Delightful Spring Desserts - Southern Living

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake

Serve this decadent spring dessert at your next ladies' luncheon and wow the crowd with edible flowers. Take your pick at crystallizedflowers.com.

Recipe: Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Key Lime Pound Cake

We've all tasted Key Lime Pie, but a Key Lime Pound Cake? Why not! The lime zest adds a nice tartness to any pie or cake.

Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake

Photo: Ralph Anderson

Hot Cross Buns

Bake the traditional English nutmeg-and-cinnamon-spiced Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday or for Easter breakfast. Lemon icing is easily piped through a zip-top bag to form the traditional cross on top.

Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

Fresh Rosemary compliments the lemony flavor in this moist coffee cake. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh rosemary sprigs for a showstopping presentation.

Photo by Iain Bagwell

Lemon-Rosemary Coffee Cake

Fresh Rosemary compliments the lemony flavor in this moist coffee cake. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh rosemary sprigs for a showstopping presentation.

Recipe: Lemon-Rosemary Coffee Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

Chocolate-Espresso Pots de Crème

It cannot get much better when chocolate and coffee are in the same dessert. Top Chocolate-Espresso Pots de Creme with edible flowers for the perfect touch. Take your pick at crystallizedflowers.com.

Recipe: Chocolate-Espresso Pots de Crème

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Easter Cookies

Try this Easter dessert with a simple five-ingredient dough that can be made up to three days ahead and stored in the fridge.

Recipe: Easter Cookies

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

The rich, moist texture of this divine angel food cake is unlike any other. Made from scratch in minutes, it's baked in a 13- x 9-inch pan and spread with frosting that's a lemon lover's dream.

Recipe: Heavenly Angel Food Cake

Basic White Cupcakes

Who can resist a handheld cake swathed in creamy frosting? These cupcakes are made from box mixes enriched with buttermilk, so the batter bakes up melt-in-your-mouth moist everytime.

Recipe: Basic White Cupcakes

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Lemon-Yogurt Crumb Cake

We love the swirls of lemon curd in this cake, but it's also delicious without it.

Recipe: Lemon-Yogurt Crumb Cake

Small Tiered Cluster Cakes

These small, tiered treats with 3-inch-round bases lend elegance to an intimate Spring party, tea, or dinner.

Recipe: Small Tiered Cluster Cakes

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Vanilla-Buttermilk Tarts

Garnish with fresh fruit and basil sprigs for a darling dessert.

Recipe: Vanilla-Buttermilk Tarts

Hazelnut Truffles

Serve these hazelnut truffles in a hand-made candy box and you not only have a tempting dessert but also a fabulous table decoration.

Recipe: Hazelnut Truffles

Bridesmaid Baby Cakes

For a more personalized gathering, decorate each baby cake with your guests' initials. This specialized touch is a great creative replacement for table cards.

Recipe: Bridesmaid Baby Cakes

Photo by Iain Bagwell; Styling by Heather Chadduck

35th Anniversary Hummingbird Cake

We updated the original with a banana pudding-inspired custard filling and browned butter frosting. As for the cake layers? They're original. We recognize perfection when we taste it.

Recipe: 35th Anniversary Hummingbird Cake

Coconut Cream Tarts with Macadamia Nut Crusts

The crisp, sturdy crust perfectly complements the creamy custard in these stellar tarts.

Recipe: Coconut Cream Tarts with Macadamia Nut Crusts

Nutter Butter-Banana Pudding Trifle

This homemade pudding is divine, economical, and uses on-hand ingredients. Tip: The pudding has thickened enough when a distinct trail is left in the mixture when you stir with a spoon. The cookies will soften the longer the dessert chills.

Recipe: Nutter Butter-Banana Pudding Trifle

Lemon Velvet Tart

Dazzle your taste buds with the vibrant flavor of lemon. Drizzle Raspberry Sauce over your slice, if you wish.

Recipe: Lemon Velvet Tart

Photo by Iain Bagwell; Styling by Heather Chadduck

Green Tea-Honeysuckle Cake

Spring-green ribbons of matcha-flavored batter and a homemade honeysuckle glaze elevate a basic vanilla butter cake to gourmet status. Bonus: It tumbles from the pan perfectly fluted and party ready.

Recipe: Green Tea-Honeysuckle Cake

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Biscuits, fresh berries, and a lavish crown of whipped cream make Classic Strawberry Shortcake irresistible.

Recipe: Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Photo by Iain Bagwell; Styling by Heather Chadduck

Chocolate Zucchini Cakes

Spiked with a triple hit of chocolate (we're talking intensely rich sour cream-fudge frosting here), these are definitely not your garden-variety zucchini cakes.

Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Cakes

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Lemonade spritzers and mint iced tea make delicious accompaniments to Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Recipe from Nancy H. Test; West Chester, Ohio

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Banana Pudding Cheesecake

This sinfully sweet dessert is the perfect blend of fresh bananas, creamy cheesecake, and crunchy vanilla wafers.

Recipe: Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Hat Cookies

Our hats are off to this adorable idea! These cookies are perfect when served for a Spring luncheon or to celebrate Easer.

Recipe: Hat Cookies

Double Citrus Tart

Double Citrus Tart captures the bright, fresh flavors of lemon and orange in a crisp gingersnap crust. Dollop whipping cream around edges of tart and finish with fresh mint leaves and orange slices.

Recipe: Double Citrus Tart

Little Bitty Cakes

It has been said that all good things come in small packages, and when it comes to these cakes that saying is all too true. Pipe a dollop of frosting on each cake, and decorate with Candied Flowers and Raspberries.

Recipe: Little Bitty Cakes

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Luscious Lemon Bars

These classic bar cookies feature a buttery shortbread crust and rich, fresh lemon filling. Make them ahead of time and freeze up to 1 month.

Recipe: Luscious Lemon Bars

Photo by Iain Bagwell; Styling by Heather Chadduck

Strawberries and Cream Cake

Imagine a multi-layered fusion of fresh strawberry pie and feather-light sponge cake. Unlike the original strawberry cake-mix classic, this one's made from scratch.

Recipe: Strawberries and Cream Cake

Best Carrot Cake

We are not lying when we say this is the "best". One online reader loved the cake so much, she also made cupcakes out of the batter.

Recipe: Best Carrot Cake

Strawberry-Orange Trifle

Welcome Spring with this doable yet impressive dessert. Our Strawberry-Orange Trifle starts with a no-cook custard enriched with store-bought lemon curd.

Recipe: Strawberry-Orange Trifle

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Lemon Soufflés

Yes, these feather-light soufflés do look too good to eat. But don't let that stop you! Prep the lemon curd up to 2 weeks ahead and you can serve these in just 30 minutes.

Recipe: Lemon Soufflés

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Lemon Coconut Pound Cake

This pound cake recipe starts from scratch and is as good as it looks. Pair it with a sparkling wine, like a Prosecco, to complete your dessert.

Recipe: Lemon-Coconut Pound Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Piña Colada Icebox Pie

Forget the rolling pin and tricked-out lattice topping—just pat the crust in the pan, add a little tropical flair (we're talking a delicious pineapple-coconut filling here), then bake and chill.

Recipe: Piña Colada Icebox Pie

Photo by Iain Bagwell; Styling by Heather Chadduck

Pound Cake Cupcakes

A Thumbelina version of the tube-pan classic, these Pound Cake Cupcakes are pretty enough for a fairy-tale princess—and only a muffin tin away.

Recipe: Pound Cake Cupcakes