Sparkling Spring Dessert Recipes
Key Lime Coconut Cake with Marshmallow Frosting [1]
Billowy Meringue Frosting tops a moist and buttery lime-flecked cake whose subtle coconut flavor comes from canned cream of coconut.
Cherry-Berry Rich Shortcakes [5]
Michigan's fruit belt inspired our Cherry-Berry Rich Shortcakes. We played up the sweet cherries grown in the Great Lakes State, along with blueberries and raspberries. A shortcake biscuit base and sweetened whipped cream complete the dessert.
Meyer Lemon Pots de Crème with Honeyed Kumquats [9]
The creamy lemon puddings look and taste sophisticated but are actually quite simple to make, and they can even be prepared in advance.
Best-Ever Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie [13]
Strawberry-rhubarb pie filling gets a touch of zesty ginger flavor, then goes into a slice-and-bake crust.
Berry Easy Cobbler [17]
This crunch-topped cobbler calls for 3 cups of blueberries, but if you'd like a double-fruit version, reduce the blueberries to 2 cups and add 2 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries.
Berry Easy Cobbler [18]
Kansas Sunflower Cupcakes [21]
The Sunflower State's wheat crops and native state flower inspired our cupcakes. Frosting piped like petals turns the individual Kansas Sunflower Cupcakes into pretty treats. Wheat germ adds a hearty touch to the buttermilk-vanilla cakes.
Gingered Cantaloupe and Blackberry Shortcakes [25]
Shortcake is a scrumptious showcase for fruit. This recipe calls for melon and berries coated with honey-ginger syrup on top of ginger-flavored cakes.
Peach Upside-Down Cake [29]
The family behind Illinois' Rendleman Orchards has amassed some great peach recipes in 135 years of growing peaches. This cake is no exception. Peach slices and brown sugar form a moist base for the tender, square cake--and when flipped over, that base becomes the topping.
Lemon-Cream Cheese Pie [33]
This creamy lemon pie, a longtime reader-favorite recipe, is a signature dessert at Al's Oasis, a family restaurant along the east bank of the Missouri River in Chamberlain, South Dakota (135 miles east of Rapid City).
Orange Batons and Macadamia Tea Cookies [37]
You'll love the refreshing citrus flavor of Orange Batons, delicate butter cookies dipped in chocolate. Shredded coconut and white chocolate chunks make Macadamia Tea Cookies a sweet and chewy treat. Both recipes come from a Hillsboro, Ohio, reader.
Orange Batons [38]
Maple-Walnut Banana Bars [42]
The math on these homey bars couldn’t be simpler: one pan, one ripe banana and less than one hour from start to finish.
Chocolate Pavlova [46]
Fresh fruit tops crispy-chewy meringue and whipped cream in this luscious dessert traditionally served at summer celebrations in New Zealand and Australia.
Chocolate Pavlova [47]
Crepes Suzettes [50]
The classic French dessert is absurdly simple; soak crepes in buttery, boozy, orange-flavor syrup, then serve with whipped cream. Although unflavored Sweet Crepes are traditional in this dish, you could make a delicious orange-chocolate variation by substituting Cocoa Crepes.
Crepes Suzettes [51]
Raspberry Cream Tart [54]
Fresh berries work best in this elegant dessert (frozen berries get too watery). Keep fruit refrigerated and dry, and plan to use it within a couple of days of purchase.
Raspberry Cream Tart [55]
Rise and Shine Cranberry-Apple Crisp [58]
Spiced coconut streusel adds crunch to healthy aples and berries.
Kansas-Style Lime Pie [62]
Finely shredded lime peel and lime juice combine in this light, airy and easy-to-make dessert from Petersen's Pantry in Emporia, Kansas. The recipe gives instructions for an orange variation, too.
Tinted Angel Cake [66]
The many colors of Kool-Aid, a Nebraska invention, give an array of choices for this angel food cake that starts with a mix. Pink lemonade Kool-Aid adds pastel prettiness and a delicate flavor to Tinted Angel Cake. The tropical punch version gives the cake flavor that's as intense as its color.
Tinted Angel Cake [67]
Cheesecake-Sauced Fruit Parfaits [70]
Blend just four ingredients to create this easy sauce from a Wausau, Wisconsin, reader. Serve over fresh fruit such as raspberries, blueberries or strawberries.
Candied Citrus Peel [74]
If you can resist munching on all these chewy, sweet citrus bits, you'll find plenty of ways to use them in your kitchen. We like stirring chopped peel into granola or cookie batter, sprinkling it over vanilla ice cream, or dipping the pieces in chocolate. Keep in mind that lime peel does not taste particularly good when candied.
Candied Citrus Peel [75]
Raspberry Cheesecake Bars [78]
Layers of cheesecake, raspberry filling, almonds and coconut form dessert bars perfect for summer picnics and potlucks.
Luscious Lemon Bars [82]
Sweet and tart, these moist, powdered-sugar-topped dessert bars will disappear fast.
Luscious Lemon Bars [83]
Vanilla Bean Crepe Cake [86]
When did being vanilla become an insult? This stack of golden crepes and creamy mascarpone is simple, elegant and deceptively delicious. Supermarket crepes are larger than homemade ones, so if you use purchased, you'll need to make an extra half batch of filling, or just make a cake with fewer layers.
Honey-Berry Yogurt Frozen Yogurt Sundaes [90]
Fresh raspberries, blackberries, strawberries or blueberries star in our Honey-Berry Frozen Yogurt Sundaes, which take only 15 minutes to make from start to finish.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars [94]
Strawberries and rhubarb flavored with ginger make an appealing combo in this dessert. Drizzle just before serving with Ginger Icing, if you like.
Oatmeal Cherry Cookies [98]
Dried cherries make oatmeal cookies even more memorable in this recipe from American Spoon Foods, which has locations in the Traverse City, Michigan, area. We like the cookies' crisp edges and chewy centers.
Raspberry Upside-Down Cake [102]
Whipped cream and raspberries crown easy Raspberry Upside-Down Cake, from a Hopkins, Minnesota, reader.
Blueberry-Topped Lemon Cheesecake [106]
This recipe features a luscious fresh blueberry sauce on creamy lemon cheesecake.