8 Carrot Cake Desserts for the Sweetest Easter Ever
A frosted cake is just the start!
On Easter Sunday, the best kind of celebration always starts and ends with sugar. After spending the morning hunting for eggs filled with candy and opening baskets stuffed with chocolate bunnies, you and your family will probably dive into your respective stashes of sweets before the big meal. If there’s one flavor that belongs on your table of Easter desserts, it’s carrot cake. Even Ree Drummond agrees: “Carrot cake is one of my favorite spring cakes of all time (forever and ever, amen).”
Since carrots are the key ingredient, carrot cake is perfectly on theme for Easter. The freshly grated carrots in the spiced cake taste as sweet and sunny as spring, and the bright orange hue adds a pretty pop of color. But cakes made from scratch like carrot cake with its nutty crunch and tangy cream cheese frosting is really hard to pass up regardless of the season!
A big frosted cake isn’t the only way to embrace this flavor, though. Carrot cake comes in many different forms: cupcakes, cookies, and dessert bars. While Ree’s all-time favorite version is Sigrid’s carrot cake, a recipe from her mom’s dear friend that first stole her heart as a child, she has since reimagined it as different variations you’ll try from this list here. Whether you stick to tradition or try something new, these carrot cake desserts will sweeten your Easter celebration. Bookmark these recipes, and let’s get baking!
Sigrid’s Carrot Cake
This Drummond family favorite has been a staple at their annual Easter celebration for years. The two-layer cake is made with freshly grated carrots, slathered in cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled with toasted pecans. It’s the perfect mix of spiced, sweet, and striking.
Get Ree’s Sigrid's Carrot Cake recipe.
Carrot Cake Bars
Here’s how to feed a crowd at brunch: bite-sized bars! A homemade carrot cake purée gives these treats a tender texture, and swirled cream cheese frosting adds a sweet-yet-tangy flavor. This recipe yields up to 18 servings, so it’s great for groups!
Get Ree’s Carrot Cake Bars recipe.
Carrot Cake Cobbler
Gooey, bubbly, and warm, this cobbler is food for the soul. It also includes a pretty unconventional baking method: pouring boiling water over the batter (no stirring allowed!) before popping it into the oven. Serve straight from the skillet with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Get Ree’s Carrot Cake Cobbler recipe.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These cupcakes are a spin on Sigrid’s recipe—but with a bit of sour cream and a little more spice. The cake is moist and flavorful, the frosting is rich and tangy, and the presentation is just so cute!
Get Ree’s Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe.
Carrot Cake Trifle
Talk about a show-stopping centerpiece! This layered dessert starts with boxed cake mix, so it’s surprisingly easy to make! Let guests scoop into the spiced cake, whipped cream cheese, vanilla pudding, and crushed cookies.
Get the Carrot Cake Trifle recipe.
Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Half carrot cake, half cheesecake—this has everything you could want in an Easter dessert. The base is soft and nutty, and the cheesecake layer is smooth and dreamy. Plus, you can make it three days ahead for stress-free hosting!
Get the Carrot Cake Cheesecake recipe.
Carrot Cake Cookies
Anything is cuter in cookie form! These desserts have all the sugary-spiced goodness of the original cake, yet are less intimidating to assemble, bake, and serve. It yields up to three dozen cookies, so you’ll have enough for a crowd—and then some!
Get the Carrot Cake Cookies recipe.
Carrot Cake Muffins
If you need a snack to tide your family over until Easter dinner, these carrot cake muffins fit the bill. They’re a bit lighter than classic carrot cake, yet they’re just as tender and tasty. And they don’t shy away from a key ingredient: cream cheese frosting!
Get the Carrot Cake Muffins recipe.
Broccoli Salad
Greek Lemon Potatoes
Strawberry Pavlova
Pull-Apart Garlic-Herb Biscuits
