17 Memorable Mother’s Day Dessert Ideas

Treat mom to strawberry sorbet, chocolate, or red velvet this Mother's Day.

By

Bridget Hallinan

Updated on May 8, 2024

Maria Cookies Icebox Cake — Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Homemade dessert is a nice way to add an extra-warm touch to a Mother’s Day meal (especially for moms who have a sweet tooth). For chocolate lovers, Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse Cake would be a winner, or you could bake and deliver Rocky Road Brownies to any mom figure; you can also whip up a Moscato pound cake, strawberry-rhubarb crisp with peak spring fruit, or even ice cream sandwiches for sweet nostalgia. Here's an array of Mother’s Day dessert ideas.

01 of 17

Angel Food Cake with Three-Berry Compote

Angel Food Cake with Berry Compote — Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Toss a simple compote of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries with lemon juice and sugar to turn this simple angel food cake into a springtime dessert perfect for savoring with mom. Serve the berries warm or at room temperature so the flavors shine.

02 of 17

Espresso Martini Pie

A slice of espresso martini pie on a plate. — Food & Wine

The Espresso Martini is one of the most popular cocktails out there for a reason — and we turned it into a rich and creamy chocolate pie. Instant espresso powder and Kahlúa coffee liqueur give each layer of this decadent dessert — a chocolate cookie crust, a French silk-inspired chocolate filling, and a pile of whipped cream — a strong coffee flavor.

03 of 17

Apricot Kuchen with Labneh Whipped Cream

Apricot Kuchen — Greg DuPree

Mother's Day coincides with the start of apricot season; make this simple, sweet cake studded with juicy, tart apricots and served with a tangy labneh whipped cream to celebrate both.

04 of 17

Pandan and Coconut Cake

pandan and coconut cake, whole cake with slice cut out — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Finely ground leaves of pandan, a tropical plant with a vanilla- and coconut-like aroma, give this eye-catching cake a floral fragrance and luminous green color. A layer of mascarpone cheese swirled with raspberry jam balances the cake with a touch of fruity tartness.

05 of 17

Maria Cookie Icebox Cake

Maria Cookies Icebox Cake — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Toasty, slightly sweet Maria cookies were an after-school snack staple for pastry chef Paola Velez while she was growing up in the Bronx. Here, she transforms those beloved cookies into an icebox cake, layered with a sweetly spiced cream filling, topped with luscious dulce de leche, and festooned with strawberries and edible flowers.

06 of 17

Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse Cake

Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse Cake — Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne

Made with an egg custard and whipped cream and flavored with chocolate, rum, and coffee, this decadent cake is chocolaty perfection — and happens to be gluten-free, with a texture that hits somewhere between a flourless chocolate cake and a cheesecake.

07 of 17

Old-Fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Old-Fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp Recipe — Diana Chistruga

This recipe for strawberry-rhubarb crisp is a classic dessert marriage, first between the ruby red, spring duo of tart rhubarb and juicy strawberries, then of the tender, yielding fruit and the crumbly, buttery oat topping.

08 of 17

Moscato Pound Cake with Grape Glaze

Moscato Pound Cake with Grape Glaze — Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea

Moscato gives this cake a lighter, more tender crumb than a typical pound cake while imparting a subtle sweetness. Freeze-dried grapes bring vibrant color to the glaze. If you like, you can substitute lime juice in place of Moscato in the glaze for a brighter pink color.

09 of 17

Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Red Velvet Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches — Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines

Chewy, chocolaty red velvet cookies are filled with a tangy no-churn cream cheese ice cream for an irresistible combination of flavors and textures. The ice cream-filled sandwiches soften as they freeze, making these a great make-ahead dessert.

10 of 17

Baklava Cheesecake

Baklava Cheesecake — Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This rich cheesecake is scented with cinnamon, cardamom, and orange zest, but it’s the shredded phyllo and honeyed pistachios that give it a dramatic touch.

11 of 17

Blueberry-Banana Cream Pie

Blueberry-Banana Cream Pie — Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

This icebox pie created by cookbook author Hetal Vasavada boasts a delicious banana flavor thanks to the combination of a silky custard and sliced fresh bananas that line the bottom of the graham cracker crust. The blueberries add a pop of color to the pie, while their jammy flavor provides a tart dimension.

12 of 17

Brown Butter Chocolate Rye Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate-Rye Cookies — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Dark rye flour adds an extra layer of earthiness to these crumbly dark chocolate cookies from 2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff. Her take on old-school slice-and-bake shortbread includes adding dry milk powder while browning the butter, which slowly caramelizes and imparts the cookies with a sweet toffee flavor.

13 of 17

Lemon-Olive Oil Cream Meringue Tart

Lemon-Olive Oil Cream Meringue Tart — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall

Mom will adore this tart by acclaimed pastry chef Claudia Fleming that feels like a luxurious take on lemon meringue pie, with a shortbread-like tart crust, a rich lemon-olive oil cream filling, and an Italian meringue topping.

14 of 17

Roasted Strawberry Sorbet

Roasted Strawberry Sorbet — Cedric Angeles

Silky, juicy, and fruity, this sorbet is bursting with strawberry goodness. Pinot Noir adds complexity and depth while lemon juice keeps things beautifully bright. It's delicious on its own, but it's even more wonderful served with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

15 of 17

Rocky Road Brownies

Rocky road brownies — Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Joshua Hoggle / Food Styling by Marianne Williams

Gooey and chocolaty are the name of the game with these brownies, which are topped with mini marshmallows, bittersweet chocolate chips, and roasted almonds for the last few minutes of baking. Add a few smoked almonds to the mix for a s’mores-like toasted flavor.

16 of 17

Miso Caramel Blondie Sundae

Miso Caramel Blondie Sundae — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

The classic brownie sundae gets a makeover with a miso caramel blondie base, ribbons of store-bought hot fudge, and a nutty homemade whipped cream. Made from a combination of fermented rice and soybeans, white miso tempers the ripple of sugary caramel in the cakey blondies with a savory undertone.

17 of 17

Mai Tai Swirls

Mai Tai Swirls — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

These pinwheel-style cookies from Bay Area food blogger Kristina Cho are made with almond-scented dough spiraled around an orange marmalade and rum filling.

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