What Makes A Spring Cake?
Spring cake is a broad term, but if you don’t really have any specific ingredients or flavors in mind, sometimes is the best place to start. Many of you probably got here by searching for spring cakes on Pinterest or Google. So what are we defining as a spring cake?
Spring cakes are cakes that lean into florals and seasonal flavors. Spring is the time a lot of flowers begin to bloom so they can be used for ingredients or as decoration. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are also coming into season and using ingredients in season often offer the best results.
What’s in season? Some florals that are perfect to cook and decorate with that are blooming in spring are lilacs, violets, lavender, and roses, just to name a few. Popular spring fruits include strawberries, apricots, pineapple, lemons, and cherries. Neither of these are exhaustive lists, just popular options. Do a little googling and you can find plenty of seasonal ingredients to work with, making fun flavor combinations!
How To Decorate Spring Desserts
The keys to making a spring cake look like a spring cake are colors, fruits, and flowers! As you can see from our list there are a ton of ways to use flowers, from dried to impressed, and fruit, from fresh to candied. But you can also lean into a spring color palette of whites, greens, and pastels.
You have so many ways you can be creative with your ingredients but the key is to have fun with it and it will be great.
After you’re done here, be sure to check out these 20 spring dinner ideas!
Spring Cake Recipes
Lavender Lemon Cake
Lavender and lemon go hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for a way to step up your lemon desserts, lavender is the perfect addition. The floral flavors balance out perfectly with the tangy lemons and create a well-balanced bright treat perfect for the season. This lemon cake is the perfect example of light, fluffy, floral, and sweet!
If you’re looking for springtime cake decorating inspiration, take notes from this easy but put-together look. Consider dried fruit and herbs that are full of color and keep the decorations natural.
Limoncello-Almond Roll Cake
If you’ve ever had a Limoncello almond, you’ll know it takes like candied sunshine. Not only is this delicious roll topped with the sweet bites, but the cake takes inspiration from the candies. This roll cake is a Limoncello-infused soft sponge with a tangy cream cheese filling, filled with crushed Limoncello almonds. All around, this is a chocolatey option for the spring!
This roll is stunning on it’s own but if you’re looking for more inspiration on ways to decorate your cake, consider using premade treats like the Limoncello almonds, to fill out your decorations.
Lemon Rosemary Cake
Lemon and rosemary is not an unusual pairing when in comes to savory recipes, but have you considered adding rosemary to your lemon desserts? If you haven’t, you should, you won’t regret it. This light and airy cake is perfectly paired with a bit of tang and an herby undertone you’ll love.
Consider swapping out the fresh flowers for fresh herbs when you’re looking for new ways to decorate your spring cake!
Strawberry Chamomille Naked Cake
Strawberry cake is the best way to welcome strawberry season and the best way to use all of those strawberries you got from strawberry picking! This recipe adds in chamomile for a mild earthy flavor that goes so well with the sweet but tart berries.
You cannot go wrong with a mix of fruit and flowers when looking for spring cake decorating ideas, they are the perfect embodiment of that image of spring and require almost no prep! Just remember to use flowers that are food-safe.
Rosewater Pistachio Cake
In case you haven’t heard, pistachio cake is all the rage. There are a ton of ways to enjoy pistachio, but the rose and pistachio flavor pairing, inspired by traditional Middle Eastern recipes, is one of the best. This fantasy-inspired recipe leans right into that with a delicious pistachio cake and rosewater buttercream, all topped off with Turkish Delight!
When considering decorations, you can always go with candies, dried flowers, or custom toppings, or like this recipe, a mix! The cake is topped with crushed pistachios, dried roses, Turkish Delight, and a custom chocolate bark.
Almond, Peach, and Raspberry Cake
This perfectly pink stunner is the perfect cake if you’re loving spring but also transitioning to summer. Not only are the colors of the fresh fruit bright and warm, so are the flavors. This cake opts for an almond base flavor that pairs perfectly with the peach because the two come from the same family and share notes!
Apricot Pistachio Cake
This light and airy vanilla cake is incorporated with apricots and pistachios for a subtle pistachio cake recipe. If you want the pistachio cake but a bit milder, this is the recipe for you. The tangy apricot and nutty pistachio make for a dream team.
White Forest Cake
I love Black Forest cake, but the notes seem to be better suited for the colder months. If you like the balance of cherry and chocolate but want to lighten it up some, consider this White Forest Cake. This recipe uses white chocolate ganache to flip the classic cake over to the spring cake flavors side!
Raspberry Pink Champagne Cake
Sweet, tangy, a hint of bubbly is what you get from this recipe. This cakes takes a more luxurious approach to the spring cake with the addition of a light and airy champagne flavor.
Orange Blossom Cake
If you’re a citrus lover, you have to try this cake now! This lovely treat is packed with orange flavors and complimented with understated floral notes from the orang blossom water. Picture a comfortable spring day in the park and that is what this cake tastes like.
The use of fresh flowers in the cake decorations is already inspirational with the oversized blooms making a wonderful statement. Add in the gorgeous citrus garnishes and you have a show-stopping centerpiece of a cake.
Blood Orange and Raspberry Cake
Want something tangy and light, but still have some richness? Try out this recipe with a light and airy cake topped with a rich and creamy vanilla marscapone. The arscapone is balanced out with an indulgent amount of blood orange and raspberry flavor. You wont be able to put it down.
Take note of how the creator went for a simpler, naked cake style but over the top with he frush fruit topping. This rustic but decadent approach is one to copy and easy to do so.
Vegan Blackberry and Gin Cake
This is definitely a standout recipe! Not only is it vegan, it uses an uncommon flavor combination. This delight is a fluffy cake filled with a delicious blackberry jam and soaked in a gin syrup. Even better, the author offers up a non-alcoholic gin option.
Violet Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
I’m not sure you can talk spring desserts and leave out any of the floral lemon combinations. While we’ve covered the usual suspects, this recipe uses one of the lesser-used floral options and opts for violets! This recipe is a bright and fluffy and this cake screams spring in both looks and flavor.
Looking to step up your floral decorating options? Consider trying out this look and instead of simply placing the flowers on the cake, try impressing your flowers into the surface of your cake for a beautiful mosaic look.
Hawaiian Sunset Cake
When you think tropical flavors, you usually go to summer. But a lot of tropical ingredients actually come into season in spring. This Hawaiian sunset cake uses a few of them in one of the best ways possible! Chocked full of orange , pineapple, and coconut, this cake tastes like what beautiful Hawaii looks like.
Lilac and Lemon Curd Cake
If you’re a lilac fan, this is for you. If you aren’t sure if you’re a lilac fan, this is also for you. Don’t let the decorations fool you, this cake is perfectly balanced and beautifully subtly with a delicious Lilac infused creme.
Looking for even more cake decorating inspiration, take a page from this cake’s book and drape your cake in flowers and let them be the centerpiece.
Whether spring fruits or spring flowers, hopefully, these recipes gave you a bit of inspiration for both spring cake flavors and spring cake decorating ideas. Mix and match your florals and fruits and see what happens. Don’t be afraid to give them a try or try out some spins of your own. Spring cupcakes, anyone?
Looking for something to complement dessert? Here are 20 spring dinner ideas! Complete with everything from appetizers to desserts!
