From a distance, it would seem as if brunch and Easter’s prolific relationship would complicate the holiday’s dessert situation. Of course, this is decidedly false. Dessert’s wonder is not bound to time constraints or specific holidays. Dessert is omnipotent, strong, always sweet, and certainly stealing the show on Easter Sunday. So, yeah, Easter dessert is something to get excited about.
1. Easter Egg Macarons With Malted Chocolate & Caramel Filling
Inspired by classic Easter basket candy, these macarons are bright in color and big on flavor. Filled with chocolate ganache and caramel, these cookies are like the eggs in your basket—but better.
2. Lemon Meringue
Layered with meringue, pistachios, and lemon curd, this cake is complex in flavor and texture.
3. Meyer Lemon Cheesecake With Biscoff Crust
Meyer lemon, cheesecake, Biscoff cookies—three of my favorite things, all in one cake. Also, this requires just ten minutes of prep.
4. Banana Cake with Penuche Frosting
Think banana bread, but lighter, fluffier, and frosted in brown sugar.
5. Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups
Like how a diagonal cut improves any sandwich, desserts served in ramekins simply taste better. This lemon sponge cake is easy to shop for (seven ingredients), quick to prepare (15 minutes), and obviously delicious (served in a ramekin).
6. Monkey (Ginger)Bread
Much like Martha and Snoop, monkeybread and gingerbread is a partnership we never knew we needed. Of course, combining fragrant ginger with the richness of monkey bread isn’t exactly a tough sell.
7. Louisa's Cake
This cake is airy and light, but not without integrity. Ricotta, eggs, and plenty of butter give it richness, grated apple lends heft, and lemon zest prevents it from being bland.
8. Easier Chocolate Truffles
With no butter, shortening, vanilla, or tedious hand rolling required, these are chocolate truffles in their easiest form. Top with a salty, crunchy snack like pretzels or peanuts.
9. Torrone Siciliano (Sicilian Almond Brittle)
If you’ve got almonds, sugar, and olive oil, you’ve got everything you need to make this crowd-pleasing brittle. Fun fact: In Sicily, this almond treat is a holiday staple.
10. Tartine Bakery's Lemon Cream
Re: ramekin desserts being the best desserts. Also, this lemon cream comes together in under 30 minutes, meaning you could even whip it up after your main course.
11. Cookie Butter Sweet Rolls
A fun riff on the classic cinnamon roll, these cookie butter treats are an ideal brunch dessert.
12. Perfect Coconut Cream Pie
If you’re not sold on coconut cream, watch this, and you will be.
13. Rhubarb Coffee Cake With Cardamom-Ginger Crumble
Similar to the cookie butter rolls, this lemony, gingery, rhubarb coffee cake is best served as a post-brunch sweet. Serve with a cup of Irish coffee, because why not?
14. Candied Lemon Sheet Cake
Inspired by classic Texas sheet cakes, this gluten-free, lemon-forward remix is bright, moist, and big enough to serve an entire family (plus in-laws).
15. Maialino's Olive Oil Cake
Olive oil cake is the light beer of dessert. This is a compliment, of course, because—just like light beer—you’ll never get sick of spending a whole afternoon with this cake.
16. Uncle Fester on a Faster Vespa (espresso-chocolate gelato, Roman style)
Rich, decadent, flavorful, and not-too-sweet, this chocolate-espresso gelato is everything it needs to be. Also, the Uncle Fester shoutout is appreciated.
17. Homemade Crackly Milk Chocolate Candy Bars
If you want to mix it up this year, consider making your own chocolate bars—especially since this recipe mixes caramel puffed rice with milk chocolate to create something that is sweet, crunchy, and creamy.
18. Lavender-Chocolate Chunk Pancakes with Crème Fraîche
We’ve covered brunch dessert, but we also need a dessert that doubles as brunch—and that’s what these elegant, well balanced, lavender-and-crème-fraîche-having flapjacks are for. Top with your favorite maple syrup and pair with your preferred morning cocktail.
19. Sunset's Whole Orange Cake
As the name suggests, whole chunks of orange (with the skin on) give this cake a flavor that is like marmalade, but brighter. It’s worth noting that you will need a food processor to make this recipe.
20. Brown Butter Banana Bread With Peanut Streusel
Peanut and banana are a prolific team but rarely do you seem together on a single loaf—let’s change that. Sweet, salty, crunchy, and always moist, this brown butter banana bread is your morning dessert.
21. Chocolate Caramels
Perfect for grazing, these salty, sweet chocolate caramels are great if you don’t want to make an entire meal out of dessert. Bonus: this recipe makes about 60 caramels.
22. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies With Maple & Olive Oil
Maple, olive oil, chocolate, and sea salt combine to give these vegan cookies a balanced, heavy-hitting flavor.
23. No-Bake Pistachio Mini Cheesecakes
These mini cheesecakes nail every aspect of the Easter dessert criteria: they’re bright in color, rich in flavor, and perfect for hosting. Top with chopped pistachios for an added crunch.
24. Orange Sherbet With Salted Whipped Cream
Homemade orange sherbet sells itself.
25. Oreo Ice Cream Dessert
A community favorite, this no-bake, frozen, oreo treat is a crowd pleaser that—if made once—will likely be made again many, many times.
26. Puffy Pillow Beignets
Fact: You can enjoy beignets outside of New Orleans. While it takes quite a bit of work to properly recreate this classic dessert, if you want dessert to be the highlight of your holiday, the effort needed for this recipe will certainly pay off. Plus, how many people do you know that can say they’ve made beignets at home?
27. Soft Yogurt Cookies with Raspberry Glaze
Striking a delightful balance between yogurt’s tang, vanilla’s warmth, raspberry’s bite, and almond’s crunch, these cookies are both delicious and vibrant. Think of them as black and white cookies, dressed up for Easter.
Written by: Paul Hagopian
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