Holidays & Occasions Easter Easter Recipes Easter Dessert Recipes Grandma's Favorite Easter Desserts Classic and sweet. By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Senior Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on February 18, 2024 Close Photo: Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley Once the Easter meal is over, Grandma knows it's time to break out the desserts. And of course, there will be more than one on the table. Just like Grandma's kitchen, these classic Easter desserts are filled with plenty of nostalgia (and sugar!). Since Easter often marks the beginning of spring, you'll see the best flavors of the season represented in Grandma's favorite dessert recipes to mark the occasion.From cakes to pies to cookies and more, these are Grandma's favorite dessert recipes to enjoy on Easter Sunday. Grandma's Favorite Easter Recipes 01 of 18 Easy Bunny Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Requiring no special pan, this festive cake is loved by both kids and adults. The grandkids can even help Grandma decorate the bunny once it's iced. Get The Recipe 02 of 18 Birds Nest Cookies Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster These classic Birds Nest Cookies come together with just four ingredients and don't actually require any baking. You can swap out the peanut butter chips for butterscotch, caramel, or other flavored chips if preferred. Birds Nest Cookies 03 of 18 Hummingbird Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox If you think fruit doesn't belong in a cake, think again. This classic cake with pineapple and bananas in the layers is not only loved by Grandma but also by Southern Living readers as it's our most popular cake recipe of all time. Get The Recipe 04 of 18 Resurrection Rolls Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Not only are Resurrection rolls a delicious sweet treat to enjoy on Easter Sunday, but they also serve another reason. They also teach the grandkids about the real meaning of Easter. Get The Recipe 05 of 18 Pineapple-Coconut Cake Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley Pineapple and coconut are a classic duo and Grandma knows it's best served in cake form. And of course it's finished off with a decadent cream cheese frosting. Get The Recipe 06 of 18 Cherry Delight Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas As the name implies, this cool dessert is a true delight. Not only is it delightful to eat, but it's just as delightful to make because it comes together easily. Get The Recipe 07 of 18 Best Carrot Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox It's not Easter without carrot cake, and Grandma knows that this is the best recipe that she relies on year after year. Get The Recipe 08 of 18 No-Bake Strawberry Pie Joy Howard While Grandma probably makes the crust from scratch, you can use a store-bought one to help this no-bake pie come together even easier. Get The Recipe 09 of 18 Lemon Lush Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell When Grandma serves up a layered dessert in a 13- x 9-inch pan, you know it's going to be good and this Lemon Lush is no exception. The color is nice and springy, too. Get The Recipe 10 of 18 Angel Food Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Though classic Angel Food Cake is a simple dessert, Grandma thinks it's delicious enough to be served on Easter. Various toppings will help everyone customize their slice to fit their taste. Get The Recipe 11 of 18 Coconut Cream Pie Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Make sure not to skip toasting the coconut before adding it to the top of the pie. Grandma knows that step is necessary and takes it to the next level. Get The Recipe 12 of 18 Easter Egg Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck The Easter menu isn't complete without at least one layer cake and at least one dessert that features egg-shaped malted milk balls. Luckily, this cake checks both boxes. Get The Recipe 13 of 18 Best-Ever Lemon Meringue Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox While Grandma's meringue pies may almost look too pretty not to eat, they're also too delicious not to. Get The Recipe 14 of 18 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez It's easy to see why Grandma likes serving this pretty pink cake for Easter. Since it's a sheet cake, it easily feeds a crowd and it showcases beautiful spring strawberries. Get The Recipe 15 of 18 Chocolate Silk Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Chocolate Silk Pie is a lightened up and refreshing take on chocolate pie that's perfect for spring. Especially when it's topped with Grandma's homemade whipped cream. Get The Recipe 16 of 18 Chocolate Strawberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford This cake is the perfect chocolate dessert to serve in the spring thanks to its pretty pink frosting and fresh strawberry topping. Think of it as chocolate-covered strawberries in cake form. Get The Recipe 17 of 18 Lemon Chess Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Classic chess pie is given a fresh upgrade with the addition of both lemon juice and lemon zest. Lemon Chess Pie 18 of 18 Chocolate Cobbler Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Grandma knows that cobblers aren't only made with fruit. This chocolate version is decadent and even better when enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Get The Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit