Easter Cake Recipes Guaranteed to Steal the Show

By Frances Kim
Updated March 13, 2020
Whether you're looking for a simple cake, or one with dramatic layers and next-level garnishes, we've got you covered. Any of these recipes would provide a delectable ending to your Easter feast.
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Yossy Arefi

If you're hosting an Easter celebration, you probably already know that no holiday meal is complete without a festive dessert. And is there a better way to end your Easter feast than with a beautifully frosted cake? To help inspire your own dessert plans, we're sharing our favorite Easter cakes—which include recipes for simple sheet cakes, tiered and layered cakes, as well as bundt creations.

As it turns out, inspiration for your Easter cake is all around you: There are plenty of colors, patterns, and tablescape themes that can inspire the Easter cake that ultimately tops your table. Plus, there are many ways you can incorporate complementary flavors to the candy and chocolate you pass out earlier in the day. Some of our most inventive creations actually call for you to adorn your Easter cake with any extra Easter sweets you have around the house. And if you're looking for another way to show off your Easter egg display, we also have plenty of recipes to help you carry that stunning motif over into your dessert presentation. Our chocolate cake dressed in ganache frosting is topped with an edible nest and truffle eggs, a seemingly advanced feature that's actually made with just five ingredients. There are even more cakes sure to delight the little ones, like this whimsical bunny-shaped carrot cake made with mini marshmallows.

Looking for lighter flavor profiles? You can use the best of your spring garden to create a fruit-forward dessert that's sure to please. Rhubarb sings in our take on a meringue cake and tart Meyer lemons are refreshingly acidic as a base for an upside-down cake. From carrots to raspberries and citrus, we're helping you serve the best springtime confections you can bake at home. Here, Easter cake recipes that are sure to impress all of your guests on Easter Sunday.

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Hummingbird Carrot Cake

Chris Simpson
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Pineapple and coconut, key ingredients in any standard Southern hummingbird cake recipe, make their way into the batter for this spin on carrot cake. It's sure to become a new Easter dessert tradition.

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Rich Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting and Truffle-Egg Nest

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Jaws will drop when you present this stunning dessert! Decadent chocolate cake is frosted with ganache and covered with another layer of chocolate before being decorated with a "nest" made out of chocolate shavings and truffle "eggs" tinted blue and dusted with metallic luster.

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Rosy Rhubarb-Meringue Cake

Dana Gallagher
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A couple tablespoons of muscat wine add depth of flavor to the sweet-tart rhubarb filling for this spectacular spring cake. Tie it all together with a generous dollop of freshly made whipped cream, which comes together with just two ingredients.

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Triple-Citrus Bundt Cake

Christopher Testani
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Citrus is a triple threat in this recipe—lemons and oranges go into the cake's batter and into the syrup that's brushed onto the cake, as well as the finishing glaze.

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Lemon-Mascarpone Crepe Cake

Jonathan Lovekin
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Take the concept of layer cake to the next level with this delectable dessert composed of 20 crepes sandwiched with lemon curd cream, and thickly topped with mascarpone cream.

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Rosemary Pound Cake

Katie Quinn Davies
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Ordinary pound cake becomes special occasion-worthy when laced with fresh rosemary and brushed with homemade rosemary honey. Serve warm, if possible, with even more honey drizzled on top.

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Pistachio-Rhubarb Yogurt Cake

Christopher Testani
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We like to think of Easter as the unofficial holiday for showing off your fresh rhubarb. Here, it's roasted until tender and used to crown a moist yogurt cake.

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Cloud Cake

Marcus Nilsson
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Each component of this heavenly dessert can be made days in advance of your Easter celebration: the light-as-air layers of meringue, the vanilla-buttermilk pastry cream, and the shards of caramel. Assemble it just before serving and finish with a generous topping of whipped cream.

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Lemon Honey Cake

Johnny Miller
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Spread layers of this cardamom-spiced honey cake with creamy lemon curd and honey, then finish with a drizzle of honey, or even better, a chunk of honeycomb on top.

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Hummingbird Cake

John Kernick
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Why not pull out this Southern classic for Easter? It can be baked and frosted up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge. All you have to do on the day of is garnish it with DIY dried pineapple flowers.

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Coconut Meringue Cakes

Johnny Miller
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Seeking something cool to serve your Easter guests? Try this lighter take on ice-cream sandwiches, which is especially refreshing for outdoor parties. Coconut sorbet is layered between crisp-chewy blush-pink meringues.

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Bunny Carrot Cake

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The kids will go gaga for this rabbit-shaped cake! It's got a cotton candy tail and ears, a jelly bean nose, espresso bean eyes, and licorice whiskers. It's one of many of our amazing animal cakes that your kids will love.

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Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

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Move over pineapple—we're having some upside-down fun with rhubarb on Easter. Orange zest and juice add intrigue to the batter, and a crumb "topping" that actually ends up on the bottom of the cake gives it a satisfying crunch.

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Meyer Lemon-Yogurt Cake

John Kernick
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Low-fat Greek yogurt does double duty in this dessert—along with olive oil, it keeps the cake moist, and it accuentuates the thick white glaze with extra flavor. Finish with slices of Meyer lemon cooked in a little simple syrup.

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Carrot Ginger Layer Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Yossy Arefi
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Fresh ginger not only adds sweet heat to the batter of this cinnamon-spiced carrot cake, but also to the citrusy cream-cheese frosting. Multicolored candied carrot ribbons make an eye-catching final touch.

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Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake

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Looking for a gluten-free Easter dessert? This almond meal-based cake embellished with sugared Meyer lemons is for you.

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Chocolate Cake with Crepe Paper Flowers and a Phyllo Nest

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Take crowd-pleasing chocolate cake to new heights with super festive garnishes, including a nest made out of kataifi (shredded phyllo dough), candy-coated chocolate eggs, chocolate curls, powdered sugar, and DIY crepe-paper flowers.

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Coconut-Almond Egg-Shaped Cake

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Using an egg-shaped pan gives this cake an extra-special presentation, but it's just as delicious if you use regular round pans. Finish with piped flowers and serve on a bed of shredded coconut.

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Carrot Cheesecake with Marzipan Carrots

Anna Williams
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Grated carrots give cheesecake a lovely light-orange hue and a wonderful earthy flavor. Tiny carrots crafted from marzipan make the perfect festive garnish.

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Meringue-Frosted Cake with Raspberry Filling

David Loftus
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You can save your fresh raspberries for a different recipe. The frozen kind works perfectly here—they're gussied up with raspberry preserves for the filling of this simple white cake.

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