Holidays & Occasions Mother's Day Make Ahead Mother's Day Desserts That Will Have Mama Going Back for Seconds With a little foresight and a touch of sugar, your Mother's Day can be sweet and stress-free. By Southern Living Editors Updated on April 7, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Whether you're getting together for Mother's Day brunch or a big family dinner, nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like a delicious, homemade dessert. With all of the recipes on your plate to pull off for mom, dessert is an easy course to cook ahead of time. Dishes served cold, like cheesecake and icebox pie, can easily be pre-arranged and ready to pull out of the fridge at a moment’s notice. Baked goods, like lemon bars and sheet cake, can easily be made ahead and frosted right before serving for a fresh look. The one thing sweeter than all of these treats? Stress-free time to spend with Mom now that dessert is done and ready to be devoured. So, get the ball rolling on all of your Mother's Day baking with a few of our favorite make-ahead desserts. With a little foresight and a touch of sugar, your Mother's Day can be sweet and stress-free. 01 of 22 Mini Strawberry Tarts Greg Dupree As adorable as they are delicious, these mini tarts are a tasty treat you can prepare ahead of time and chill for 24 hours. 02 of 22 Buttermilk-Lime Mini Cakes with Vanilla-Mascarpone Buttercream Greg DuPree These cute, individual cakes can be covered and refrigerated until mom arrives. 03 of 22 Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake Alison Miksch If you get your chocolate lovin' genes from your mama, this dessert is a must. 04 of 22 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Hector Sanchez We're pretty sure this swoon-worthy sheet cake will soon become a staple in your recipe box. 05 of 22 Petite Blueberry Cheesecakes Hector Sanchez After you make these two-bite treats, you can freeze them for up to one month. Once you're ready to eat, just thaw and top with preserves and fruit before serving. 06 of 22 Key Lime Icebox Cake Hector Sanchez Show mom how much you care with lots of layers of lovely lime custard. 07 of 22 Éclair Cake Molly Bolton “Finding the right dessert to bring for any family gathering requires some magic skills and a bit of luck. That is, until I tried this Éclair Cake for the first time,” writes Senior Digital Food Editor Kimberly Holland. This no-bake treat just might become a tradition with your family as it has with hers. 08 of 22 Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie JENNIFER DAVICK Since they need plenty of time to chill in the fridge before serving, icebox pies have long been a favorite make-ahead dessert option for Southerners. We gave the original Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad Recipe Mama will remember a beautiful makeover that’s holiday worthy. 09 of 22 Basil-Lemon Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Dress up your usual lemon bars with this pretty, herb-infused recipe that can be made and stored in the refrigerator two days ahead of your Mother’s Day gathering. 10 of 22 Chocolate Delight Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely This retro layered creation goes by many names. Regardless what you call it, we can promise the family will love this walk down memory lane. Let it chill the night before Mother’s Day for easy slicing. 11 of 22 Lemon-Cheese Layer Cake Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch This old-fashioned cake is a true labor of love, so it’s best to make the different elements of it ahead of time. “It takes some effort, but once you slice into it, you’ll know why these desserts have stood the test of time,” writes Test Kitchen Pro Ivy Odom. 12 of 22 Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis These sandwich cookies are a delightful way to add some intrigue to the dessert table. The meringue cookies can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container up to one week ahead, and the assembled sandwich cookies with the filling can be prepped up to three days ahead. 13 of 22 Wacky Cake Will Dickey; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee You don’t have to be an expert baker to surprise Mama with something sweet on Mother’s Day! This vintage delight can be kept at room temp and covered for up to three days, but it also freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container for up to three months in your freezer. 14 of 22 Lemon Lush Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell This nostalgic layered dessert will remind Mom of the one her mom used to make. The best part? No oven required, and it can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. 15 of 22 Tres Leches Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox This decadent cake is a longtime make-ahead favorite. Allowing it to rest in the fridge so the milks can soak in and make the cake as moist as possible is ideal. Store it covered for up to three days, and add the whipped topping before serving. 16 of 22 Brown Sugar Pound Cake Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Our Test Kitchen’s latest iteration of classic pound cake is also their best. They provided us with plenty of pretty and fun topping options for you to try. 17 of 22 Lemon Tiramisu Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Our spring-ready version of this timeless dessert can be made up to a day in advance and chilled until it’s time to surprise Mama. 18 of 22 Lemon-Lime Poke Cake Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis The poke cake method is a fun and easy way to make any sheet cake super-moist. This one can be stored, covered, without whipped topping, in the fridge for up to three days. Simply spread with whipped topping just before serving. 19 of 22 Ice Cream Cake Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely This ice cream cake will make Mom feel like a kid again! Make it up to two days in advance and keep it in the freezer. 20 of 22 Key Lime Tassies Iain Bagwell These bright bites will look precious on your prettiest cake stand this Mother’s Day. The tart shells can be made and frozen up to a month in advance, and the Key lime curd can be made up to two weeks ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. 21 of 22 Old-Fashioned Pound Cake Southern Living When in doubt, you can never go wrong with serving a classic pound cake. No bells and whistles—simply bring a little whipped cream and some fresh fruit for topping. 22 of 22 Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake Jennifer Causey It’s all in the name with this dreamy, creamy dessert. You can make the lemon curd up to two weeks in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Prepare the cheesecake the day before you plan to serve, chill, and top with the lemon curd before serving. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit