10 Best Lemon Desserts to Brighten Up Your Spring Baking
Taste the sunshine in every bite.
The great thing about lemons is that they’re available all year round. Though they’re considered a winter fruit, there’s just something about using lemons in the springtime. They bring that burst of bright, fresh flavor everyone has been craving. You can make lemony spring dinners, of course, but what everyone really craves are the spring lemon desserts. They taste like a bite of sunshine!
There’s no shortage of lemon dessert recipes you can choose from. And while you might want to wait a few months until blueberries are in season during the summer to make your favorite lemon-blueberry recipes, you certainly don’t have to wait to make desserts with just lemon as the flavor of choice. As long as you know how to zest a lemon, you’re well on your way to a sweet treat! (And a quick reminder: Zest the lemon before you squeeze it. It’s so much easier to do with the fruit whole and plump.)
Pucker up for spring cookies like shortbread and crinkle cookies, or try your hand at a cake to serve a crowd. You’ll find a sheet cake, a Bundt cake, and a layered cake, so the choice of shape is all yours! If you’re more of a pie person, you’ll find a classic lemon meringue and a stunning French-inspired tart that just begs for a cup of tea or coffee with a slice of it on a sunny afternoon. No matter what you prefer, there is a lemony spring dessert with your name on it. Scroll through and find your sweet inspiration.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Can you picture how much any mom would love to see these at a Mother’s Day celebration? That charming floral stamp design really elevates these simple shortbread cookies.
Get the Lemon Shortbread Cookies recipe.
Lemon Pound Cake
This lemon pound cake is amazing on its own. But when you add the equally lemony and sweet glaze, it makes it extra special and impressive.
Get Ree's Lemon Pound Cake recipe.
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
It might seem intimidating at first, but if you just take it step by step, you can make this masterpiece from scratch. Use a kitchen torch or your broiler to get that toasty meringue.
Get the Classic Lemon Meringue Pie recipe.
Lemon Bars
Spring is also the start of potluck season. And can you picture a potluck without lemon bars? Ree’s version has the perfect crust-to-filling ratio. Powdered sugar dusts the top, of course.
Get Ree’s Lemon Bars recipe.
Lemon Poppy Seed Sheet Cake
Lemons and poppy seeds go together like peanut butter and jelly. This sheet cake is the perfect way to feed a crowd. It whips up in no time, including the puckery glaze.
Get the Lemon Poppy Seed Sheet Cake recipe.
Lemon Tart
If you want to bring some French-inspired elegance to your table, make a tart! The buttery crust and tart filling are easier than you think to make. Top with berries and a dollop of whipped cream.
Get the Lemon Tart recipe.
Lemon Cake
This cake is pure springtime! The golden cake and buttercream are both brimming with lemony freshness. And while the edible flowers are optional, they add such a seasonal touch.
Get the Lemon Cake recipe.
Lemon Pudding Cakes
Looking for an impressive dinner party dessert idea? Lemon pudding cakes are the citrus equivalent of chocolate lava cake. Top with whipped cream, powdered sugar, berries, or all three.
Get the Lemon Pudding Cakes recipe.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies are a classic, but did you know they’re just as fun and easy in lemon form? Rolling them in powdered sugar balances out the tartness perfectly.
Get the Lemon Crinkle Cookies recipe.
Double Lemon Cupcakes
Another easy grab-and-go potluck idea is to make cupcakes. These are doubly delicious. Everything is perfumed with citrus, and there’s even candied lemon on top!
Get Ree’s Double Lemon Cupcakes recipe.
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