Easter Desserts

Published Apr 18, 2013 6:00 PM

Photography by Dave Lieberman

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. Get the recipe for Hummingbird Cake »

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. Get the recipe for Classic Carrot Cake »

Charring your rhubarb in the oven makes for a deep, almost smoky compote. Put it on everything. Get the recipe for Cheesecake with Charred Rhubarb Compote and Sliced Strawberries »

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 »

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 »

Semolina-Coconut Cake with Orange and Rose Waters

Strawberry Shortcake

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.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Get the recipe Swiss Raspberry Sandwich Cookies (Spitzbuebe) »

These Swiss treats consist of two delicate, buttery cookies separated by a thin layer of delicious raspberry preserves. Get the recipe Swiss Raspberry Sandwich Cookies (Spitzbuebe) »

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.

Raspberry Brûlée

This simple raspberry dish can also be made with tayberries or blackberries.

Almond-Lemon Cake

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. Get the recipe for Heaven and Hell Cake »

Pavlova

Lemon Meringue Tarts

Orange-Scented Olive Oil Cake

A heady mixture of olive oil and preserved oranges flavors this moist, dense Sicilian dessert.

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. Get the recipe for Walnut Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting »

Rhubarb Tarte Tatin

Lemon Curd Layer Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

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.

Brown Butter Tart with Blackberries

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.