43 Fun (and a Little Fancy) Mother’s Day Desserts
You love your mother. She’s the best mother there is. That’s why you thought not only about dinner but also—and mostly—about Mother’s Day desserts. That’s why you’re here! But before we get into our picks for best Mother’s Day sweets, here are some stories we’ve written about our own moms: those who coached us through making meatballs and eggplant parm over FaceTime during lockdown, ones who first learned to cook after having children (and ended up feeding us so well), and mothers who sustained themselves on miyeokguk while they raised us.
Okay, now on to the sweet stuff.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards1/43Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie
Mother’s day desserts should feel festive—but that doesn’t mean you have to break your back making them. Case in point: This golden, brown sugar-y crumble is way less complicated than a lattice topping.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton2/43S’mores Sandwich Cookies
Outdoorsy moms will be fans of these tender, chewy sandwich cookies. The mixture of toasted marshmallow crème and bittersweet chocolate ganache sandwiched between sugar cookies made with graham crackers will transport the whole family to her favorite camping spot.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Judy Mancini.4/43Brooklyn Blackout Cake
A special day calls for a layer cake. A rich, dark, moist, decadent layer cake. A chocolate layer cake with a milky chocolate pudding filling and a dark chocolate ganache-style frosting.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Dayna Seman5/43Buttermilk Banana Cake
Photograph by Jessica Pettway, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh6/43Plum and Lime Upside-Down Cake
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling By Mieko Takahashi7/43Key Lime Pie
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua8/43The Strawberriest Pavlova
One of our favorite Mother’s Day dessert recipes, this pavlova is all about fresh strawberries and syrupy homemade strawberry sauce draping themselves over that signature crispy-shelled, marshmallow cloud-stuffed meringue.
Photo by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness9/43Fudgy Weed Brownies
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne, prop styling by Christina Allen10/43Walnut-Buckwheat Toffee Cakes
Use muffin pans to make these tiny but mighty single-serving cakes. Drenched in caramel, they bring big sticky toffee pudding energy to the Mothers’s Day dinner table.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime11/43Chocolate Ganache Tart
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski13/43Lemon Meringue Pie
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi14/43Red Velvet Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Cool, unusual sprinkles and an airy whipped cream cheese frosting take this sheet cake from cute to elegant. Princess to Queen. Skipper to Barbie. You know what we mean?
