It wouldn’t be a proper holiday without one (or more!) of these conversation-stopping Easter cakes, cupcakes, pies, tarts, and other celebrations of spring.

Contents

A loaf of kulich topped with glaze and sprinkles on a round trivet
Sarah Kieffer
1 of 18

Kulich

Kulich is a traditional Easter bread popular in Eastern Europe that’s sorta like panettone and made from cardamom and saffron-infused dough and topped with a creamy confectioners’ sugar glaze and colorful sprinkles.
Recipe
A two-tier Victoria sponge cake with raspberry jam in the middle, all dusted with confectioners' sugar on a white plate with a white teapot in the background
Cristian Barnett
2 of 18

Victoria Sponge Cake

This Victoria sponge cake—a simple yet sophisticated dessert named after the Queen—is made with a stack of sponge cakes sandwiching raspberry jam.
Recipe
Four Hoosier sugar cream pies, one dusted with confectioners' sugar on a sheet of parchment.
Debbie Carlos
3 of 18

Sugar Cream Pie

This Hoosier sugar cream pie is perhaps the best dessert to ever come out of Indiana. Who knew a little sugar, flour, cream, and vanilla could become something so magnificent? Easy to understand why it’s so common since it comes together from pantry staples.
Recipe
Ina Garten's lemon cake, a pound cake, on a cutting board, drizzled with a lemon glaze
mpessaris
4 of 18

Ina Garten’s Lemon Cake

This lemon cake is similar to a classic, old-fashioned pound cake but not quite so dense. It's magnificently buttery and exponentially lemony thanks to a tart soak in a lemon and sugar syrup and a drizzle of lemony confectioners' sugar glaze.
Recipe
Several varieties of crystallized flowers scattered across a white surface.
Sue Stubbs
5 of 18

Crystallized Flowers

Making crystallized flowers is easier than you may think. Read on to find out how to make those stunning edible garnishes.
Recipe
Cake stand with 7 frosted coconut cupcakes, four unfrosted cupcakes on the table, and a bowl of frosting.
Alexander Grablewski
6 of 18

Coconut Cupcakes

Adding coconut to the batter and the frosting gives these cupcakes an incredible depth of flavor.
Recipe
A three-layer hummingbird cake with a cake server beside it.
Peter Frank Edwards
7 of 18

Hummingbird Cake

This hummingbird cake, a Southern specialty, is an exceptionally sweet fruit and nut-speckled cake made with bananas, pineapple, pecans, and a cream cheese frosting.
Recipe
A coconut panna cotta topped with peanut brittle crunch on a white plate.
Armando Rafael Moutela
8 of 18

Coconut Panna Cotta

Chopped homemade peanut brittle sits atop a creamy coconut milk panna cotta.
Recipe
A lemon meringue tart in a white dish, with one slice on a plate beside it and one more being lifted out.
Rita Klimenko
9 of 18

Lemon Meringue Tart

This lemon meringue tart has a crunchy almond tart shell that’s filled with creamy lemon curd and buried beneath clouds of pillowy meringue.
Recipe
A Brown Betty Bakery coconut cake on a decorative white cake stand.
Alison Conklin
10 of 18

Brown Betty Bakery Coconut Cake

This Brown Betty Bakery coconut cake is dubbed Company’s Comin’ Coconut Cake at the boutique where it’s sold in Philadelphia. True to it’s name, this beauty of a pound cake will have you dreaming up excuses to invite guests for dinner.
Recipe
A chess pie with a homemade crust cut into four slices in an antique tin pie plate on top of a napkin
Hélène Dujardin
11 of 18

Chess Pie

Chess pie, a sweet confection made with sugar, butter, eggs, cornmeal, and vinegar (yes, vinegar), is a classic Southern dessert. It’a perfect for entertaining and holidays or sweltering afternoons on the porch.
Recipe
A stack of star-shaped cutout classic shortbread cookies, lightly dusted with sugar, and a brown takeout container and a gift tag.
Lara Holmes
12 of 18

Classic Shortbread Cookies

These classic shortbread cookies are made with just 5 ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt. A simple, perfect approach to a beloved Scottish tradition that’s a perfect Christmas cookie.
Recipe
Two coconut cream pies with meringue tops, pastry crusts, and sprinkled with shredded coconut
Leigh Beisch
13 of 18

Coconut Cream Pie

This coconut cream pie is an old-fashioned recipe for bliss. A luscious coconut custard is topped with billows of meringue and sprinkled with shredded coconut. A buttery, flaky crust instead of a graham cracker crust adds just the right savoriness.
Recipe
A pile of cream-filled macarons, each in a white wrapper.
Tessa Traeger
14 of 18

Cream-Filled Meringue Cookies

These cream-filled meringue cookies are made with a whipped cream filling sandwiched between two ethereally light meringue cookies.
Recipe
A 3-layer coconut angel food cake covered in white frosting on a white cake stand
Sara Remington
15 of 18

Coconut Angel Food Cake

This is a classic. An incredibly light and airy three-layer angel food cake is filled and frosted with a billowy egg-white frosting and dusted all over with shredded coconut. Easy as can be. Add fresh berries for a tart counterpoint.
Recipe
A partially sliced coconut crème brûlée tart topped with raspberries on a white linen cloth with a fork and napkin beside it.
Lucy Schaeffer
16 of 18

Coconut Crème Brûlée Tart

Coconut crème brûlée tart is a bit of a showstopper—creamy coconut filling, buttery pastry and a sweet and crackly top. What’s not to love?
Recipe
Three hot cross buns on a wire rack with a bowl of glaze and a spoon.
Aimee Herring
17 of 18

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns are traditional, old-fashioned buns that are slightly sweet and incredibly tender thanks to the inclusion of milk and eggs in the bread dough. Commonly served on Easter.
Recipe
A lemon meringue pie topped with clouds of toasted meringue.
Staci Valentine
18 of 18

Lemon Meringue Pie

This lemon meringue pie is made with a buttery pâte brisée or store-bought pie crust filled with sweet-tart lemon custard and topped with clouds of meringue. The best version we’ve had of an American dessert classic.
Recipe



About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


Hungry For More?

Our 8 Best Skewer Recipes

Let’s not mince words here—food on sticks is awesome. We all know it, so grab some skewers and start lining up stuff to grill, roast, toast, and otherwise enjoy.

3 hrs 30 mins

6 Grilled Chicken Thigh Recipes

When you fire up the grill this summer, put these chicken thigh recipes at the top of your must-make list. You’ll be glad that you did.

1 hr 15 mins


Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *