Outside of Cadbury Mini Eggs, my favorite foods of Easter are the desserts: From frosting-heavy cupcakes, to candy-topped cookies, to these 10 cakes we’ve found that will command their place in the middle of the table. I love having more than one reason to visit the dessert table on Easter Sunday.
So if this holiday has you feeling inspired to take on holiday baking project, these Easter cakes cover a lot of bases. with adorable, sweet bunnies to those cakes with more sophisticated looks and flavors. There are even cakes for those with food allergies so everyone can find a treat they can love. Most importantly, they may all look impressive, they’re doable for even us busy parents—hey, we know you have a lot of baskets to fill before Easter hops on the scene.
Top: Peeps Easter bunny cake from I Scream for Buttercream.
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This post has been updated for 2023.
You don’t even need to like marshmallow candies to fall hard for this adorable giant Peeps Easter bunny cake (shown at top) from I Scream for Buttercream. Starting with a basic sheet cake and a free printable template, this tutorial walks you step-by-step through the process of creating this bunny in any color you’d like. So cute!
Related: Kitchen hack: 5 tricks you need to make box cake mix taste like homemade.
Sweetly sophisticated, this pretty birds nest Easter cake from Recipe Tin Eats can be prepped early, with a vanilla cake base that can be made as many as four days prior to Sunday. Love how those speckles get placed on the cake—kids can help with this as well as the “nest building” on the top.
Looking like they’re popping up out of their den, these individual Bunny bundt cakes from Your Cup of Cake will be irresistible to your guests as they peak out over the dessert table. I appreciate that these mini treats are made from a jazzed-up boxed cake mix to save a little time, so check out her recipe for details. Wilton has lots of different size “mini” bundt pans so you can grab the perfect size for your celebration.
All this talk of bunnies (and sugary Peeps!) makes me crave healthier carrot cake at this time of the year, and this Easter carrot sheet cake from The Forked Spoon looks so moist and delicious, especially topped with cream cheese frosting and easy-to-make chocolate carrots. Short on decorating time? Grab a bag of these allegen-free carrot sprinkles you’ll have left over after making these bunny cupcakes. Yay for shortcuts!
In the mood for a different kind of carrot cake? These naturally colored Orange cheesecake carrots at Hungry Happenings are perfect for Easter. And making the green tops look like simple business too.
We are always thinking about our kids (and adults) with food allergies which is why we are so excited to see these allergen-free chocolate Easter egg cakes from My Gluten Free Kitchen. A bit like a giant peanut butter egg (without the peanuts, of course), the kids can help decorate these with sprinkles or frosting.
Related: Delicious allergen-free Easter candy and chocolates
No special cake pans needed to create the Easter bunny cakes from Skip to My Lou. Just choose your favorite cake mix and frosting like the coconut and banana mixes from Dolly Parton or the gluten-free mixes from King Arthur Flour and then dress your bunnies up for the table.
Related: Kitchen hack: 5 tricks you need to make box cake mix taste like homemade.
Cool Mom Eats’ Lisa swooned when she first ate this stunning white coconut cake from Sugar Geek Show, and if you love coconut too, you’ll understand why: Coconut oil, toasted coconut, and coconut extract all come together in this well-laid-out recipe for the home baker. We would add a few yellow Peeps or speckled candy eggs as decorations, or just leave it as it is in all its glory standing on a pretty white cake stand—it’ll get devoured either way.
Have some little sous chefs who are eager to help in the kitchen? This Easter dirt cake recipe from Amanda’s Cookin’ provides the perfect base onto which they can decorate with candies and shredded coconut grass. Even better? This is a no-bake cake that comes together so easily, you could turn this one over to your tweens and teens to handle on their own.
Photo by Karen Quinn @Cool Mom Picks
My own sister and mom are responsible for these beautiful vegetable garden cakes which look incredible on the Easter dessert table. Best of all, they’ve taught us all how to create these tiny veggies from gluten-free marzipan paste, though you can also use fondant if there are almond allergies around the table. (You may even be able to buy some pre-made veggies like the ones at Gnins Shop, but check on rush charges and expedited shipping.)
You’ll get great tips for making marzipan veggies in this tutorial from What a Girl Eats. Then just make your favorite sheet cake recipe (and it’s okay to use a boxed cake mix!), lay down some frosting, and cover the top with crushed chocolate wafers for dirt. Part craft project/part cake decorating—this is one Easter tradition I’m glad we’ve kept even as the kids get older.
