28 Best Make-Ahead Mother's Day Dessert Recipes
With a little foresight and a touch of sugar, your Mother's Day can be sweet and stress-free.
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Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Whether you're getting together for Mother's Day brunch or a big family dinner, nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like a delicious, homemade dessert. With all of the recipes on your plate to pull off for mom, dessert is an easy course to cook ahead of time. Dishes served cold, like creamy cheesecake and icebox pie, can easily be pre-arranged and ready to pull out of the fridge at a moment’s notice. Baked goods, like lemon bars and sheet cake, can easily be made ahead and frosted right before serving for a fresh look.
The one thing sweeter than all of these treats? Stress-free time to spend with Mom now that dessert is done and ready to be devoured. So, get the ball rolling on all of your Mother's Day baking with a few of our favorite make-ahead desserts. With a little foresight and a touch of sugar, your Mother's Day can be sweet and stress-free.
Related: 55 Mother’s Day Cakes To Celebrate A Sweet Mama
Chocolate Delight
This retro layered creation goes by many names. Regardless of what you call it, we can promise the family will love this walk down memory lane. Let it chill the night before Mother’s Day for easy slicing.
Lemon-Cheese Layer Cake
This old-fashioned cake is a true labor of love, so it’s best to make the different elements of it ahead of time. “It takes some effort, but once you slice into it, you’ll know why these desserts have stood the test of time,” writes Test Kitchen Pro Ivy Odom.
Wacky Cake
Will Dickey; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee
You don’t have to be an expert baker to surprise Mama with something sweet on Mother’s Day. This vintage delight can be kept at room temp and covered for up to three days, but it also freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container for up to three months in your freezer.
Strawberry Cheesecake
Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
The cheesecake base for this dessert can be made up to four days in advance of serving. When making this sweet treat ahead of time, just reserve the topping to add just before serving.
Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake
Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Think of this dessert as a combination of two classic desserts, caramel cake and pound cake. This cake can be stored at room temperature for up to three days and in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Tres Leches Cake
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
This decadent cake is a longtime make-ahead favorite. Allowing it to rest in the fridge so the milks can soak in and make the cake as moist as possible is ideal. Store it covered for up to three days, and add the whipped topping before serving.
Mini Coconut-Key Lime Pies
Stacy K. Allen; Props: Josh Hoggle; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray
Give Mama a taste of the tropics with these bite-sized Key lime pies that are easy to serve and make ahead. Just remember the whipped cream should always be added just before serving.
Italian Cream Cake
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Not only can the layers for this cake be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days, but they can also be frozen for up to three months. Once frosted in can also be refrigerated for up to one day before serving.
Lemon Lush
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
This nostalgic layered dessert will remind Mom of the one her mom used to make. The best part? No oven required, and it can be stored in the fridge for up to four days.
Mississippi Mud Pie
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
If Mama loves chocolate, she'll love this triple-layer pie that starts with a brownie layer that's topped with creamy chocolate pudding and finished off with chocolate sandwich cookies.
Old-Fashioned Pound Cake
When in doubt, you can never go wrong with serving a classic pound cake. No bells and whistles—simply bring a little whipped cream and some fresh fruit for topping.
éclair Cake
Molly Bolton
“Finding the right dessert to bring for any family gathering requires some magic skills and a bit of luck. That is, until I tried this éclair Cake for the first time,” writes Senior Digital Food Editor Kimberly Holland. This no-bake treat just might become a tradition with your family as it has with hers.
Tiramisu
Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Treat Mama to an impressive dessert that comes together with no baking and requires just 20 minutes of hands-on time. This traditional dessert should be stored in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 before serving.
Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake
Since, by nature of the name, icebox cakes need to be refrigerated before serving, they are a no-brainer for making ahead. This cake should be refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to one day before serving.
Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake
If you get your chocolate lovin' genes from your mama, this dessert is a must.
Strawberries-And-Cream Sheet Cake
We're pretty sure this swoon-worthy sheet cake will soon become a staple in your recipe box.
Petite Blueberry Cheesecakes
After you make these two-bite treats, you can freeze them for up to one month. Once you're ready to eat, just thaw and top with preserves and fruit before serving.
Key Lime Icebox Cake
Show mom how much you care with lots of layers of lovely lime custard.
Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie
Since they need plenty of time to chill in the fridge before serving, icebox pies have long been a favorite make-ahead dessert option for Southerners. We gave the original Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad Recipe Mama will remember a beautiful makeover that’s holiday worthy.
Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies
These sandwich cookies are a delightful way to add some intrigue to the dessert table. The meringue cookies can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container up to one week ahead, and the assembled sandwich cookies with the filling can be prepped up to three days ahead.
Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Hannah Zimmerman
Our Test Kitchen’s latest iteration of classic pound cake is also their best. They provided us with plenty of pretty and fun topping options for you to try.
Lemon Tiramisu
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
Our spring-ready version of this timeless dessert can be made up to a day in advance and chilled until it’s time to surprise Mama.
Lemon-Lime Poke Cake
The poke cake method is a fun and easy way to make any sheet cake super-moist. This one can be stored, covered, without whipped topping, in the fridge for up to three days. Simply spread with whipped topping just before serving.
Ice Cream Cake
Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
This ice cream cake will make Mom feel like a kid again. Make it up to two days in advance and keep it in the freezer.
Dreamy Lemon Cheesecake
It’s all in the name with this dreamy, creamy dessert. You can make the lemon curd up to two weeks in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Prepare the cheesecake the day before you plan to serve, chill, and top with the lemon curd before serving.
Triple Chocolate-Brownie Mousse Stacks
Brownie rounds layered with milk chocolate and white chocolate mousse are sure to leave a sweet impression on Mom. Make the fillings and assemble these chocolatey stacks up to 24 hours before serving.
Cappuccino Swirl Bars
If Mom is a coffee lover, she'll adore this chocolate- and coffee-flavored dish that takes just minutes of prep time. Make these dessert bars the day before so they have time to chill before serving.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream
Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Ice cream is the perfect make-ahead dessert for Mom, and this seasonal strawberry shortcake version will leave her wanting more. Serve it on its own or alongside brownies, cake, or even strawberry shortcake.
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