I love brightening up my baking with fresh and tangy lemon dessert recipes. Lemon adds such amazing flavor to everything from cakes and cupcakes to muffins, cookies, and even no-bake desserts.
I always have lemons on hand in my kitchen. When I’m not juicing them into homemade lemon curd, I’m always finding new ways to include fresh, tangy lemons in my favorite desserts. The sweet-but-acidic flavor is so refreshing any time of the year.
Whether I’m baking a lemon loaf for Easter or making lemon meringue pie for Christmas dessert, lemon always has a spot at my table. Here, I’ve rounded up my favorite tart, lemony dessert recipes, from cheesecakes to cookies, that I make often. I’m sure you will, too!
25+ Lemon Dessert Recipes
Nothing cuts through savory “flavor fatigue” after a holiday dinner like bright, zesty lemon in the form of a cake filled with lemon curd or a chilled lemon tart. You’ll find these ideas below, plus more easy lemon desserts that are just as refreshing.
My #1 Tip: Zest First, Then Juice
This is my first tip for baking with lemons. If you’re following a recipe that calls for lemon zest and juice, be sure to zest it first and then squeeze it. See my in-depth tutorial on how to zest a lemon for details.
Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
This recipe takes a moist sour cream bundt cake and packs it full of fresh lemon and juicy blueberries.
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
This sweet, tangy lemon olive oil cake is easy to make with one whisk! It’s a moist, tender cake dusted with powdered sugar.
Lemon Blackberry Muffins
These are fluffy lemon muffins bursting with sweet-tart blackberries. I top these muffins with a crunchy sugar topping for the perfect sparkly finish!
Lemon Meringue Pie
There aren’t many American desserts more classic than lemon meringue pie. I’ll show you how to make it with homemade lemon curd and mile-high peaks of toasted meringue.
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
Lemon cake mix cookies are sweet, soft, and chewy, made from a box of lemon cake mix. All you need are 5 ingredients!
Easy Lemon Bread
If you love the lemon loaf from Starbucks, you’ll fall in love with this homemade copycat recipe! Made like a quick bread in one bowl, it’s rich, tangy, and topped with an easy lemon glaze.
Lemon Coconut Cake Recipe
Bright lemon and creamy coconut combine in this easy lemon coconut layer cake. Each lemon cake layer is filled with silky lemon curd and finished with buttery toasted coconut frosting.
Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
These mini lemon cheesecakes are the perfect bite-sized treats to pass around at your next party! They’re made with smooth and creamy lemon cheesecake filling topped with whipped cream and lemon curd.
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
These soft, fluffy lemon blueberry cupcakes are filled with homemade blueberry sauce and topped with swirls of vanilla and blueberry frosting.
Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake
If you’re looking for an easy lemon dessert for a crowd, look no further than a mouthwatering lemon drizzle cake. Soaked in lemon syrup, it’s loaded with real lemon flavor.
No-Bake Lemon Cream Pie
I love this no-bake version of a lemon cream pie. It’s light, sweet, and refreshing, and you don’t need to turn on the oven!
Easy Lemon Cookies
If you love baking cookies from scratch, try these soft and chewy lemon cookies filled with real lemon zest.
Lemon Curd Cake
This homemade lemon curd cake is a favorite Easter dessert, but it’s just as perfect year-round. Make it with moist lemon cake layers filled with fresh curd, frosted with tangy lemon cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Cupcakes
My lemon cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and filled with tangy lemon and buttermilk. Finished with swirls of creamy lemon frosting, they’re a lemon lover’s dream!
Lemon Layer Cake
Looking for a layer cake instead? Try this easy lemon layer cake recipe filled with lemony mascarpone whipped cream.
Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake
This Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake features mascarpone whipped cream and lemon curd between layers of moist cake loaded with fresh, tangy raspberries. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the cake is so beautiful. It’s perfect for birthdays, baby and bridal showers, and other spring occasions.
Lemon Blackberry Cake
This summer-ready layer cake recipe combines three tiers of lemon blackberry cake with mascarpone whipped cream and lemon curd.
No-Bake Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake
I love no-bake cheesecake recipes, and this tangy blackberry lemon cheesecake is one of my favorites. It’s swirled with fresh homemade blackberry sauce and easy to make, no oven needed.
Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake
Take a simple lemon sheet cake, fill it with lemon pudding, and drench it with fresh blueberry sauce to make the best lemon blueberry poke cake!
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Filled with bright pops of juicy blueberries, tangy lemon curd, and mascarpone whipped cream, this lemon blueberry cake is the perfect summer dessert.
Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes
Moist homemade lemon cupcakes are topped with fresh blackberry Swiss meringue buttercream in this easy lemon blackberry cupcakes recipe.
No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
This lemon-flavored version of my classic no-bake cheesecake recipe is light, airy, and filled with bright lemon curd in a crunchy Oreo crust.
Meyer Lemon Pudding Tarts
These lemon pudding tarts have a crunchy oatmeal cookie crust filled with homemade lemon pudding. The perfect balance of sweet and tart!
Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
These lemon sugar cookie bars are soft, thick, and chewy, made with half the effort of a regular batch of sugar cookies! Slather them with buttercream for an easy potluck dessert.
Easy Lemon Bundt Cake
My easy lemon bundt cake recipe uses a box of lemon cake mix for a semi-homemade shortcut. It’s bright, zesty, and so soft! Just add a drizzle of lemon glaze.
Lemon Raspberry Poke Cake
Lemon and raspberry are the perfect springtime combo in this delicious lemon raspberry poke cake recipe. It’s soaked in sweetened condensed milk and raspberry sauce, topped with whipped cream.
Lemon Ice Cream Pie
Give your oven the day off with this creamy and tangy lemon ice cream pie recipe. It’s rich and mousse-like, topped with a thick layer of whipped cream in a Golden Oreo cookie crust.
Lemon Cream Pie Cupcakes
Lemon cream pie lovers, wait until you bake those flavors into a cupcake! These lemon cream pie cupcakes have a delicate lemon mousse and cream cheese whipped cream frosting.
Lemon Cream Pie Cookie Cups
These lemon cream pie cookie cups are literally filled with lemon flavor! With an easy lemon mousse filling, they’re a perfect bite-sized dessert.
Lemon Shortbread Icebox Cake
This lemon icebox cake has layers of softened ladyfinger cookies sandwiched between lemon cheesecake filling and silky whipped cream.
