St. Patrick's Day Desserts Better Than a Pot of Gold

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Cake

St. Patrick's Day isn't just about corned beef and cabbage. In order to celebrate the holiday right, you'll want a festive dessert to cap off the night. While some of our classic dessert recipes are always good options for any special celebration, we've dug up some of our best Irish-inspired treats to whip up as well. From sweets made with sour cream like our Sour Cream Pound Cake, to fruity apple desserts like our Salted Irish Cream Apple Crostata, and even mint chocolate treats like Mint-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake, these St. Patrick's Day desserts will certainly leave you feeling lucky. For treats as green as the Irish countryside to boozy desserts that are just what the Leprechaun ordered, you will have the perfect desserts that will make you feel like you've discovered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

01 of 20

Salted Irish Cream Apple Crostata

Jerrelle Guy's Salted Irish Cream-Apple Crostata
Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Irish cream liqueur is added to the batter and sauce in this buttery pastry. Serve with vanilla ice cream and Irish coffee. You might even like it better than a classic apple pie.

02 of 20

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Southern Living

This beautiful mint cake with deep chocolate flavor is just what the Leprechaun ordered. To make sure that mint flavor is strong, don't be afraid to massage your mint to really bring out the oils.

03 of 20

Best-Ever Scones

Best-Ever Scones
Beth Dreiling Hontzas, Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett, Food Styling: Rebecca Kracke Gordon

Across the pond, our Irish friends love to dip their scones in tea. Usually, their scones are full of currents or covered in clotted cream, butter or jam, and we packed our scones with delicious flavors.

04 of 20

Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes

Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes
Iain Bagwell; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Bourbon is American whiskey, which is a favorite Irish drink. These dainty cakes are a subtle nod to an Irish love of chocolate and whiskey.

05 of 20

Hot Buttered Rum Bread Pudding

Hot Buttered Rum Bread Pudding
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

This delicious dessert is a warm and comforting way to polish off any day of celebration. The components of golden raisins and cream make this reminiscent of a decadent version of an Irish Soda Bread.

06 of 20

Irish Coffee

Irish coffee
Ekaterina Molchanova/Getty Images

Pair Irish coffee with your favorite cake or cookie, or enjoy it on its own as an after-dinner treat. It's the perfect nightcap that all your of-age guests will enjoy.

07 of 20

Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Hector Sanchez Styling: Heather Chadduck

With a few adjustments, this spring dessert can be transformed into the ultimate St. Patty's Day confection. In the cupcakes: Substitute lime zest for lemon zest and fresh lime juice for lemon juice. For the frosting: substitute fresh lime juice for lemon juice, and 1 to 2 drops green liquid food coloring instead of yellow.

08 of 20

Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing

Texas Sheet Cake With Fudge Icing

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

To get to the rainbow, sometimes you have to go through a little bit of dirt. This delicious Southern cake is a much more delicious, yet sometimes a little bit messy dessert that will get you through all your St. Patrick's celebrations.

09 of 20

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Getty Pound Cake In Bundt Pan
Magdalena Niemczyk–ElanArt/Getty Images

The light and fluffy texture of this Southern favorite comes from the sour cream used in the batter. Throw in a dash of green food dye to make an extra lucky cake.

10 of 20

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Joy Howard

Another Irish favorite is Shortbread cookies, and these Lavender Shortbread Cookies have just the right touch of festive that you can enjoy with a cup of Irish Breakfast tea.

11 of 20

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Luca Trovato

Cream cheese filling and praline frosting make this apple treat indulgent and irresistible. Enjoy with a glass of your favorite stout for a delicious treat.

12 of 20

Avocado-Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Avocado-Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
Hector Manuel Sanchez

The flavors of avocado and key lime will create a rich and citrus-filled ice cream dessert. Pick up White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Cookies from your local bakery for a sophisticated ice cream sandwich.

13 of 20

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Cake

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Cake

What better way to serve up a green dessert than with mint chocolate-chip ice cream smoothed between luscious layers of chocolate cake? For garnish, use chocolate-mint candies or mint Oreos.

14 of 20

Lemon-Lime Poke Cake

Lemon-Lime Poke Cake in a rectangle blue pan
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis

This gorgeous, easy cake is the simplest way to show some green without grabbing the food coloring. With a boxed cake mix, you really can't go wrong.

15 of 20

Cornbread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel

Cornbread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel
Photo: Brian Woodcock

This recipe brings Southern and Irish staples together in one decadent dish. While cornbread in the South isn't usually sweet, the Whiskey Caramel gives this dessert the perfect balance of flavors.

16 of 20

Mama's Rum Cake

Mama's Rum Cake
Peter Frank Edwards

This rum cake is something special from Mildred "Mama Dip" Council of the famed Mama Dip's Kitchen in North Carolina. The cake is syrupy and has just the right amount of sweetness.

17 of 20

Bourbon-Chocolate Cake With Praline Frosting

Bourbon-Chocolate Cake With Praline Frosting

Everyone will feel lucky with this slice of cake. Full of rich chocolate flavor and delicious pralines, this cake is worth of any celebration, year-round.

18 of 20

Grand Marnier Cakes

Grand Marnier Cakes
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly

Looking for a personalized dessert that wows? Look no further than these Grand Marnier Cakes that can be topped with a variety of different fruits. Start with strawberries and move through all the colors of the rainbow to make a festive display they won't forget.

19 of 20

Margarita Cake

Margarita Cake

Southern Living

Yes, you love a margarita on a hot Summer day, but this beautifully green cake is simply too festive to not include in your St. Patty's day desserts. Packed with lime flavors and a tequila infused syrup, it's a confection your guests won't soon forget.

20 of 20

Triple-Layer Chocolate-Caramel Cake

Triple-Layer Chocolate-Caramel Cake
Greg DuPree

This beautifully decadent chocolate caramel cake is like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: almost too good to be true. You can even add a little bit of Bourbon for a kick.

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