Food

Easter Desserts

April 18, 2013

From classic carrot cake with cream cheese icing to an ethereal meringue tart, any of these global desserts makes the perfect addition to an Easter table.

Hummingbird Cake — This hummingbird cake honors the legacy of the Southern cook Edna Lewis.Matt Taylor-Gross

Classic Carrot Cake — This version of the cake is a potluck and bake sale favorite; the addition of crushed pineapple helps to keep it sweet and moist.Todd Coleman

Rhubarb cheesecake — Charring your rhubarb in the oven makes for a deep, almost smoky compote. Put it on everything.Matt Taylor-Gross

Strawberry Cake — Strawberry cake topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting is a favorite soul food dessert; this delicious version comes from Bertha's Kitchen in North Charleston. Get the recipe for Strawberry Cake »Farideh Sadeghin

Wine-Poached Rhubarb and Poppy Seed Crisp — Rhubarb takes the spotlight in this bright, rose-colored crisp, sweetened with strawberries and topped with a crunchy poppy seed crumble topping, from Erin Patinkin and Agatha Kulaga of Brooklyn's Ovenly. Get the recipe for Wine-Poached Rhubarb and Poppy Seed Crisp »Matt Taylor-Gross

Semolina Coconut Cake with Orange and Rose Water (Basbousa) — This elegant cake is soaked in a fragrant lemon syrup, perfumed by flower waters. The garnish is candied rose petals sprinkled with toasted coconut. Get the recipe for Semolina-Coconut Cake with Orange and Rose Waters »Matt Taylor-Gross

Strawberry Shortcake — Making one generous biscuit instead of individual shortcakes lends this classic dessert a grand presentation. Get the recipe for Strawberry Shortcake »Helen Rosner

Sweet Corn and Blueberry Trifles — Layers of sweet corn pastry cream alternate with an herb-infused blueberry compote and a buttery shortbread crumble in this summery spin on a classic trifle.Laura Sant

Modern Snack Bar Lemon Meringue Pie — A cloud of meringue is piled sky-high over lemon-curd filling in this recipe inspired by a diner classic served at the Modern Snack Bar in Aquebogue, New York.Landon Nordeman

raspberry cookies, sandwich cookies, cookie recipe — These Swiss treats consist of two delicate, buttery cookies separated by a thin layer of delicious raspberry preserves.Sarah Karnasiewicz

Baked Alaska — Baked Alaska first made its way into print in Fannie Farmer's 1896_ Boston Cooking-School Cook Book,_ but the idea of baking ice cream inside cake and meringue had been around for much of the century. The way was paved in the early 1800s by that genius of thermodynamics Benjamin Thompson, with his work on the resistance of egg whites to heat.Todd Coleman

Raspberry Brûlée — This simple raspberry dish can also be made with tayberries or blackberries.Nicole Franzen

Almond-Lemon Cake — While you can drench this with lemon syrup, it's good enough to eat plain.Matt Taylor-Gross

Heaven And Hell Cake — This rich, multilayered dessert of angel food and devil's food cake, peanut butter mousse, and milk chocolate ganache should be frozen before icing is added and refrigerated before it's sliced.Matt Taylor-Gross

Pavlova — Few desserts are as pretty and as easy to make as a pavlova. For this one, we've combined the best elements of versions by Robyn Hedges and Pip Hoar, respectively, two New Zealand bakers featured in Dave Lieberman's homage to the dessert, "Light Fantastic" (August/September 2009). The key to a successful pavlova is patience: allow the meringue to cool completely before transferring it to the plate or cake stand. You'll prevent any crumbling that can occur when the process is rushed. Get the recipe for Pavlova »Dave Lieberman

Lemon Meringue Tarts — "The single best gauge of a bakery's quality is its lemon tart," says tart expert Maury Rubin. "There's a dance to balancing the sweet and tart flavors appropriately, and in a good bakery the filling will never taste buttery or eggy—it will taste like lemon." This recipe, adapted from Rubin's Book of Tarts and infused with lemon zest for extra citrusy flavor, is the ideal. Alternatively, lemon juice and zest can be swapped out for equal parts lime. Get the recipe for Lemon Meringue Tarts »Ryan Liebe

Orange-Scented Olive Oil Cake — A heady mixture of olive oil and preserved oranges flavors this moist, dense Sicilian dessert.André Baranowski

Walnut Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting — Surprisingly airy and light, this cake could have been a soufflé in a previous life. Naturally gluten-free, the batter gets its lift from egg whites, its rich stability from walnut flour, and its moistness from grated carrot and pineapple.Todd Coleman

Rhubarb Tarte Tatin — In the style of a tarte Tatin, rhubarb is caramelized until soft before being topped with batter and baked. Get the recipe for Rhubarb Tarte Tatin »Todd Coleman

Lemon Curd Layer Cake — Silken white chocolate buttercream frosts a tender yellow cake layered with rich lemon curd in this recipe from the restaurant Rye KC in Leawood, Kansas.Todd Coleman

Brown Butter Tart with Blackberries — Melt butter in the oven for a fast, versatile tart crust with intense nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with pastry cream and fresh berries. For easy serving, prepare the tarts in individual aluminum cups.Ingalls Photography

Thomas Keller's coconut cake — Thick Italian meringue is sandwiched between moist layers of cake, which is topped off with sweetened shredded coconut in this recipe from chef Thomas Keller.Helen Rosner

Labneh Tart — Labneh, a thick strained yogurt, is the base for this vanilla-spiked tart.Andre Baranowski

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