Top 20+ Easter desserts to share after church

From carrot cake cheesecake to hummingbird cake, these recipes are tried-and-true favorites.

Strawberry Pie, Cheesecake in a Jar, Lemon Cupcakes, Best Carrot Cake Ever, Whipping Cream Pound Cake, Mixed Berry Trifle, Homemade Banana Pudding Pie, Almond Rhubarb Coffee Cake, Creamy Coconut Cake, Grasshopper Pie, Crisp Lemon Cake Mix Cookies, Pistachio Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Lemon-Lime Ricotta Pound Cake, Tieton Apricot Tart with Basil Custard, Mini Lemon Tarts, White Chocolate-Raspberry Cake, Carrot-Pistachio Cookies, Lemon Raspberry Crumb Bars, Hummingbird Cake, Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars, More Easter Dessert Recipes

As you plan for your family's Easter Sunday lunch, consider these traditional Easter desserts for your celebration. These recipes hold up well in the time between when you make them (likely the night before) and you eat them. With these cakes, cookies, and pies, the Easter Bunny's gifts won't be the only thing everyone looks forward to on this celebratory Sunday.

01 of 20

Strawberry Pie

Just as Easter hops up on the calendar, spring's best strawberries start popping up in farmers' markets and grocery stores. Take advantage of those juicy, sweet berries by making strawberry pie for Easter lunch. Make the pie a day early, and keep it cool. Just before serving, top with fresh whipped cream.

02 of 20

Cheesecake in a Jar

These portable, pre-portioned desserts can be made up to three days before Easter lunch. They travel well, too, in case your Easter lunch is at someone else's house this year. For a whimsical presentation, tie ribbon in Easter egg colors around the jars, or tape personalized name tags on each jar and use them as name cards for your place settings.

03 of 20

Lemon Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a wonderful Easter dessert, and these cheery lemon cupcakes are ideal for the celebratory holiday. To keep the cakes from drying out and the frosting firm before lunchtime, store them in air-tight containers in the refrigerator.

04 of 20

Best Carrot Cake Ever

It's called the "Best Ever" for good reason: "This carrot cake is the absolute best that I have ever made," writes Allrecipes community member DESSERTMAKER2. "I had many compliments on this." This light and fluffy carrot cake needs to cool completely before you frost it, so it's smart to make this in advance. Just store it in a cake carrier to prevent air making the frosting hard, or the cake dry.

05 of 20

Whipping Cream Pound Cake

Pound cakes are naturally dense and moist, which makes them great make-ahead desserts for Easter. Leave the pound cake wrapped tightly in plastic wrap until just before lunch. Then, slice the cake and arrange on a platter with fresh fruit. Sprinkle the whole arrangement with powdered sugar before setting it on the buffet.

06 of 20

Mixed Berry Trifle

No time to bake a pound cake from scratch? Pre-made pound cake does the job here. If you can spare 30 minutes for prep time, you can whip up this simple dessert before you head off to your Easter service. It needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

07 of 20

Homemade Banana Pudding Pie

Homemade banana pudding and a fluffy meringue topping take a classic dessert to the next level. You can refrigerate this pie for up to two days. Just insert wooden toothpicks into the topping halfway between the edge of the pie and its center. Loosely cover the toothpicks with clear plastic wrap.

08 of 20

Almond Rhubarb Coffee Cake

In-season rhubarb adds a subtle tartness to sweet coffee cake. You can bake this cake up to a few days before Easter. Once it cools, wrap the uncut cake with clear plastic wrap so that it's tight enough to cover the entire cake. Store it on the counter till you're ready to serve it on Sunday.

09 of 20

Creamy Coconut Cake

Saturate this top-rated cake with cream of coconut and condensed milk before frosting it. Then the cake will absorb the liquid overnight, just in time for Easter lunch.

10 of 20

Grasshopper Pie

A homemade chocolate cookie crust takes this classic Easter dessert over the top. The pie needs to freeze for at least two hours in order to set, so you can easily make it the night before your Easter lunch and freeze it overnight.

11 of 20

Crisp Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

These bright and zesty cookies will add beautiful pastel color to the dessert spread. Of course, the best part about them is they take just five ingredients to make: lemon cake mix, rice cereal, butter, and an egg.

12 of 20

Pistachio Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

Pistachio's naturally green hue fits right inline with any Easter celebration. For a real showpiece, coat the cream cheese frosting with crushed pistachios. To store frosted cake, chill it in the fridge uncovered for about 15 minutes to allow the frosting time to harden, then cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving (or the duration of your service).

13 of 20

Lemon-Lime Ricotta Pound Cake

Pound cake is as traditional a dessert as they come, but add citrus to it and you're sure to attract quite the crowd at the potluck. Reviewer Lisa Pozderec says, "Tons of compliments!! I will continue to make this cake for every special occasion." Pound cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container for several days before serving. Add the glaze shortly before serving.

14 of 20

Tieton Apricot Tart with Basil Custard

This sheet pan tart was made for serving a crowd and should be stored in the fridge until ready to serve. A whole wheat and almond crust is topped with a lightly-sweetened basil custard and fresh apricots.

15 of 20

Mini Lemon Tarts

These single-serving tarts are sure to get all the "ooh's" and "aah's," especially if you sprinkle each one with fresh berries and powdered sugar, as recipe creator and Allrecipes Allstar Bibi suggests.

16 of 20

White Chocolate-Raspberry Cake

Here's how recipe creator Laura describes this stunning dessert: "White cake filled with raspberry pastry cream, iced with white chocolate buttercream, and garnished with white chocolate shavings on the sides and fresh raspberries on the top."

17 of 20

Carrot-Pistachio Cookies

These holiday-appropriate cookies feature fresh carrots, crunchy pistachios, and crystalized ginger for a bit of a kick.

18 of 20

Lemon Raspberry Crumb Bars

Take standard lemon bars up a notch with the addition of fresh raspberries and a crumb topping. "They taste great at room temp, but are even better cold!" says recipe creator and Allrecipes Allstar Kim. "Store in the refrigerator."

19 of 20

Hummingbird Cake

This old-fashioned banana-pineapple spice cake is always a crowd pleaser, especially when paired with a rich, cream cheese frosting.

20 of 20

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

"This recipe is AMAZING! I followed it exactly as is, however, it would be great with nuts and dried fruit added if you like that in your carrot cake. My family absolutely loved it. I can't wait to make it for our next game night, I have no doubt it'll be a crowd pleaser." —Aubree