Springtime baking can be difficult—we crave bright, fresh flavors, but there's not much season yet. That's where citrus and pantry staple heroes like desiccated coconut and canned pineapple come in, adding a warm-weather flavor without using out-of-season produce. And because spring is also a time to spend outside, not in the kitchen, we've compiled some of our quickest and easiest desserts so you can bake all season long without missing out on picnics and parties.
Photography by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
1) Lemon ricotta cake
This cake will impress with its plush, melt-in-your-mouth texture (all thanks to '00' pizza flour), as well as its short preparation time – just 15 minutes. This minimal amount of work belies how impressive the cake is: The crunchy lemon glaze made with fizzy sugar adds another dimension of texture and flavor, while the secret ingredient is Sicilian flowerswhich gives a delicate floral note.
Get the recipe: Lemon ricotta cake
Buy the recipe: '00' Pizza Flour AND Sicilian flowers
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
2) Key lime cheesecake
This recipe is a delicious take on a classic dessert, like a mix of Key lime pie and cheesecake. It features a simple graham cracker crust and a super light, ultra creamy filling made with white chocolate, heavy cream, cream cheese and lots of lime zest. The cheesecake needs about an hour to cool in the oven after baking, but the prep work is gone.
Get the recipe: Lime Cheesecake
Buy the recipe: Springform Pan
Photography by Erica Allen; food styling by Liz Neily
3) Jam flower
While you wait for fresh berries to arrive, rely on jams and preserves for bright color in your baking. These easy cookies—which take just 30 minutes from start to finish—feature a colorful pool of jam on top of a buttery, shortbread cookie.
Get the recipe: Jam flower
Buy the recipe: Pure almond extract
Photography by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Liz Neily
4) Light pie with coconut cream
The secret to this quick and creamy pie? He uses ours Quick and easy pastry cream mix. Combined with milk, cream and toasted coconut, it makes a soft and velvety filling. A high topping of coconut cream completes the pie.
Get the recipe: Light pie with coconut cream
Buy the recipe:Quick and easy pastry cream mix
Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily
5) Tequila-Lime Cake Snack
Like a margarita in cupcake form, this single layer cake is tart and delicious. It's also made with masa harina, which provides a toothsome yet soft crumb and lends a subtle corn flavor that complements the lime and tequila glaze.
Get the recipe: Tequila-Lime Cake Snack
Buy the recipe: King Arthur Organic Masa Harina
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
6) Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler
It's not a spring recipe review without rhubarb. Here, the tart fruit is combined with its favorite friend, the strawberry, to make a simple yet still impressive cupcake-style cobbler. If you want to simplify your baking, you can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to three days before topping and baking.
Get the recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler
Buy the recipe: Carbonated sugar
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
7) Simple Vegan Lemon Cake
This easy vegan lemon cake is brightly flavored, super soft, quick to mix up, and made with pantry ingredients. Covered in a simple sweet lemon frosting and topped with candied lemon wedges or fresh berries, it's perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike – no eggs or butter required.
Get the recipe: Easy Vegan Lemon Tart
Buy the recipe: Organic lemon emulsion AND Powder with lemon juice
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
8) Toasted Lime Coconut Scones
Toasted coconut and coconut milk add nuttiness, while zesty lime adds a punch of flavor to these buttery grits. You can freeze the unbaked cups and pop them in the oven whenever you need them, so one of these tropical treats is always just 20 minutes away.
Get the recipe: Toasted Coconut Lime Scones
Buy the recipe: Parlor knife
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
9) Daily cake with olive oil
Hand-mixed and ready in less than an hour, this pantry-friendly cake is a recipe to keep in your pocket for those last-minute baking occasions. Besides being super moist from all that olive oil, it's also infinitely rubable: Replace the orange zest with lemon or grapefruit, switch out different flours, like almond or rye flour, or include flavors and extracts like almond extract or Fiori di Sicily.
Get the recipe: Everyday cake with olive oil
Buy the recipe: Round cake pan
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
10) Lemon-coconut cookies
Remove the chocolate chips and fill your cookies with shredded coconut. Lemon oil and lemon juice powder fill these cookies like a ray of sunshine; roll dough in icing sugar before baking for extra shine. With no refrigeration required, the dough can be baked right away for warm cookies in less than an hour.
Get the recipe: Lemon-coconut cookies
Buy the recipe: Powder with lemon juice AND Lemon oil
Photography by Danielle Sykes; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
11) Pineapple Upside Down Cake
With baking powder and salt already included, self-rising flour improves this nostalgic recipe. And because colorful pineapples and cherries decorate the cake, you don't have to worry about any additional decorations either.
Get the recipe: Self-rising pineapple upside-down cake
Buy the recipe: Self raising unbleached flour
Getting ready for some outdoor gatherings? Find ours The best cooking recipes.
Cover photo and food styling by Liz Neily.
