40 Easy Mother's Day Desserts Even Better Than A Gift
Desserts > flowers, an over-crowded brunch, jewelry.
We don't know about you, but our moms really love dessert. When you really think about it, dessert really is the best Mother's Day gift of all; there's always leftovers, no crowded restaurants to deal with, and, best of all, it's a homemade gift that really shows the love. Whether you opt for fancy crème brûlée and French macarons or a spin on a classic like our honey & peanut butter blondies, you can't go wrong with any of these 40 Mother's Day dessert recipes. You just might never have to make a last-minute brunch reservation ever again!
Whatever her dessert of choice may be, we've got plenty of easy, impressive recipes to really sweeten up her day. Looking for a showstopper you can reveal after dinner? Try our raspberry tiramisu, our chantilly cake, or our copycat Cheesecake Factory mango key lime cheesecake. Need something easy and shareable? Dessert bars are the lowest-lift, highest-reward dessert there is–try our strawberry cheesecake bars, our best-ever brownies, our lemon bars, or our cookies 'n' cream millionaire shortbread.
Looking for something super simple that's still impressive? Try a homemade ice cream, like our gelato, our no-churn strawberry shortcake vegan ice cream, our red velvet ice cream;, or go for a simple tart or no-bake option, like our caramel chocolate chip cookie tart, our fruit tart (top with your mom's faves!), or our whipped ricotta cheesecake.
Want even more Mother's Day inspiration? Check out our best Mother's Day lunch ideas, our top Mother's Day cake recipes, and even our favorite mimosas to kick her day off right.
Best-Ever Brownies
Nothing says chocolate decadence like a brownie, and our tried-and-true favorite recipe is no exception. Starring both melted chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder, these dense, fudgy brownies deliver all the intense chocolate goodness your mom loves.
Get the Best-Ever Brownies recipe.
Raspberry Tiramisu
We love a classic tiramisu and couldn’t imagine it getting much better—until raspberries entered the picture. We use a little orange liqueur instead of rum to amplify the bright flavors.
Get the Raspberry Tiramisu recipe.
Lemon Cream Cake
This simple lemon cream cake was a beloved favorite at Olive Garden. Why they don’t have it on the menu anymore, we’ll never know. This copycat recipe is more than just second best, though. Even if you have never had the original version, this is the one worth making. The vanilla cake is soft and fluffy with a hint of lemon and gets a thick lemon cream filling that’s just tart enough.
Get the Lemon Cream Cake recipe.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Carrot cake is great. But carrot cupcakes are even better. Every bite is filled with warm spice and sweet carrots and get topped with the most delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Get the Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe.
German Chocolate Cake
This is a sweet chocolate cake that is filled and frosted with rich, sticky coconut and a pecan filling. It's not super chocolatey on its own, so we couldn't resist adding chocolate ganache to go in between the layers. Not only does it add decadence, but it helps keep the layers from falling apart!
Get the German Chocolate Cake recipe.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
To make these cheesecake bars, we topped a simple graham cracker crust with a creamy cheesecake layer, a sweet pink fruit layer, and then crumbled a cinnamon-spiced streusel on top. The result is a cute, springy dessert that’s remarkable enough to serve for Mother's Day (and to make all season long).
Get the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Red Velvet Ice Cream
Red Velvet Ice CreamThis creamy homemade red velvet ice cream is made with a buttermilk base and cocoa powder for that iconic chocolatey, tangy red velvet flavor. It's an ideal treat for Valentine's Day and beyond. A cream cheese frosting is crucial to red velvet, so we added a swirl of the frosting throughout and crumbled some red velvet cake in too so you get bits in every bite. You can make your own cake or buy a few cupcakes from a local bakery to make it even easier.
Get the Red Velvet Ice Cream recipe.
Easy Fruit Tart
Envious of those bakery tarts in the window? This fruit tart will blow your mind with how easy it is to whip up. Be sure to press this shortbread crust to the top of your tart pan because it shrinks as it bakes.
Get the Fruit Tart recipe.
Coconut Cream Cupcakes
Inspired by the beloved coconut cream pie, these stuffed cupcakes have all the classic components of the original dessert, sans pie crust. You won't miss it though, because in its place are our soft and fluffy vanilla cupcakes. 😍
Get the Coconut Cream Cupcakes recipe.
White Cake
If you’re a vanilla cake fan and have never tried a white cake, you’re in for a treat. This white cake is tender, light, fluffy, and moist and layered with satiny-smooth vanilla frosting. With three layers of cake and swoops and swirls of frosting, this dessert makes a statement, making it perfect for birthdays, weddings, and other celebrations.
Get the White Cake recipe.
Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
One of our top winter desserts, our lemon-cranberry cheesecake bars were a verified hit this holiday season. They were so well-loved, we knew we had to create a bright, fresh version worthy of the upcoming season and the warm weather to come. Instead of a cranberry filling, we used blueberries in this recipe to completment our lemony cream cheese mixture. The result is a sweet, creamy, and fruity filling layered between flaky pastry—basically, it's our ideal spring dessert.
Get the Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Mango Key Lime Cheesecake
This copycat has creamy mango and Key lime cheesecake, a layer of fluffy mango mousse, and a layer of mango glaze, all encased in a vanilla-coconut crust. Topped with TCF’s signature whipped cream tower, this dessert is great for when you want a fruity, sweet indulgence that'll really make mom feel special.
Get the Copycat Cheesecake Factory Mango Key Lime Cheesecake recipe.
Chantilly Cake
There are cakes, and then there’s Chantilly cake, a towering layer cake stuffed with fresh berries and blanketed in whipped cream frosting. The impressive dessert marries the delicious simplicity of a classic yellow cake with the berries and cream combo that makes shortcakes shine. What’s even sweeter? The all-American dessert has a charming origin story that started in a grocery store bakery.
Get the Chantilly Cake recipe.
Gelato
If you can't make it to Italy, our homemade gelato recipe will at least make you feel like you're living your best life, right at home. And if you’ve never experienced authentic gelato, then you might just surprise yourself with how much you love it (maybe even more than American ice cream, but don't worry—we won't tell 😉).
Get the Gelato recipe.
Lemon-Blueberry Blondies
Blondies are all about two things—brown sugar and vanilla—which pair perfectly with lighter, more delicate fruit flavors. The lemon and blueberry here help mellow out the overt sweetness of the blondies, making these bars reminiscent of blueberry muffins or lemon pound cake.
Get the Lemon-Blueberry Blondies recipe.
Key Lime Pie Mousse
Nothing says summer quite like a tart key lime pie. This mousse is every bit as refreshing, with a fluffy texture and crispy oat crumble you'll want to eat on its own. Key limes are more tart than traditional limes; they’re worth finding for this mousse.
Get the Key Lime Pie Mousse recipe.
Marshmallow Cake
Classic buttercream is great and all, but have you ever had Italian meringue? The not-too-sweet frosting pairs well with the rich chocolate cake and looks great swirled or toasted on the outside. Pipe it on to make pretty swirls and rosettes, or use a kitchen torch for a s'mores vibe.
Get the Marshmallow Cake recipe.
No-Churn Strawberry Shortcake Vegan Ice Cream
Ice cream lovers, get ready to scoop, because this crave-able ice cream isn’t going to last! Plant-based, dairy-free, vegan… no matter what you want to call it, this ice cream is as good as—if not better—than any dairy counterpart, making it a favorite scoop of the summer. Thanks to the no-churn method, this vegan ice cream recipe is easy to make without an ice cream maker. The only equipment needed is a blender to whip up the base, then the freezer does the rest.
Get the No-Churn Strawberry Shortcake Vegan Ice Cream recipe.
Easy Lemon Bars
Pucker up—these bars are sweet and citrusy and one of our favorite make-ahead desserts. Looking for more sour/sweet treats? Check out our Margarita Bars.
Get the Easy Lemon Bars recipe.
Eclair Cake
While eclairs can be a difficult pastry to make (especially when it comes to pate a choux of profiteroles fame), we use graham crackers for this cheater version of the classic.
Get the Eclair Cake recipe.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
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