espresso powder. Let your chickies help decorate it with chocolate chicks or any Easter candies you have on hand. Get The Recipe 52 of 76 Easter Carrot Cake Trifles Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn This kid-friendly dessert starts with a carrot cake mix, which you'll cut into chunks. Decorate these adorable bunny trifles with cream-filled cookies and black writing gel. Get The Recipe 53 of 76 Sugar Cookie Bars Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox The best part of these cookie bars is you have free rein to decorate them depending on the holiday. White, pink, and yellow sprinkles seem just right for Easter. Get The Recipe 54 of 76 Lemon Tiramisu Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck While we love the classic version, this light and lemony take is what's needed for spring. Even better, you can prepare this no-bake dessert in about 15 minutes. Get The Recipe 55 of 76 Strawberries-And-Cream Sheet Cake This recipe makes the most of sweet spring strawberries. The sheet cake is made with chopped berries (and strawberry-flavored gelatin, for that bold pink hue) and the creamy frosting is flecked with more fruit. Get The Recipe 56 of 76 Heavenly Angel Food Cake Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey Make your sheet cake more elegant by slicing it into petit fours for decorating. This cake is topped with a heavenly Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting, pieces of pink gumdrops, and mint leaves. Get The Recipe 57 of 76 Easter Egg Lemon Cake With Whipped Cream Topping Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Freshly-squeezed lemon juice and grated zest infuse this sheet cake with citrus. The light and lofty vanilla whipped cream has a touch of gelatin to keep it from deflating, allowing you to decorate with colored sprinkles. Get The Recipe 58 of 76 Brown-Butter Easter Blondies Joy Howard Browning the butter in these blondies adds a hint of nutty goodness and richer flavor. Press the chocolate eggs into the blondies right when they come out of the oven so they'll stick. Get The Recipe 59 of 76 Coconut Macaroons Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood Soft and chewy on the inside, these coconut macaroons can be fancied up by dipping them in dark chocolate. That's an easy ask for Easter, since the recipe involves only six basic ingredients and 10 minutes of active preparation time. Get The Recipe 60 of 76 Sweet Tea-And-Lemonade Cake Hector Sanchez Warm spring days and green grass have us thinking of Arnold Palmers. This cake honors the classic beverage with a sweet tea cake and tangy Lemonade Frosting. Get The Recipe 61 of 76 Orange Chiffon Cake Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer This airy tube cake climbs sky-high, resulting in a fluffy sponge. Orange Chiffon Cake also bakes in 45 minutes and needs no further decoration beyond a dusting of powdered sugar. Get The Recipe 62 of 76 Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayliss Our moist pound cake gets its beautiful swirl by layering batter with strawberry glaze. Serve with whipped cream and fresh strawberries for a special touch. Get The Recipe 63 of 76 Bunny Bark Jessica Furniss Easter bunny chocolate bark is the cutest thing you'll ever eat and incredibly easy to make. Melt white chocolate, swirl in pink candy melts, and sprinkle on Easter candies such as Robin Eggs, Cadbury minis, Easter M&Ms, and more. Get The Recipe 64 of 76 Easy Bunny Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Bake two layers of vanilla, then follow our instructions to make a supremely easy bunny cake. The kids will love playing a hand in decorating. Get The Recipe 65 of 76 Carrot Cake With Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones This moist and tender carrot cake is an easy approach to feeding a crowd. Arrange the "carrots" (orange candy-coated almonds) in rows to look like a vegetable patch. Get The Recipe 66 of 76 Strawberry Patch Cake Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones This simple sheet cake is topped with marshmallow cream and a charming strawberry patch. You'll find it easy to decorate with marshmallows and yellow candies. Get The Recipe 67 of 76 Easter Egg Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck This recipe starts with a chocolate cake mix and adds Robin's egg frosting for a springtime look. Toasted coconut and chocolate eggs complete the simple but stunning decorations. Get The Recipe 68 of 76 Hummingbird Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox The legendary Hummingbird Cake loaded with pineapple and banana is still one of our top recipes, even after 40 years. Toast your pecans for a game-changing topping. Get The Recipe 69 of 76 Sunflower Cupcakes Photographer: Alison Miksch Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee What better way to bring a ray of sunshine to the Easter table? We provide detailed instructions on how to pipe the frosting on these cheerful cupcakes. Get The Recipe 70 of 76 Honeybee Cupcakes Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Your family will start buzzing when they see these delightful cupcakes after their Easter lunch. We recommend using tupelo honey and edible flowers if you can find them. Get The Recipe 71 of 76 Coconut Cream Pie Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Creamy coconut custard, a mound of homemade sweetened whipped cream, and toasted shredded coconut take this pie over the top. This recipe gets rave reviews because it's easy, silky, and delicious. Get The Recipe 72 of 76 Best Carrot Cake Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Sometimes nothing but the classic will do. This carrot cake is our best because of canned crushed pineapple, flaked coconut, and chopped nuts. The pineapple adds moisture and sweetness without significantly affecting the flavor. Get The Recipe 73 of 76 Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox For a special holiday, homemade banana pudding is a must. This recipe elevates the Southern favorite even more with a thick meringue that is baked until golden. Get The Recipe 74 of 76 Coconut Meringue Nests Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Make the meringues up to a week in advance, then garnish them with chocolate eggs or Peeps. We like to spike the meringue with espresso powder or vanilla bean paste to achieve a speckled effect. Get The Recipe 75 of 76 Cinnamon Roll Bunnies Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck This is a dessert that kids will love to participate in making. Simply transform store-bought cinnamon roll dough into these adorable treats for your Easter brunch. Get The Recipe 76 of 76 Buttermilk-Lime Mini Cakes With Vanilla-Mascarpone Buttercream GREG DUPREE Create petite white cakes for your celebration by cutting your sheet cake into rounds with a biscuit cutter. You can decorate the mini cakes with white chocolate curls, nonpareils, edible flowers, and your favorite fresh berries. Get The Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit