7 Dessert Recipes to Share With Someone You Love

Photo by Tara Sgroi

Let’s be real, when it comes to dessert, we definitely eat with our eyes first. Just seeing a citrus-infused sweet makes our tastebuds zing or our mouth start watering when a rich chocolate soufflé is in sight. It’s this visual language that Athena loves to translate into her dessert recipes in a bid to create enticing food that’s just as delicious as it is beautiful.

But don’t let the gorgeous presentation intimidate you or prevent you from trying your hand at making one of these scrumptious dessert recipes. These robust flavors are made using minimal, basic ingredients without the fuss. And they taste just as good as they look, too!

So, give one of these seven dessert recipes a try this weekend and share it with a loved one or just make it for yourself—we do!

CITRUS POPPY OLIVE OIL LOAF

This is one of Athena’s absolute favorite dessert recipes to make around springtime. This cake is incredibly bright, vibrant, and fresh but above all moist so it’s perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon when that sugar craving hits. The tip is to massage the lemon and orange zest with the sugar to release all of the essential oils from the citrus into the sugar. Yum.

7 Delicious Desserts to Share With Someone You Love (Or Yourself!)

PEACH AND BLACKBERRY CROSTATAS

If you’re looking for something that’s deliciously sweet but also sour, then these foolproof crostatas simply can’t be beat. This recipe calls for peach and blackberry but honestly, you could throw any ripe, seasonal fruit with some sugar, acid, and herbs into the pastry and you’ll have a scrumptious sweet that everyone will want to eat.

LIME RASPBERRY TART

Name a more decadent duo than lime and raspberry. We’ll wait… They’re mouth-puckeringly tart, sweet, and refreshing all at once. We guarantee you’ll be back for seconds and thirds with this dessert recipe.

GINGER AND VANILLA BEAN RHUBARB GALETTE

There is only one way to tame the complex, sour flavor of rhubarb and that’s to infuse it with ginger and aromatic flecks of vanilla bean. It’s positively delicious. In fact, it’s so tasty, Athena actually patted herself on the back the first time she tasted the dessert recipe for Cook Beautiful. This zingy flaky pastry will become a new favorite… you’ll see.

Blood Orange Bundt Cake With Orange Bitters Glaze

Have you ever tasted a cocktail only to realize mid-sip that it would taste even better as a cake? It was while consuming a delicious bourbon, blood orange, and bitters beverage when Athena stumbled upon the idea for this blood orange bundt cake. After a few failed experiments, she landed on the final dessert recipe, and let me tell you, this is one spiked sweet you will want to make again and again.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ CAKE

If you’ve never made a soufflé cake before then you’re in for a real treat. One thing to note is that this cake is designed to be eaten once it has collapsed and cooled so don’t worry when your cake deflates because that’s where the magic lies! Serve each piece of cake piled with the whipped cream or crème fraîche and prepare to enter a heavenly state of being at every spoonful.

Espresso Almond Brittle

This is the perfect dessert recipe to make when you only want a little something sweet to eat. It’s also a great gift idea—simply add brittle to little bags tied with ribbon and voila! This is the perfect afternoon snack for yourself or to share with loved ones over a cup of tea or coffee, and a chat.