40 Easter Treats That are Almost Too Cute to Eat

By Kaitlyn Yarborough
Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly

Easter is a Southern potluck of epic proportions. While the hostess always handles the ham and your aunt brings her best-ever macaroni and cheese, someone always gets saddled with dessert. And this year, that might be you. With Easter being more whimsical than most Southern holidays—with the pastel eggs and baby chicks and whatnot—we think dessert is exactly where you can run wild. Think festive, fun, and (if feeling frisky) miniature! We’ve rounded up 40 delicious, easy, and spring-inspired treats that’ll wow the crowd at Easter lunch. Choose something classic with a twist, such as our Hummingbird Cupcakes, or celebrate the coming of spring with our Strawberry-Lemonade Cake. But, if nothing else, go with our most cheeky Easter treat: Bunny Butt Cookies. They’re the sweetest thing you’ll see all day, even with the pastel eggs and baby chicks. Get ready to celebrate Easter Day with the ones you love—and with these 40 cute Easter desserts.

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Bunny Butt Cookies

These delightful Easter cookies are sure to put a smile on any guest’s face this spring.

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot cake just got a whole lot cuter. 

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Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream

We fancified your carrot cake with coconut flavor—but made the recipe into a sheet cake to even the playing field. Layer cakes, beware! 

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Easter Cookies

Jen Causey

Recipe: Easter Cookies

Make sure to include a bouquet or two of these easy cookies at Mama's lunch this year. 

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Mini Confetti Cakes

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Mini Confetti Cakes

You'd never guess these mini cakes were made by cutting rounds out of a quick vanilla sheet cake. Oh-so easy. 

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Strawberry-Lemonade Cake

Jen Causey

Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Cake

This cake is like spring in a slice. 

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Chocolate Zucchini Cakes

Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Cakes

Trust us, these mini loaves taste even better than they look. Dense and incredibly moist, they're a shoe-in for favorite Easter treat. 

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Key Lime Pound Cake

Jen Causey

Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake

Serve up a slice of the Florida Keys with this Southern classic.

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Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff

Recipe: Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake

Easter deserves next-level treats. So combine two spring party favorites—strawberry cake and banana pudding—into a cool and creamy icebox cake. That'll do it. 

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Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges

We've taken our classic Hummingbird Cake to the cupcake pan. If you loathe icing layer cakes, this one's for you. 

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White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

We'll happily hunt for these sweet treats on Easter. 

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Lemon Bar Cheesecake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Lemon Bar Cheesecake

Get ready to be the talk of the town—er, Easter lunch. This citrus-inspired cheesecake beckons rave reviews. 

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Chocolate Bundt Cake

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Chocolate Bundt Cake

We made this one almost too easy for you. Made with boxed cake and brownie mixes, this Bundt will save any hostess in a time crunch. 

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Rose Petal Cupcakes

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Rose Petal Cupcakes

Garnish these easy cupcakes with rose petals that coordinate with your favorite Easter colors. 

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Mini Coconut-Key Lime Pies

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Mini Coconut-Key Lime Pies 

Behold: the perfect Key lime bite with just a hint of coconut. You may never go back to the basic recipe. 

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Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars

The Easter bunny might just come back for one of these fudgy bars. 

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Easter-Egg Shortbread Cookies

Helen Norman

Recipe: Easter-Egg Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies aren't too sweet—because royal icing has that covered. 

Here are our best tips and tricks for using royal icing.

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Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake

Because bourbon can belong at Easter, too. Just ask your uncle—he agrees. 

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Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes

Photo: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Mini Triple Chocolate-Buttermilk Pound Cakes

Talk about grab-and-go service. These mini pound cakes will serve up some sticky fingers—and we're here for it. 

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Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Recipe: Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars

Get ready for some fruity, buttery, crumbly goodness. 

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Naked Lemon Cake with Flower Crown

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Naked Lemon Cake with Flower Crown

Equal parts romantic and rustic, this cake will fit right in at the egg hunt. 

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Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling Torie Cox

Recipe: Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes

Alert, alert! No artificial coloring required here. These festive cupcakes get a natural tint from beets. (And no one will know the difference.)

 

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Lemon-Coconut Chess Bars

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Lemon-Coconut Chess Bars

Get a taste of the tropics by adding coconut milk to these classic Southern bars. 

 

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Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie

Because, every so often, the Easter festivities get more heated than expected. Cool off with a slice of fruity icebox Easter pie. 

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Coconut Pound Cake

Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Coconut Pound Cake

This recipe is plain to-die-for. You'll be wondering where all the pound cake went.

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Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Banana Pudding Poke Cake

This poke cake will feed a crowd, which is good—because they're going to be coming back for more. 

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Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Hummingbird Bundt Cake

This spin on a classic Southern cake will make any hostess very happy. (Frosting a layer cake can make even the most seasoned chef nervous when she knows company is coming.)

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Chocolate Éclair Cake

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Chocolate Éclair Cake

This three-tiered creamy, dreamy cake makes a show-stopping centerpiece for Easter. 

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Mini Strawberry Tarts

Greg Dupree

Recipe: Mini Strawberry Tarts

You won't find a treat prettier than these mini tarts. And they only take 30 minutes of hands-on time. 

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Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Everyone will know that spring has officially sprung when these cupcakes hit the table. Top with lemony buttercream tinted in the pretty pastel shades of your choosing.

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Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines

We're all for a grab-and-go Easter sweet, and this praline recipe might be our best-ever. 

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Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars

These bars crumble into nutty, berry-licious heaven with every bite. 

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Chocolate Trifle

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Chocolate Trifle  

Here's what they won't know: These fancy mini trifles only take five storebought ingredients. 

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Coconut-and-Pecan Strawberry Shortcakes

Photo: Hector M. Sanchez

Recipe: Coconut-and-Pecan Strawberry Shortcakes

This isn't your basic strawberry shortcake recipe. It's even better.

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Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling; Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie

Just imagine those perfectly toasted peaks residing over the Easter table. 

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Coconut Meringues with Elderflower Strawberries

Hector M. Sanchez

Recipe: Coconut Meringues with Elderflower Strawberries

Airy meringues topped with pillows of mascarpone cream and fresh, juicy strawberries in an elderflower-mint syrup? Say no more. 

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Crepe Cake

Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Crepe Cake

It’s a bright dessert with the unmistakable flavor of a fruit-filled crepe—with, wait for it, 12 layers. We'll take two. 

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Peach Icebox Cake

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Peach Icebox Cake

Cool off any post-hunt heat with a hearty helping of this icebox cake. Peaches will pop alongside your Easter pastels. 

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Tres Leches Cake

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Tres Leches Cake

Imagine the creamiest cake of all time, infused with nutmeg, coffee, and sweetened condensed milk. Well, here you go. 

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Grand Marnier Cakes

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly

Recipe: Grand Marnier Cakes

There's nothing that mini cakes soaked in a Grand Marnier glaze can't fix. 

 

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