Easter Desserts

Everyone needs a delicious coffee cake recipe in their repertoire, and this cinnamon streusel coffee cake recipe is the perfect option. Meaning "something strewn" in Old German, streusel is easy to throw together -- and then to throw on top of this sour-cream coffee cake. The sweet glaze in the recipe is the perfect coffee cake topping.

For best results, bake these cakes at least a day before serving. Store, wrapped in plastic, for up to three days at room temperature, or freeze for up to three months.

Make this glaze while the Cinnamon-Bun Bites are baking. Recipe adapted with permission from "Williams-Sonoma Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen," copyright 2009 by Maria Helm Sinskey and Williams-Sonoma, published by Weldon Owen, San Francisco.

Whole lemons are the base of this rich, citrusy simple lemon cake batter. Precooking the fruit removes the pucker and makes for an intensely flavored cake that's a family-friendly dessert.

This Glazed Lemon Pound Cake doesn't rise very much, so don't be surprised if it's shorter than you might expect.

This burnished beauty gets its flavor from fresh lemon zest, and its stature from not-too-sweet meringue. (More than half of the sugar gets boiled into a syrup that you beat into egg whites—the result is cool, thick, and silky.) Dollop tons on top for a dramatic presentation, and if you don't have a kitchen torch, brown the peaks with a quick blast under the broiler.

When you give carrot cake a hummingbird-inspired spin, it really takes a slice to new heights. To capture the essence of a classic Hummingbird Cake, we stirred shredded coconut and puréed pineapple into our batter and swapped butter for oil to get a rich crumb and featherweight texture. Then we coated the classic frosting with chopped pecans and topped it with a nest of candied carrots. 

This is the easiest cheesecake to make—it takes just 15 minutes to assemble and doesn't require a water bath. When berries are in season, you can serve them instead of the compote.

Buttery classic, sugar cookies make a delicious treat anytime. Here, Martha heightens them to special-occasion status with a simple glaze and a fanciful combination of candied flowers, crystallized ginger, and chopped pistachios.

We love how balanced this tart is—the custard filling has a subtle almond flavor, isn't overly sweet, and pairs beautifully with the crunchy oat crust. It makes an excellent healthy Easter dessert and is dairy-free to boot.

Use these candied flowers to embellish our Spring Cupcakes or any dessert you like.

Get out your cookie cutters! As its name suggests, this sugar cookie recipe is ideal for making cutout cookies for Christmas, Easter, or any other holiday or occasion that calls for shaped sweet treats.