Food and Recipes Desserts 31 Retirement Party Dessert Ideas By Zoe Denenberg Zoe Denenberg As a professional baker, Zoe Denenberg has spent the past two years traveling across the country—from Alabama to Hawai'i—working in farm-focused pastry kitchens. She has written about food, travel, and culture for Southern Living since 2019. See more of Zoe's work at https://zoedenenberg.wixsite.com/portfolio and follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Micah Leal Retirement parties are a great occasion to celebrate many years of hard work dedicated to your company or your career. While retirement parties all pay homage to an honored guest, there's no one right way to throw a retirement soiree. They can be celebrated during the day or at night, at the office, a restaurant, or a venue. They can be themed or come-as-you-are, casual or formal, catered or potluck. But, no matter how you choose to commemorate a retirement, one thing is certain: any good party must have fabulous desserts. Organizing a fantastic and cohesive dessert spread is no easy task, so we're here to help you plan your sweet spread. There's no better way to show your love, dedication, and reverence than with homemade cakes, pies, or cookies. So whether you're the planner, the retiree, or a potluck partygoer, these recipes will wow the retirement party crowd. 01 of 31 Chocolate Mousse Cake Micah Leal Recipe: Chocolate Mousse Cake Featuring chocolate cake, mousse, and ganache, this rich cake is a chocolate-lover's dream. 02 of 31 Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Jennifer Causey Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies You can never go wrong with chocolate chip cookies. This recipe elevates the favorite dessert with brown butter, which adds a nutty, caramelized flavor to the time-tested classic. 03 of 31 Mini Confetti Cakes Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Mini Confetti Cakes You'd never guess that these elegantly-decorated Mini Confetti Cakes were cut out of a sheet cake. 04 of 31 Lemon Chiffon Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Lemon Chiffon Pie Breeze into retirement with this light, airy Lemon Chiffon Pie. For an added personal touch, ditch the store-bought pie dough and try making your own. 05 of 31 Sweet Tea Bundt Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Sweet Tea Bundt Cake Prepare your retiree for the sweet tea porch-sipping lifestyle with this adorable Sweet Tea Bundt Cake. This cake may look simple, but it's soaked in Sweet Tea Glaze to add extra moisture and flavor. 06 of 31 Chocolate Torte Micah Leal Recipe: Chocolate Torte Rich in dark chocolate and naturally gluten-free, this decadent Chocolate Torte will be an instant fan-favorite. 07 of 31 Mama Dip's Rum Cake Peter Frank Edwards Recipe: Mama Dip's Rum Cake Help the retiree forget all about the stress of office life with this moist and boozy rum cake. 08 of 31 Kentucky Bourbon Pie Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Kentucky Bourbon Pie This pie may have been originally fashioned for the Kentucky Derby, but its winning combination of chocolate, bourbon, and pecans earns it a place at our table year-round. 09 of 31 Icebox Fruit Cake Micah Leal Recipe: Icebox Fruit Cake An oldie but a goodie. Fruitcake may get a bad rap, but this Icebox Fruit Cake recipe reimagines the classic fruitcake with a speedy, no-bake approach. It's full of nostalgic holiday flavor and fit for any party spread. 10 of 31 Cream Cheese Brownies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Cream Cheese Brownies A cream cheese swirl transforms boring brownies into stunning party-ready treats. 11 of 31 Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Dipping these rich chocolate cookies in powdered sugar gives them their lovely signature crinkle-top texture. 12 of 31 Chocolate Bundt Cake Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Chocolate Bundt Cake Accented with edible pansies, this Chocolate Bundt Cake is simple, yet addictive. 13 of 31 Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Double down on the chocolate in these Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies. With bourbon and espresso to compliment the deep chocolate flavor, these brownies hit all the right notes. 14 of 31 Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling; Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie Key lime meets lemon meringue in this dreamy citrus-fusion pie. 15 of 31 Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies Repurpose that boxed cake mix sitting in your pantry to make these beautiful Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies. 16 of 31 Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars These Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars can be enjoyed all on their own or paired with other hand-held bars for an epic dessert platter. 17 of 31 White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Micah A. Leal Recipe: White-Chocolate Covered Strawberries Add a burst of fresh fruit to the retirement party dessert spread with these simple, yet fabulously adorned White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries. 18 of 31 Red Velvet Cheesecake Abby Hocking / Food & Wine Recipe: Red Velvet Cheesecake This beauty combines the rich, chocolatey flavors of red velvet with the dense tang of cheesecake to make a new favorite dessert fusion. 19 of 31 Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Cut these bars into quarters for a party-ready platter of bite-sized spiced pecan pie squares. 20 of 31 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake In the South, we love our mayonnaise, and we're not afraid to hide it. It's the all-star ingredient to bring moisture to this classic Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. 21 of 31 Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel This versatile coffee cake can be served morning or night. It's the perfect way to finish off a daytime retirement party. Try serving this Peach Coffee Cake with vanilla ice cream. 22 of 31 Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies No party is complete without a plate of Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies. The sight of these cute chocolate-drop cookies will bring you right back to grandma's kitchen at Christmas time. 23 of 31 Cheesecake Cookies Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Cheesecake Cookies Topped with glossy maraschino cherries, these creamy and voluminous Cheesecake Cookies will stand out in a potluck dessert spread. 24 of 31 Lemon Thumbprint Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Lemon Thumbprint Cookies Instead of sticking to a tried-and-true potluck, get more specific and theme your retirement party as a cookie swap! These classic Lemon Thumbprint Cookies are sure to satisfy. 25 of 31 Banana Pudding Poke Cake Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Banana Pudding Poke Cake Poking holes in your freshly-baked cake will ensure that you'll get some delicious pudding topping in every bite. 26 of 31 Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes Micah Leal Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes Use those extra farmers' market strawberries to make these fresh and fruity cupcakes. 27 of 31 Homemade Pop Tarts Micah A. Leal Recipe: Homemade Pop Tarts For a throwback-themed retirement party, make these easy homemade Pop Tarts! Their nostalgic flavors and whimsy will bring the retiree right back to their childhood. 28 of 31 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Sheet cake is the perfect way to feed a crowd. So when the retirement party invite list starts to grow, keep this Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake recipe on hand. 29 of 31 Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio Recipe: Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting Celebrate the start of retirement with these tropical cupcakes. You have many days of sitting in the sun to look forward to. 30 of 31 Charlotte Russe Cake Micah Leal Recipe: Charlotte Russe Cake Stun with this Charlotte Russe Cake without ever turning on your oven. This cool no-bake cake is ideal for an intimate summer retirement gathering. 31 of 31 Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze Even those skeptical of floral flavoring will fall for this Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with an oh-so-subtle Lavender Glaze. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit