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45 Fresh Spring Desserts That Will Delight All Season

45 Fresh Spring Desserts That Will Delight All Season

By Southern Living Editors

Updated February 17, 2021

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

These delightful sweets are a tasteful final touch for your spring celebration. Springtime is full of color and wonderful scents, and it isn’t just the flowers (although florals do inspire some of our favorite spring desserts). In addition to the fragrant roses, the spring season is full of fresh fruit and berries—accordingly, these gorgeous spring desserts are all about seasonal fruit. Make sure your sweet tooth is satisfied with everything from fudgy Bundt cakes to cupcakes for a crowd.

Each of these spring dessert recipes is great for sharing with family, friends, and neighbors. For a new twist on a classic, try the Key Lime Pound Cake; Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting are perfect for sharing. Many of these recipes are inspired by our favorite spring beverages, from our Strawberry-Lemonade Cake to our Sweet Tea Bundt (of course, you’ll have to serve this with a glass of Mama’s signature sweet tea). And don’t forget about the Easter desserts!

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Strawberry-Lemonade Cake

Credit: Jen Causey

Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Cake

You can assemble this glorious cake up to two days ahead; store at room temp. Also, you can freeze cooled layers up to a month in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. The sweet-tart Strawberry-Lemonade Jam and Strawberry Frosting make for a delicious finish.

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Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake

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

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Classic Coconut Cake

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Classic Coconut Cake

Look for packaged coconut shavings in your grocer's natural foods section.

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Lemon Raspberry Cake

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Recipe: Lemon Raspberry Cake

If you’re looking for a springtime recipe that will really steal the show, this two-layered Lemon Raspberry Cake has elegance written all over it.

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Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

Recipe: Banana Pudding Cheesecake

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

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Key Lime Pound Cake

Credit: Jen Causey

Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake

Dress up traditional pound cake with a little lime zest and a homemade Key lime glaze for a deliciously tropical dessert.

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Chocolate-Strawberry Cake

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Recipe: Chocolate-Strawberry Cake

This sweet-as-can-be stunner is essentially a chocolate-covered strawberry in layer cake form.

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Heavenly Angel Food Cake

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: 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.

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Easter Cookies

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: 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.

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The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Credit: Alison Miksch

Recipe: The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Truly our best-ever carrot cake recipe, make this classic favorite for a crowd and you might not have any leftovers to bring home.

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Naked Lemon Cake with Flower Crown

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

Recipe: Naked Lemon Cake with Flower Crown

This cake abides by our #1 spring baking philosophy: Keep it simple and fresh (and when in doubt, add flowers).

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting

Overestimated the amount of chocolate eggs your family could actually consume? Make use of the spares as cupcake toppers.

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Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Classic Strawberry Shortcake

With juicy strawberries spooned over sweet and tender biscuits, old-fashioned strawberry shortcakes are the perfect dessert. If the berries are very sweet, decrease the sugar to suit your taste.

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Easter Egg Cookies

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Easter Egg Cookies

Decorating these cute pastel cookies a great activity for the kids on the afternoon of Easter.

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Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

There are a few things to note about this recipe before you start baking. First, the cream cheese is added after beating the butter and sugar. And, yes, you read the cooking instructions correctly—the cake bakes at a slightly higher temperature than usual.

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Sweet Tea Bundt Cake

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Sweet Tea Bundt Cake

Spring marks the start of porch-sitting season across the South, and we’re celebrating with this Sweet Tea Bundt Cake.

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Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges

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

Recipe: Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges

Candied pineapple adds a touch of whimsy to these fan-favorite cupcakes.

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Coconut Pound Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Coconut Pound Cake

Bring a bit of tropical flair to the BBQ with this lightened-up pound cake.

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Mixed Citrus Bars

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Mixed Citrus Bars

Use orange, grapefruit, or lime to give classic lemon bars a refresh.

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Strawberry Icebox Cake

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Recipe: Strawberry Icebox Cake

If your warm childhood days were spent enjoying cool slices of icebox cake, this strawberry version of the well-loved treat will trigger a welcome wave of nostalgia.

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Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

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

Recipe: Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

Combining the two icings gives this cake an extra-special finish.

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Fried Bananas Foster

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton

Recipe: Fried Bananas Foster

Serve this fried sweet treat over butter pecan ice cream and top with caramel rum sauce.

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Key Lime Slab Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Recipe: Key Lime Slab Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream

Fresh strawberries and lime zest top off this delicious and easy slab pie.

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Lemon Bar Cake

Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Lemon Bar Cake

Make this luscious lemon dessert in the slow cooker. Serve it warm or let it cool.

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Chocolate Bundt Cake

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

Recipe: Chocolate Bundt Cake

In the spring, we’re all about the light, fruity desserts, but sometimes you just can’t resist a nice, fluffy chocolate Bundt.

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Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Bright lemon blueberry glaze makes this dessert a showstopper every time.

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Rose Petal Cupcakes

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

Recipe: Rose Petal Cupcakes

The best way to jazz up any simple vanilla cupcakes? Add rose petals.

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Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Credit: Micah Leal

Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Make the most of that fresh spring produce and bake up a batch of these Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes.

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Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream

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

Recipe: Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream

Not only is this cake visually stunning, but it bakes in a sheet pan, ensuring it’ll feed a crowd.

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Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes

If you put a handful of blueberries in your cheesecake, that makes it healthy, right?

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45 Fresh Spring Desserts That Will Delight All Season

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Strawberry-Lemonade Cake

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Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake

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Classic Coconut Cake

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Lemon Raspberry Cake

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Banana Pudding Cheesecake

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Key Lime Pound Cake

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Chocolate-Strawberry Cake

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Heavenly Angel Food Cake

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Easter Cookies

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The Ultimate Carrot Cake

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Naked Lemon Cake with Flower Crown

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting

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Classic Strawberry Shortcake

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Easter Egg Cookies

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Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

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Sweet Tea Bundt Cake

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Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges

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Coconut Pound Cake

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Mixed Citrus Bars

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Strawberry Icebox Cake

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Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

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Fried Bananas Foster

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Key Lime Slab Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream

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Lemon Bar Cake

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Chocolate Bundt Cake

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Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake