Celebrate Seasonal Flavors
The sweetest thing about spring is the plethora of produce available once the colder months come to an end. Every month, a new berry or crop makes its debut at your local farmer's market, and that's all the inspiration you need to get dessert started.
The sweetest thing about spring is the plethora of produce available once the colder months come to an end. Every month, a new juicy berry or fresh crop makes its debut at your local farmer's market, and that's all the inspiration you need to get dessert started. Keep these recipes on hand to showcase seasonal ingredients when the warm weather arrives.
1. Peaches and Cream Butter Mochi
Whether you slice into your pan of chewy, custardy butter mochi on the first day or wait twenty-four hours to let the flavors settle in, this iconic dish from Hawai'i pairs perfectly with sunny forecasts and picnics with friends.
2. Lemon Meringue Tart
Tangy lemon curd, marshmallow-esque peaks of toasted meringue, and a perfectly crumbly tart shell...what's not to love about this gorgeous citrus dessert?
3. Skillet Carrot Cake
Eating seasonally isn't just about digging into a pint of spring berries! Making use of your fall bounty is just as important, which this rustic carrot cake does seamlessly with a layer of cream cheese frosting and the help of a non-fussy cast iron skillet.
4. Pavlova Snowballs
Bid adieu to colder days! These pavlova "snowballs" nod to romantic snowy scenes, but remind the tastebuds of days on the beach. They're dusted with coconut and soft on the inside: the best of tropical flavors and sweet, simple desserts.
5. Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
Although lemons are traditionally a winter citrus, there are many varities that can be enjoyed year round. Something about the brightness of that zingy flavor has us craving it in the spring, and this cheesecake is our favorite way to showcase it.
6. Creamy Meyer Lemon Tarts
Meyer lemons are the slightly sweeter cousin of your average grocery store variety. They're a hybrid with a subtle orange flavor, typicaly available and freshest from November through early spring. Their juice lends just the right balance of sweet and sour to the creamy curd that fills these tarts.
7. Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Rounding off a spring day with this timeless cake and a hot cup of coffee is one of life's forgotten pleasures. We're bringing it back with a twist: fresh rhubarb. It can be harvested from your garden or local market during prime season, which is April through June. Almond flour replaces all-purpose in this recipe, making the cake low-carb and extra tender.
8. Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie
Depending on where you live, peak strawberry season starts as early as April and is in full swing through June. They're sweetest and juiciest when fresh, so pick your own or support your local farm stand by purchasing a pint right from the farmers. If you have the willpower to not eat the whole haul on the way home (we rarely do), they'll be the perfect base for this frozen strawberry lemonade pie.
9. Grilled Peaches with Zabaglione
If you're a grill fanatic, you probably have yours fired up the second warm winds sweep through town. Like you, peaches are early bloomers and ready for action all summer long: they're in season all the way from mid-May to the dwindling days of mid-August. Great cookouts require great desserts, and this grilled twist on peaches and cream fits the bill.
10. Pavlova
This cream-filled meringue has such a subtle and sweet flavor of its own that it makes the perfect base for any topping—and the sky's the limit. We recommend adorning the dreamy cloud-like dessert with your favorite in-season fruits. Whether that's blackberries, pomegranate, pineapple, or star fruit, it's bound to be a sweet success.
