20 Spring Themed Dessert Ideas
Good-bye winter, so long snow...hello Springtime and flowers and brighter sunshine and longer days. This is the perfect time to spring forward into baking and pastry decorating action. Celebrate this lovely time with desserts that incorporate bright citrus fruits and seasonal berries decorated in vibrant hues and with festive designs. Most of these show-stopping tasty treats below can be prepared in 30 minutes or less and call for using common kitchen equipment you're sure to have on hand.
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This fresh citrus tart takes 20 minutes to whip up and bakes with perfectly crimped edges using a 9-inch or 10-inch tart pan. Fresh blueberries, raspberries and sliced kiwifruit make for the ideal complementary garnish. For a flair of elegance add ribbons of lemon zest using a a citrus peeler and zester.
Transform the classic Rice Krispies Treats™ into a blooming spring bouquet by adding pops of color and flavor with gumdrops and jelly beans. Customize your confectionary arrangement using flower cookie cutters and don't forget to add your flower stems with lollipop sticks.
Here's one that you can easily make into a family activity with kids. Have your chickadees add the drops of yellow and green food coloring to two separate bags containing coconut flakes and shake, shake, shake the bag. Watch them light up as the coconut flakes magically transform in color.
Not able to get your hand on fresh strawberries. Not a problem as frozen strawberries will do just fine. Grab your baking pan as this succulent cake will have you and your loved ones clamoring for more than one slice.
5. Chocolate Chip Mini Bundt Cakes
These adorable scrumptious cakes are baked to perfection using a mini Bundt cake pan. However, you can use a standard size cupcake/muffin pan as a close substitute. Drizzle these individual cakes with your choice of white, milk or dark chocolate and top with bite sized chocolate bunnies.
6. PEEPS® Brownie Batter Donuts
Here's another fun kid friendly activity. Part of the excitement is in designating each station: the Maker, who gets to prepare the batter; the Mixer, who mix up small batches of vibrantly colored frosting; the Dipper, dip the donuts in sprinkles and the Topper, tops each of them off with a marshmallow bunny. This non-stick 6 cavity donut pan and cooling rack makes clean up a breeze.
With almost 700 five star reviews, this cake is bound to yield you applause and exclamations of "more please". Use two 8-inch round cake pans to bake the cake and showcase this standout dessert on a cake stand. Achieve those swirl designs by making C letter strokes with a small offset spatula.
Squeeze in a sweet mini workout for your biceps as you rollout this citrus sugar cookie dough with an adjustable rolling pin (which is also ideal when working with pie dough, fondant and any laminated dough). Once you've rolled out your cookie dough, use this 3-inch daisy cookie cutter and bake to golden perfection on half sheet baking sheets.
9. Dark Chocolate Cherry Fudge
Using an 8-inch square baking pan will churn out this rich batch of no fuss fudge in under 15 minutes. This simple yet elegant sweet treat is the perfect accompaniment to a spring themed charcuterie board.
The hard part about this recipe is being patient in allowing the bars to cool and set for a few hours. To make the time in between pass quicker make these candied lemon slices to add a sweet adornment to the overall presentation of this classic dessert.
This cake recipe calls for using three, 9-inch round cake pans . If you prefer cupcakes, a disher by Vollrath (size 20) quickly scoops evenly rationed portions of batter which bakes up to perfection in a 12 cup muffin pan. Dress up your luscious cupcakes in pastel colored tulip cupcake liners to give them a festive spring flair.
This eye catching cake is another easy and kid friendly baking activity the whole family will enjoy... and it takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Kids love designing the edible garden, piping out rows of grass with a pastry bag and using this specialty decorating tip by Wilton to create the grass effect.
This cake puts a smile on my face for its spring flair and also for its ease in putting together. Use boxed cake mix and a couple of extra add ins for what's certain to be a decadently moist Bundt cake. Nordic Ware has an array of elegantly designed Bundt pans ranging from 10 - 15 cup capacity, which includes a non-stick finish for easy food release and cleanup.
14. Easter Bark Release your inner artist by creating your own swirls and sprinkles design for this yummy treat. This recipe calls using dark and white chocolate; however, feel free to mix and match according to your preference. You may be wondering how large of a tray you'll need for this recipe, so aim for a quarter to half sheet sized baking sheet. I recommend Nordic Ware rimmed baking sheets as this is the pan you’ll reach for when preparing sweet or savory baked dishes; from cookies to sheet pan dinners.
There are so many variations for these melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Substitute the candies for a dollop of frosting or chocolate ganache, tint the cookie dough in pastel shades to name a few fun options. This recipe requires the use of a cookie press and with so many options available, Wilton has a reliable, budget friendly cookie press that is highly rated for its ergonomic design and ease of use. In addition, it comes with 12 discs containing seasonal designs that'll have you baking (and savoring) cookies year round.
16. Cupcake Easter Baskets With the exception of the cupcake liners, this is such a novel idea...edible easter baskets. These individually sized treats make for the perfect party favor and similar to a few aforementioned recipes, get creative by mixing and matching colors, candies and cupcake liners. Check out my recipe for luscious vanilla cupcakes and buttercream if you're opting for a more traditionally flavored cupcake.
17. Birds Nest Meringue Cookies These delicate light and airy treats have spring written all over them. While this is an easy and quick recipe to assemble, if you're not familiar with whipping egg whites to stiff peaks for meringues, the final product could turn out quite differently from what's pictured above. Here's a quick guide that'll have you whipping your egg whites to peak perfection.
18. Cadbury Mini Eggs Cheesecake
These individual sized cheesecakes will be the talk of the party as what's not to love about cheesecake. Part of the beauty of this recipe is that it can be made in advance and while there are quite a few individual/mini sized cheesecake pans to choose from I recommend the 12-serving capacity from Norpro as the nonstick coating and removable discs make releasing your creations a breeze. The versatility of these pans are also good for other savory and sweet baked goods including: Mini quiches, tartlets, muffins, coffee cake, hors d’oeuvres and more.
If you love macaroons, you're going to enjoy this recipe as these adorable treats ooze warm notes of creamy coconut, which is enhanced by the toasted edges upon being baked. 15 minutes is all it takes to prep these bite-sized confections.
20. Easter Speckled Egg Drip Cake For the grand finale, this show-stopping cake is saved as best for last. This recipe is best for those who have some familiarity with baking from scratch, but then again, if you have a passion for learning and trying out new things, then have fun and have a go at it.
Enjoyed this post? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments below.
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