The Recipe Rebel / Round-Ups
written by The Recipe Rebel
Last updated on March 21, 2024
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Lemon Desserts are perfect for welcoming in the warmer days ahead! Here are 30 of our favorites, from cakes and cheesecakes, to cookies and pies and more!
Table of Contents
- Why Lemon Desserts Are Perfect for Spring
- Should You Use Bottled or Fresh Lemon?
- How Do You Zest a Lemon?
Why Lemon Desserts Are Perfect for Spring
Maybe it’s their bright summery flavors, maybe it’s because citrus is in season, or maybe it’s a bit of both!
Lemon recipes are a surefire segue into summer, which makes them ideal for springtime baking. Nothing shouts “spring” from the rooftops louder than a beautiful and zesty lemon dessert.
Should You Use Bottled or Fresh Lemon?
Fresh lemon, always and forever!
There’s just something about the sensory experience of freshly squeezed lemons that can’t be captured in a bottle. The scent, the taste, the freshness – magical. Plus, fresh lemon juice contains much higher concentrations of vitamin C than the stuff that comes in bottles.
How Do You Zest a Lemon?
Zesting a lemon is made easy using a microplane grater for a finely grated zest, or a citrus zester for longer strands. Both of these kitchen tools are quick and easy to use, and worth investing in (IMO)! Here are some other suggestions for zesting lemons:
- Potato peeler. A good alternative to quickly zest a lemon if the above tools aren’t available.
- Cheese grater. Many boxed cheese graters nowadays have a side with small holes, which works well as a lemon zester.
- Knife. A sharp paring knife is best to use when peeling or zesting a lemon.
Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts
These beautiful baked lemon doughnuts are bursting with fresh blueberries and citrus! A perfect springtime recipe for moist and fluffy, homemade glazed doughnuts.
Get the recipe here
No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
A homemade cheesecake recipe made with 100% natural lemon, and no artificial flavors! Lemon zest and lemon juice are the stars of this no-bake cheesecake that tastes pretty close to a ray of citrus sunshine.
Get the recipe here
Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Layers of lemony goodness and creamy, tangy cheesecake make up these delightful lemon bars. These are the best for spring and just the right amount of sweet!
Get the recipe here
Strawberry Lemon Angel Food Cake Roll
This cake roll takes an angel food cake box mix and dresses it up into something truly special! Fresh sweet strawberries and creamy lemon curd get rolled up into an easy and delicious spring dessert!
Get the recipe here
Lemon Icebox Pie
A sweet and tangy lemon icebox pie made with condensed milk, buttery egg yolks and loads of zesty fresh lemon! An easy lemon dessert that’s creamy, fresh, and so irresistible!
Get the recipe here
Easy Lemon Meringue Pie recipe
Is it just me or is lemon meringue pie a springtime classic? This homemade meringue pie is full of cool and creamy flavor, channeling all kinds of light, fresh, citrusy vibes. Make the whole pie from scratch or take some store-bought shortcuts for extra convenience.
Get the recipe here
Frosted Lemon Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Sour cream brings a level of moisture to these sugar cookies that’s totally irresistible! Deliciously flavored with lemon and frosted with a decadent lemon frosting, these easy drop cookies are perfect for spring.
Get the recipe here
Lemon Scones
You only need a few ingredients to make these tangy lemon scones! They’re fluffy and soft on the inside and crisp and golden on the outside. Wonderful to serve with tea or coffee!
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
An easy and kid-friendly recipe for soft and tender lemon crinkle cookies made from cake mix! This cookie recipe takes only 20 minutes to make – and you’ll be dunking them in milk any chance you can get!
Lemon Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
A crisp and buttery shortbread cookie recipe with loads of bold lemon and almond flavor, these cookies also happen to be gluten free! You can make a batch of these slice and bake cookies in no time, for an easy gluten free dessert.
Glazed Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
Is it breakfast? Is it dessert? It’s both, and it’s simply delicious! If you ever needed an excuse to eat cake for breakfast, this gorgeous lemon blueberry pound cake drizzled with lemon glaze is the answer!
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Spring desserts don’t get much more on theme than these luscious strawberry lemonade cupcakes! Light and fluffy homemade cupcakes topped with a sugary frosting infused with strawberry puree.
Lemon Yogurt Cake
This little loaf cake is packing major lemon flavor! Made with a moist, tender crumb thanks to the combination of Greek yogurt and extra virgin olive oil, this lemon cake is unique in taste and unbeatable in texture!
Lemon Mug Cake
A 7-minute mug cake recipe that’s perfect for satisfying your springtime sugar cravings! This lemon mug cake is zesty and sweet and so easy to make.
Lemon Bars Recipe
Tangy, sweet, and lemony dessert bars are full of bright citrus flavors and topped with a sweet sour cream layer. With only 6 ingredients, lemon desserts don’t get much easier than this!
Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
A beautiful bundt cake made from scratch, full of raspberry and lemon flavors! Made with fresh raspberries dotted throughout a tender, delicious lemon cake covered in a lemon cream cheese icing.
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
This is such a great recipe for zesty lemon blueberry cheesecake bars! These homemade dessert bars are perfect for spring and summer with all their rich and creamy, fresh and fruity flavors.
Lemon Pudding Cake
Light and fluffy cake gets layered with creamy pudding in this easy lemon dessert recipe! It’s a celebration of lemon flavor, with the most amazing texture. You’re going to be licking the bowl that this pudding cake comes in!
Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream
Take advantage of your ice cream maker with this homemade dairy-free ice cream loaded with creamy lemon flavor! Bursts of dairy-free cream cheese mingle with bold lemon and crispy vanilla wafers in this easy, summery ice cream recipe.
Lemon Zucchini Cupcakes
These lemon cupcakes are super moist and delicious thanks to a secret ingredient – zucchini! You won’t believe that these cupcakes are hiding a sneaky vegetable, the sweet flavors are just so amazing. Especially topped with lemon buttercream!
Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake
Delve into layer upon layer of moist sour cream lemon cake and fresh juicy blueberries with this easy dessert recipe. One slice of this cake topped with cream cheese frosting and your taste buds will be dancing!
Lemon Crumb Bars (So Easy!)
These tasty crumb bars feature creamy lemon filling on top of a crunchy sugary crust, sprinkled with a sweet crumbly topping. This recipe is so easy and the perfect dessert for springtime potlucks!
Lemon Marshmallow Poke Cake
A sweet and creamy combination of lemon jelly and lemon pie filling throughout a tender white cake! This cake looks as pretty as a picture and tastes even better.
Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle
Lemon lovers, prepare to have your breath taken! This trifle is outrageous in the best possible way, loaded with layers of sweet lemon pound cake, lemon cream, and fluffy whipped cream!
Lemon Rice Krispie Treats
The kids are going to love these lemony Rice Krispie treats! A citrusy spin on a classic childhood dessert, this version is dotted with mini marshmallows and super easy to make.
Easy Lemon Tart
Just look at the color of this bright and delightful lemon tart! Bold lemon pie filling is all kinds of zesty and delicious, set in a buttery flaky crust.
Lemon Sheet Cake
Feeding a crowd? Blow them away with this easy lemon sheet cake topped with lemon icing! Perfect for potlucks and parties, this is a refreshing dessert recipe that’s sure to impress.
Easy Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
Tangy and sweet lemon sugar cookie bars are the best dessert bars for warmer weather! Thick and chewy, full of flavor, these cookie bars are frosted with vanilla buttercream in a dessert that’s simple and delicious.
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
This is the best recipe for fresh and bright lemon blueberry cheesecake that’s so creamy! Fully loaded with a sweet and juicy blueberry topping, this dessert is a fruity and tangy sensation!
Lemon Icebox Cake
Another dessert bursting with lemon flavor, this lemon icebox cake is a fresh and citrusy twist on a classic old-fashioned dessert! This no-bake recipe comes together quickly, and is sure to carry you through spring and into summer!
Baked Lemon Donuts Recipe
Gorgeous lemon donuts made at home with pantry ingredients! These fluffy treats are baked and lemon glazed, with an extra sprinkle of lemon sugar.
