40+ Lemon Dessert Recipes

mr - Ginger-Lemon Sandwich Cookies Image

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Kay Clarke

When life gives you lemons, use them to amplify your dessert recipes. The tangy and zesty qualities of lemons work perfectly in sweet desserts such as cakes, ice creams, and of course, lemon bars.

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Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
These bright and fresh cookies get their tangy zest from the lemon in the frosting as well as the candied ginger on top.

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Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie Recipe
Homemade Lemon Curd delivers a burst of bright citrus flavor to this simple-to-fix lemon meringue pie, and--sweeter still--it can be made up to 2 weeks ahead!

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Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake

Photo: Ngoc Minh Ngo; Styling: Kelly All

Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake Recipe
As the sliced lemons bake under the cake and absorb butter and brown sugar, they take on a marmalade-like quality. Meyer lemons really shine in this dessert with their sweet, almost orange-like flavor.

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Lemon-Poppy Seed Roulade

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Karen Rankin; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Lemon-Poppy Seed Roulade Recipe

This lovely rolled take on the classic lemon-poppy seed combo is an ideal sweet finish to any springtime meal. Airier than a typical lemon poppyseed cakes, which tend to be quite dense, this roulade with a light and creamy lemon filling.

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Lemon-Black Sesame Baked Doughnuts

Photo: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Tori Cox; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson

Lemon-Black Sesame Baked Doughnuts Recipe

If you need a break from rainbow-smattered sweets and unicorn-coated everything, these deliciously dark doughnuts are exactly what you’re looking for. A bright lemony glaze balances the warm toasty flavors delivered by black sesame seeds for a balanced, not-too-sweet doughnut. Being an oven-baked doughnut, this recipe is perfect for the first-time doughnut maker or anyone who’s not trying to spend their Saturday morning cleaning up a deep-fry station in their kitchen. We used black food dye to intensify the darkness of these doughnuts, but feel free to leave it out if you’d prefer. Beyond being an incredibly tasty way to boycott rainbow foods, these black sesame doughnuts are the perfect treat to whip out for Halloween.

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Lemon Meringue Tart

Photo: Robbie Caponetto

Lemon Meringue Tart Recipe

Of all the sweets Dolester Miles makes, this lemon dessert is her favorite. The marriage of a classic French tart and a Southern icebox pie, it showcases sweet and tangy lemon curd atop a cookie-like crust, all piled high with Swiss meringue.

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The Lemon Cheese Layer Cake

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

The Lemon Cheese Layer Cake Recipe
This bright and festive cake would be a stunning addition to any dessert table.

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Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars

Victor Protasio

Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars Recipe

Consider yourself warned: A crunch may look like a bar cookie, but you’ll need a fork to eat it. Similar to a crisp with baked fruit and a crumbly topping, a crunch sandwiches a layer of jammy fruit between two buttery layers. While other fruit desserts are on the syrupy side, this fruit is cooked down into a flavor-packed, thick preserve. The bottom layer should be firm enough not to crumble when a piece is cut from the pan, so adding toasted pecans to the mix improves the taste as well as the texture. The top layer can duplicate the bottom, or it can be a simple streusel topping made with flour, sugar, and butter.

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Lemon and Vanilla Angel Food Cake

Photo: Thomas J. Story

Lemon and Vanilla Angel Food Cake Recipe

This delicate, cloudlike cake from Kristen Murray, pastry chef and owner of Maurice restaurant in Portland, is an adaptation of one from her great-aunt Crys, using rice flour for regular flour so the cake is gluten-free, with a little crunch. For best results, beat egg whites to very soft peaks so they (and the cake) can expand further in the oven.

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Extreme Lemon and Chocolate Roulade

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mindi Shapiro and Amanda Widis

Extreme Lemon and Chocolate Roulade Recipe
Lemon and chocolate are a lovely and lively pair in this roulade. If you prefer milder lemon flavor, you can omit the rind from the filling. Or, if you are a bold lemon lover (like me), don't strain the rind out of the filling--enjoy the tartness and texture it provides.

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Easy Lemon-Blueberry Cake from a Box

Easy Lemon-Blueberry Cake from a Box
Dress up a box cake by creating a simple filling using lemon juice and blueberries.

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Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze Recipe

Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze image

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Tangy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Tangy Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Classic lemon squares can contain 36g sugar per piece. We put a puckery cheesecake spin on ours--cutting sugar to just 6g per bar--which allows the bright citrus to shine.

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Meyer Lemon Sponge Pudding

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Meyer Lemon Sponge Pudding Recipe

Meyer Lemon Sponge Pudding image

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Lemon-Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Mascarpone

Photographer: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lauren Smith Ford; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Lemon-Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Mascarpone Recipe

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Lemon-Buttermilk Icebox Pie

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Lemon-Buttermilk Icebox Pie Recipe
A generous topping of blueberries lends a further tangy aspect to this already bright and flavorful icebox pie.

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Gingersnap-Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart

Photographer: Iain Bagwell, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

Gingersnap-Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart Recipe

With a gingersnap crust and lemon curd filling, every bit of this tart is bursting with flavor! If Meyer lemons are unavailable, substitute equal amounts of regular lemon juice and orange juice. Garnish with Meyer lemon slices.

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Pumpkin-Lemon Cream Cheese Chess Pie

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Kim Phillips

Pumpkin-Lemon Cream Cheese Chess Pie Recipe

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Pine Nut–Meyer Lemon Snowballs

Greg DuPree

Pine Nut–Meyer Lemon Snowballs Recipe
Ok, so lemon verbena isn't a fruit--but it does add fruity flavor to this lovely dessert. Its floral aroma and taste soften the tang of the buttermilk

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Pink Lemonade Rolls

Photo: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Emily Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Pink Lemonade Rolls Recipe

This playful take on the classic orange roll makes for a perfect treat for Mother’s Day, a bridal brunch, baby showers, or the next time you wanna bring a little extra cheer to you weekend breakfast spread.

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Lemon Lush

Photo: Jen Causey, Food Styling: Gordon Sawyer and Tina Stamos, Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell

Lemon Lush Recipe

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Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake image

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Deep Eddy Blueberry Lemon Drop Pop

Time Inc. Video Studio

Deep Eddy Blueberry Lemon Drop Pop Recipe

These adult ice pops are the perfect refreshing summer treat. We made ours using Deep Eddy vodka as we find it to be exceptionally vibrant in flavor, but feel free to use your own favorite brand of flavored vodka. Raspberries would also be a delicious fruit to highlight in these bright and boozy pops.

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Glazed Lemon-Ginger Scones

Photo: Con Poulos

Glazed Lemon-Ginger Scones Recipe
Aimee Olexy's lemony, cream-based scones are light, moist and laced with pieces of chewy candied ginger.

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Quick and Easy Lemon Curd

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

Quick and Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
We changed the mixing method of our favorite lemon curd, then cooked it in the microwave. The results? Buttery rich and smooth as silk, every time.

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Candied Meyer Lemons

Photo: Alex Farnum

Candied Meyer Lemons Recipe
Yigit Pura of Tout Sweet Pâtisserie in San Francisco uses these citrus slices as a garnish, both the way they are here (on the softer side, halfway between candied and poached) and one step further (dried overnight on a rack, then turned in sugar for a sparkly look). Sometimes he adds cut-up lemongrass to the syrup.

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Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mindi Shapiro

Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta Recipe

Meyer lemon--a lemon/orange hybrid--is sweeter than conventional lemon. If you don't have access to Meyer lemons, you can use a regular lemon and enjoy a dessert that's a bit more tart.

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Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting Recipe
No time to make the frosting? Simply top the cupcakes with sweetened whipped cream. Find dried lavender buds or tea in spice stores, high-end markets, or amazon.com. Use food coloring to dye the frosting pale purple, if desired.

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Lemon Meltaways

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Lemon Meltaways Recipe
You'll use just a tad less than two sticks of butter to make these delicate little gems.

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Meyer Lemon Curd Tart

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

Meyer Lemon Curd Tart Recipe
Use the broiler to get that perfect golden meringue.

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Lemon Curd Pound Cake

Oxmoor House

Lemon Curd Pound Cake Recipe
Wait to prepare the Lemon Curd Glaze until the cake comes out of the oven so it will still be warm when spread over the cake.

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Lemon Curd with Berries

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Lemon Curd with Berries Recipe
In this custard, citrus juice stands in for milk as the base liquid, thickened by egg yolks. Butter gives the curd a glorious sheen. Garnish with mint leaves for a spot of green color.

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40+ Lemon Desserts to Make ASAP

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Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

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Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie

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Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake

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Lemon-Poppy Seed Roulade

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Lemon-Black Sesame Baked Doughnuts

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Lemon Meringue Tart

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The Lemon Cheese Layer Cake

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Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars

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Lemon and Vanilla Angel Food Cake

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Extreme Lemon and Chocolate Roulade

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Easy Lemon-Blueberry Cake from a Box

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Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze

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Tangy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

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Meyer Lemon Sponge Pudding

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Lemon-Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Mascarpone

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Lemon-Buttermilk Icebox Pie

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Gingersnap-Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart

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Pumpkin-Lemon Cream Cheese Chess Pie

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Pine Nut–Meyer Lemon Snowballs

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Pink Lemonade Rolls

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Lemon Lush

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Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake

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Deep Eddy Blueberry Lemon Drop Pop

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Glazed Lemon-Ginger Scones

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Quick and Easy Lemon Curd

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Candied Meyer Lemons

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