Spring baking can be hard — we’re craving bright, fresh flavors, but not much is in season just yet. That’s where stalwarts like citrus and pantry heroes like dried coconut and canned pineapple come in, adding warm weather flair without resorting to 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, easiest desserts so you can bake all season without missing out on picnics and parties. 

Lemon Ricotta Cake Photography by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Beneath that crunchy, sugary crust is a pillowy citrus cake.

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 prep time — just 15 minutes. That minimal amount of work belies just how impressive the cake is: The crunchy lemon glaze made with sparkling sugar adds another dimension of texture and flavor, while the secret ingredient is Fiori di Sicilia, which imparts a delicate floral note.

Get the recipe: Lemon Ricotta Cake 

Shop the recipe: ‘00’ Pizza Flour and Fiori di Sicilia 

Lime Cheesecake Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
A little lime can zhuzh up classic cheesecake

2) Lime Cheesecake

This recipe is a tangy take on a classic dessert, like a mashup of Key lime pie and cheesecake. It features a simple graham cracker crust and a super-easy, ultra-creamy filling made with white chocolate, heavy cream, cream cheese, and plenty of lime zest. The cheesecake does need about an hour to cool in the oven after baking, but the prep work flies by.

Get the recipe: Lime Cheesecake 

Shop the recipe: Springform Pan 

Jam Blossoms Photography by Erica Allen; food styling by Liz Neily
Add a pop of color to your kitchen.

3) Jam Blossoms

While you wait for fresh berries to arrive, lean on jams and preserves for bright color in your bakes. These simple cookies — which take only 30 minutes from start to finish — feature a colorful pool of jam atop a buttery, sandy cookie.

Get the recipe: Jam Blossoms

Shop the recipe: Pure Almond Extract 

Easy Coconut Cream Pie Photography by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Liz Neily
A creamy coconut pie that comes together in a flash.

4) Easy Coconut Cream Pie

The secret to this quick, creamy pie? It uses our Quick-and-Easy Pastry Cream Mix. Combined with milk, cream, and toasted coconut, it makes a smooth, velvety filling. A towering topping of coconut whipped cream completes the pie.

Get the recipe: Easy Coconut Cream Pie

Shop the recipe: Quick-and-Easy Pastry Cream Mix

Tequila-Lime Snack Cake Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily
Tequila isn't just for cocktails; it belongs in cake, too.

5) Tequila-Lime Snack Cake

Like a margarita in cake form, this single-layer snacking cake is tart and boozy. It’s also made with masa harina, which yields a toothsome yet tender crumb and imparts a subtle corn flavor that complements the lime and tequila glaze.

Get the recipe: Tequila-Lime Snack Cake

Shop the recipe: King Arthur Organic Masa Harina  

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
Embrace spring produce with a nostalgic cobbler

6) Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler

It’s not a spring recipe roundup without rhubarb. Here, the tart fruit is combined with its favorite friend, strawberries, to make a straightforward yet still impressive cake-style cobbler. If you want to streamline your baking, you can prep the filling ahead of time and hold it in the refrigerator for up to three days before topping and baking.

Get the recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler 

Shop the recipe: Sparkling Sugar

A simple, single layer lemon cake that's frosted and topped with candied lemon slices Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
This cake is guaranteed to yield rave reviews.

7) Easy Vegan Lemon Cake

This easy vegan lemon cake is bright-tasting, super tender, quick to mix, and made with pantry ingredients. Frosted with a simple sweet-tart lemon frosting and topped with candied lemon slices or fresh berries, it’s perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike — no eggs or butter needed. 

Get the recipe: Easy Vegan Lemon Cake

Shop the recipe: Organic Lemon Emulsion and Lemon Juice Powder 

Toasted Coconut and Lime Scones Photography and food styling by Liz Neily
Give your scones a tropical twist

8) Toasted Coconut and Lime Scones

Toasted coconut and coconut milk add nuttiness while zesty lime adds a punch of flavor to these buttery scones. You can freeze the shaped, unbaked scones and pop them into the oven whenever you need, so one of these tropical treats is always just 20 minutes away.

Get the recipe: Toasted Coconut Lime Scones

Shop the recipe: Bench Knife

Everyday Olive Oil Cake Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
A cake so good, we recommend a slice for breakfast. 

9) Everyday Olive Oil Cake

Mixed by hand and ready in under an hour, this pantry-friendly cake is a recipe to keep in your pocket for last-minute baking occasions. In addition to being reliably moist from all that olive oil, it’s also endlessly riff-able: Replace the orange zest with lemon or grapefruit, swap in different flours, such as almond or rye flour, or incorporate flavors and extracts such as almond extract or Fiori di Sicilia.

Get the recipe: Everyday Olive Oil Cake

Shop the recipe: Round Cake Pan

Lemon-Coconut Cookies Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Like sunshine in cookie form

10) Lemon-Coconut Cookies

Ditch the chocolate chips and fill your cookies with shredded coconut instead. Lemon oil and lemon juice powder infuse these cookies like a ray of sun; roll the dough in sparkling sugar before baking for added shimmer. With no chilling required, the dough can be baked immediately for warm cookies in under an hour.

Get the recipe: Lemon-Coconut Cookies

Shop the recipe: Lemon Juice Powder and Lemon Oil

Self-Rising Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Photography by Danielle Sykes; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
A cake that makes retro feel so right. 

11) Self-Rising Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

With baking powder and salt already included, self-rising flour streamlines this nostalgic recipe. And because colorful pineapple and cherries garnish the cake, you don’t need to worry about any added decoration, either.

Get the recipe: Self-Rising Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Shop the recipe: Unbleached Self-Rising Flour

Gearing up for some outdoor gatherings? Find our Best Cookout Recipes.

Cover photo and food styling by Liz Neily. 

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Lime Cheesecake
Lime Cheesecake
4.4 out of 5 stars 11 Reviews
Total
2 hrs 40 mins
Yield
one 9" cheesecake
Filed Under: Recipes
Rossi crimping pie crust
The Author

About Rossi Anastopoulo

Rossi Anastopoulo grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, which is how she fell in love with biscuits. She didn’t have any bakers in her household (with the exception of her grandmother’s perfect koulourakia), so she learned at a young age that the best way to satisfy her sweet tooth was to make dess...
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