8 kitchen bucket list spring desserts you can try to make
Are you planning a party to celebrate the arrival of spring? Then you’ll need a sweet and seasonal dessert to impress your friends. Add one of these spring-inspired recipes to your to-bake list for an upcoming soiree.
- Lemon Yogurt Cake [Food Network]
Light, velvety, and infused with the tart taste of citrus, this cake from Ina Garten will quickly become a springtime classic. Its mix of whole-milk yogurt, eggs, sugar, and flour creates a pound cake-like base infused with fresh lemon juice, which is only accentuated by the glaze of confectioner’s sugar and more fresh lemon juice. - Strawberry-Pistachio Tart [Martha Stewart]
Feeling a little fancier? This strawberry-pistachio tart is as pretty as it is delicious, but it’s still surprisingly easy to make. You start with a sheet of puff pastry, which you bake before layering with a blend of ground pistachios and sugar. Put the tart back in the oven until the sugar-pistachio mixture bakes through, then layer fresh strawberries on top with a rim of apricot jam and crushed pistachios. - Sam’s “Famous” Carrot Cake [All Recipes]
Don’t leave the veggies out of your dessert lineup! This carrot cake recipe, named for the grandfather of its author, has been passed down through generations. It contains all of the classic ingredients, right down to the cream cheese frosting, but the surprising addition of pineapple results in something a little special. - Strawberry-Graham Scones [Bon Appetit]
Since it’s still a bit nippy outside, why not make a dessert that you can enjoy with hot tea or coffee? These strawberry-graham scones are designed for dipping. A blend of graham flour, fresh strawberries, and whole ingredients like eggs, milk, and butter, the scones are the perfect balance of sweet and flaky. - Rhubarb Crisp [Food Network]
Rhubarb thrives in the warmer weather of spring, so there will likely be an abundance of it at your local farmers market. Make good use of it with this rhubarb crisp recipe. You simply chop up your rhubarb, mix it with some sugar and flour, and then layer it in a baking pan with crumbly oats and walnuts on top. - Potted Chocolate-Mint Puddings [Martha Stewart]
You can jazz up or dress down these “potted puddings” from Martha Stewart any way you like. If you’re really committed to the recipe, make the pudding from scratch and spoon it into glass flower pot candle holders with crushed Oreo cookie “dirt” and a sprig of fresh mint (your “plant”) on top. You can also simplify this recipe by using instant or store-bought pudding and any glasses you already have on hand. - Lemon-Hibiscus Frozen Custard [Bon Appetit]
For those warmer spring days, you may want to have a frosty treat on tap. Try this lemon-hibiscus frozen custard. Using lemon zest and hibiscus tea, you’ll create a classic custard that screams spring with its light and flowery flavors. - “Bake Sale” Lemon Bars [All Recipes]
Another recipe that highlights citrus, these lemon bars will remind you of the bake sales from your childhood. You start by creating a simple crust, and then add a mixture of eggs, sugar, flour, and, of course, fresh lemon juice on top. The golden-brown result is equal parts sweet and tart.