Recipes Desserts 18 Showstopping Desserts to Make This Spring By Food & Wine Editors Updated on August 19, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Spring is the time for awe-inspiring blooms, and these refreshing desserts reflect all the season's prismatic beauty right on the plate. From the deep blush of Aperol Spritz Cake with Prosecco-Poached Rhubarb to golden-hued Mango-Basil Vacherin to crimson Wine-Poached Strawberries and Apricots, there are plenty of delectable desserts here to appease the eye and tastebuds until summer's bounty arrives. 01 of 18 Cornmeal-Almond Cake with Strawberries and Mascarpone Paul Costello This buttery cornmeal cake contains more than a half-pound of toasted almonds, giving it an excellent, nutty flavor. Instead of using plain whipped cream as a topping, chef Mike Lata whips a combination of cream and mascarpone for a bit of tanginess. Get the Recipe 02 of 18 Spiced Rhubarb Soup with Vanilla Ice Cream Lucy Schaeffer This silky fruit dessert is delicious on its own or topped with vanilla ice cream. Just be sure to only barely cook the rhubarb, so that it retains its crispness — and plenty of tangy flavor. Get the Recipe 03 of 18 Apricot Kuchen with Labneh Whipped Cream Greg DuPree This simple, sweet cake is studded with juicy apricots and served with a tangy labneh whipped cream. Frozen apricot halves will work when fresh are unavailable, as will many fruits as the seasons change; try grapes, apples, or nectarines. Get the Recipe 04 of 18 Strawberry Shortcake © Julie Craig Cake flour is the secret ingredient in this lusciously light shortcake. Make sure that you use pure cake flour as opposed to self-rising cake flour, which is similarly packaged. This dessert is at its best within 30 minutes of assembly. Get the Recipe 05 of 18 Mango-Basil Vacherin © Kate Mathis Yigit Pura perfected this crisp-creamy French dessert while working at restaurant Daniel in New York City. His updated version combines little lime meringue kisses with basil ice cream and sweet mango sorbet. Get the Recipe 06 of 18 Honey Cake with Citrus Frosting John Kernick This tender, light honey cake, laced with hints of coffee and orange juice, is perfect with a cup of tea. The top is adorned with brilliant slices of candied orange, making it almost too pretty to eat. Get the Recipe 07 of 18 Spring Millefeuille © Abby Hocking When you cut the millefeuille, celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli recommends using a serrated knife and a sawing motion to cut even (and fairly neat) portions. Or just put in the center of the table with some forks and let things happen as they may. Get the Recipe 08 of 18 Cherries Poached in Red Wine with Mascarpone Cream Ben Dearnley Thick mascarpone cheese mixed with honey makes a luscious topping for poached cherries. You can serve the dessert either warm or cold. We love it both ways. Get the Recipe 09 of 18 Aperol Spritz Cake with Prosecco-Poached Rhubarb Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Choose deep red stalks of rhubarb for the most vibrant color atop this springtime dessert. The poached rhubarb syrup slowly soaks into the sponge, lightly glazing the top while adding delicious moisture to the cake below. Get the Recipe 10 of 18 Carrot-Almond Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Antonis Achilleos In this carrot cake, almond flour is the predominant flour, which makes for a rich, dense, moist texture. It's sweetened with honey, which provides a floral complexity that complements the almonds. And because honey is more hygroscopic (absorbs more moisture from the air) than sugar, the cake stays moist for a week or more. Get the Recipe 11 of 18 Rhubarb and Candied Ginger Crostata Eva Kolenko A crostata is the kind of free-form tart that looks best when completely rustic — the more uneven folds of flaky, golden pastry and bubbling fruit juices, the better. This Easter stunner stars fresh rhubarb that's combined with rhubarb compote and studded with candied ginger. The crust comes together quickly and will hold well during a lazy Easter brunch. Get the Recipe 12 of 18 Pandan Panna Cotta with Mango and Pink Peppercorn Alison Miksch March is prime Ataulfo — aka Champagne — mango season, so be sure to search them out. They have an extra sweetness and richer flavor than other mangos, so you don't need to macerate them in sugar or employ other such tricks. But a sprinkling of crushed pink peppercorns on top does add pretty color and a little fragrant punch to complete the dish. Get the Recipe 13 of 18 Wine-Poached Strawberries and Apricots Victor Protasio Semi-dry Riesling, which is refreshing and not too sweet, is the secret to this impressive, balanced dessert. Dried apricots lend a gentle bitterness while the strawberries add sweetness and impart the rosiest color. Unsweetened whipped cream make you nervous? Trust us — the boozy berries provide all the sweetness this dessert needs. Get the Recipe 14 of 18 Pineapple Upside-Down Cake © Tina Rupp This elegant version of the classic pineapple upside-down cake starts with a slightly tangy, ultra moist sour cream cake. It's crowned with slices of fresh pineapple, which caramelize in the oven with brown sugar, butter, and real vanilla bean. The cake is excellent served warm with ice cream. Get the recipe 15 of 18 Strawberry-Mango Paletas © John Kernick When crafting new paletas for her company La Newyorkina, Zany Gerson's rule of thumb is this: If the colors of her ingredients go together, the flavors will, too. These bright, red-and-orange-hued ice pops are perfect to make in May when juicy strawberries are at their peak. Get the Recipe 16 of 18 Lemon-Buckwheat Shortbread Victor Protasio Lemon filling highlights the nuttiness of buckwheat flour in these shortbread cookie sandwiches from Top Chef alum Nina Compton. Use stone-ground flour if possible for the best flavor. Get the Recipe 17 of 18 Olive Oil Cake with Honey-Yogurt Cream and Strawberries Eric Wolfinger This is no featherweight spring cake: Olive oil and almond flour keep it dense and moist so it can hold plenty of juicy macerated strawberries. An infusion of lime in the cake batter and a tangy yogurt whipped cream brightens each slice. Get the Recipe 18 of 18 Lemon Upside-Down Cake © Thomas Heinser Meyer lemon season stretches through the colder months and into the spring. They're cookbook author Cal Peternell's favorite here, but the cake is also wonderful with standard lemons or almost any other type of fruit, from figs and blood oranges to pineapple. Get the Recipe Updated by Bridget Hallinan Bridget Hallinan As an Associate Food Editor, Bridget Hallinan primarily focuses on home cooking content for Food & Wine.com. She writes and edits recipe content, interviews chefs for helpful tips and tricks, and works on franchises such as our cookbook roundups and taste tests. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit