23 Sweet-Tart Lemon Desserts for Spring

Life's giving you lemon cake, cookies, bars, pie, and soufflé.

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on January 29, 2024

Lemon Bars — Photo:
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco

Bright, tangy lemon is as much a spring treat as it is a summer refreshment. Lemon juice and zest give the ideal edge to sweet pies, provide the perfect topping to cakes, and create a delicious filling for sandwich cookies. From classic lemon bars to tasty lemon tarts, each of these vibrant lemon dessert recipes is fit for celebrating the season.

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Lemon-Ricotta Cake

Lemon-Ricotta Cake — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

"I first created this cake by accident, substituting the ricotta I had in my refrigerator for the sour cream that my recipe called for," says 2020 F&W Best New Chef Camille Cogswell. "The result was, happily, far superior to the original! Now, this super moist and tender ricotta cake with bright lemon flavor is one of my go-tos. Dressed up with soft whipped cream and showered in seasonal fresh fruit, it becomes quite an elegant dessert with minimal effort."

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Lemon Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Our lemon pound cake recipe has a moist and tender crumb with a golden-domed crunchy crust that’s topped with a lemony glaze for an accent of sweetness. A handful of pantry staples come together to create this citrus-infused cake that's perfect for breakfast, tea, dessert, or as a snack.

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Lemon Meringue Pie with Marcona Shortbread Crust

lemon meringue pie — Jennifer Causey

"I like lemon pie so much that I want even more of the bright, sunny lemon flavor to come through, so there's less sugar and more lemon juice in this filling than you'll find in most recipes," cookbook author and F&W Cooks contributor Ann Taylor Pittman says. "It's assertively — but not aggressively — lemony, and is balanced by the fluffy meringue topping, which has the perfect sweetness and density to complement the tarter-than-usual filling."

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Lemony Butter Cookies

Lemon Butter Cookie Recipe — Diana Chistruga

Using powdered sugar in the dough in place of granulated sugar gives these lemony cookies a light, tender crumb.

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Limoncello-Ricotta Cheesecake

Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake — Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman

Limoncello — the sweet, potent Italian lemon liqueur made by steeping lemon peel in grain alcohol or vodka — is the star of this silky, creamy dessert. The filling is lightened by the addition of ricotta cheese and boasts citrusy flavors from both the fresh lemon juice and limoncello.

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Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars — Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco

Smooth, sweet-tart lemony custard sits atop the buttery, slightly salty shortbread crust in these bars for an unbeatable combination of flavors and textures. They come together easily and are a guaranteed winner at any event or afternoon snacking session.

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Julia Child's Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake — Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne

This four-layer poppy seed cake gets a tart kick of flavor thanks to lemon curd and lemon buttercream. Make the components in advance and it's especially easy to put together.

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Frozen Citrus Soufflé

Frozen Citrus "SoufflÃ©" — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Silky lemon custard is layered with orange zest–infused whipped cream and tangy lemon curd in this whimsical no-bake soufflé from pastry chef Michael Werrell of Audrey in Nashville. With just about 30 minutes of hands-on time, this creamy chilled dessert is sure to become a dinner party favorite.

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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

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

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Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Layers of delicate flavors from lemon, honey, and extra-virgin olive oil — which helps keep the cake moist and imparts mild fruitiness — come together in this one-bowl batter. Stacked with a fluffy and rich lemon-cream cheese frosting, this easy layer cake is a keeper.

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Lemony Sumac Pie with Ritz Cracker Crust

recipe — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee

Pastry chef Paola Velez uses Ritz cracker crumbs as a salty, buttery foil to puckery lemon. Sumac, a tart spice that adds floral aroma and pops of red color, backs up fresh lemon juice in this sweet and sour filling.

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Yuzu and Lemon Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Yuzu and Lemon Cake with Buttercream Frosting — Hugh Davison

Yuzu juice, lemon zest, and candied kumquats make this dense mochiko flour cake citrusy.

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Lemon-Almond Cake with Roasted Rhubarb

Flourless Rhubarb Cake Recipe — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

This tender, lemon-scented almond cake is topped with roasted rhubarb but is equally delicious with any kind of fresh or roasted fruit, like roasted strawberries, fresh orange segments, or roasted plums. Since the cake doesn’t contain any wheat flour, it’s ideal for those who’d like to avoid gluten.

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French Lemon Tart

French Lemon Tart — Cara Cormack

In this classic citrus tart, the lemony custard is poured into the baked pastry shell, so there's no need to worry about an undercooked crust or a curdled filling.

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Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon-Zest Glaze

Blueberry Lemon Cake Recipe — Caitlin Bensel

Finish this easy one-bowl loaf cake with a puckery lemon glaze topped with plenty of fresh lemon zest.

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Thalheimer's Lemon Chess Pie

Lemon Chess Pie — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Scholar and cookbook author Jessica B. Harris' good friend Karen Finley shares her family recipe for buttery, silky, and lusciously tart lemon chess pie. The flavor of the filling is similar to a lemon bar, but a touch sweeter and with some pleasant texture from floral lemon zest.

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Vatrushka with Lemon and Ricotta Filling

Vatrushka with Lemon and Ricotta Filling — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

These buns — known as vatrushky — are stuffed with lemony golden raisin-studded cheese and baked for a sweet Ukrainian Easter tradition.

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Lemon Buckwheat Shortbread

Lemon Buckwheat Shortbread — Victor Protasio

Lemon filling highlights the nuttiness of buckwheat flour in these shortbread cookie sandwiches from 2017 F&W Best New Chef Nina Compton.

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Lemon-Olive Oil Semifreddo with Blueberry Compote

Lemon-Olive Oil Semifreddo with Blueberry Compote — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall

Even with rich lemon cream as its base, famed pastry chef Claudia Fleming's tart, sweet semifreddo retains its light texture and flavor after it's frozen. You can make this up to three days in advance of serving.

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Lemon Curd Macarons

Lemon Curd Macarons — © Erin Kunkel

Pink peppercorns aren't just pretty, they're great counterpoints to the tangy lemon filling in these quintessential French cookies.

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Lemony Layered Cheesecake

Lemony Layered Cheesecake — JONATHAN LOVEKIN

Creamy and sophisticated, this tangy icebox cake is the ultimate low-lift treat. The recipe calls for only six ingredients — mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, prepared lemon curd, kosher salt, graham crackers, and blueberries. Once it's assembled, all that's left to do is throw it in the fridge.

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Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars

Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars — © Anna Williams

Cookbook author Elinor Klivans got her start as the "cheesecake specialist" at a restaurant in Camden, Maine. Her creamy, tangy lemon cheesecake bars can be made up to three days ahead, plus they're portable enough to bring to outdoor gatherings.

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Lemon-Coconut Tart with Brown Sugar Cream

Lemon-Coconut Tart with Brown-Sugar Cream — © Hector Sanchez

Pastry chef Karen Barker makes a lemon pie that delivers more than sweetness and fluff. Her smooth lemon filling is decidedly tart, offset by pillows of brown sugar whipped cream and a slightly crunchy and chewy coconut crust.

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