Just when you thought spring had shown all its colors, the season offers one final burst of sweetness. Late spring brings a mix of bright berries, floral notes, and sun-kissed flavors that practically beg to be baked into something beautiful.
It’s the perfect moment to savor lighter, fresher cakes before summer’s bold heat rolls in. These 20 late spring cakes capture the tail-end of the season in every slice.
1. Lemon Lavender Layer Cake
Sunshine on a plate! This triple-layer beauty combines zesty lemon with delicate lavender notes for a cake that screams springtime sophistication. The secret lies in infusing real lavender buds into the sugar overnight before baking.
Each bite delivers a perfect balance – bright citrus cutting through the subtle floral undertones. The pale purple buttercream frosting, flecked with dried lavender, makes this showstopper impossible to resist.
2. Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Rhubarb’s tangy bite meets strawberry’s sweet embrace in this upside-down masterpiece. Ruby-red stalks and berries caramelize in brown sugar, creating a glistening crown when flipped from the pan. The warm spice cake underneath soaks up all those delicious juices!
Farmers markets overflow with these spring ingredients – grab them while they’re at their peak. The rustic appearance hides how simple this cake actually is to make.
3. Carrot Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Forget everything you thought you knew about carrot cake! This version ditches the heavy oil base for brown butter, adding nutty depth that’ll make your eyes roll back in delight. Fresh carrots – grated by hand, not those pre-shredded bags – create moisture magic.
The real game-changer? Maple-infused cream cheese frosting that’s whipped until cloud-like. No cloying sweetness here! Just pure maple goodness that complements the warm spices perfectly.
4. Lemon Blueberry Naked Cake
Holy flavor explosion! Tart lemon cake layers barely contain bursts of wild blueberries that pop with every bite. The “naked” frosting technique – where cake peeks through deliberately sparse icing – gives this beauty a carefree, just-gathered-from-the-garden vibe.
Fresh lemon zest in both cake and frosting delivers that sunshine punch that makes spring desserts sing. The berries’ juices create natural purple streaks throughout, no food coloring needed!
5. Pistachio Rose Water Bundt Cake
Green as spring grass! This pistachio masterpiece gets its stunning color and nutty flavor from ground pistachios folded into the batter – no artificial pudding mix here. Rose water adds an exotic whisper that’ll leave guests wondering about your secret ingredient.
The texture hits that perfect sweet spot between dense and fluffy. A simple glaze infused with more rose water drips down the bundt’s ridges, hardening into a delicate shell that cracks pleasingly with each forkful.
6. Earl Grey Tea Cake With Honey Glaze
Tea time just got serious! Fragrant Earl Grey tea leaves aren’t just steeped in milk – they’re ground and mixed directly into this loaf cake’s batter, creating flecks of bergamot-infused magic throughout. The subtle citrus notes of the tea shine against the cake’s buttery backdrop.
A honey glaze – using local spring honey if you can find it – soaks into the warm cake, creating a crackly, sticky top that’s absolutely irresistible. The glaze also keeps the cake moist for days (though good luck making it last that long).
7. Raspberry Champagne Layer Cake
Pop the bubbly right into your cake batter! This celebration stunner uses real champagne in both the delicate sponge and the silky buttercream, adding sophisticated flavor and the lightest texture imaginable. Fresh raspberry puree creates natural pink marbling throughout.
Between each layer hides a thin spread of raspberry preserves that adds tartness against the sweet frosting. The cake itself isn’t overly sweet, letting the fruit and champagne notes take center stage.
8. Honey Almond Olive Oil Cake
Mediterranean sunshine captured in cake form! Extra-virgin olive oil creates a moistness that butter simply can’t match, while giving this rustic round a subtle fruity depth. Spring honey – deeply floral and less processed than the supermarket squeeze-bear variety – adds complex sweetness.
Ground almonds replace some of the flour, creating a tender crumb that practically melts on your tongue. A scatter of sliced almonds on top toasts during baking, adding nutty crunch against the soft cake.
9. Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake
Spring green never looked so tempting! This silky cheesecake gets its striking color and distinctive flavor from high-grade matcha powder. The grassy, slightly bitter notes cut through the richness of cream cheese for a perfectly balanced bite every time.
A black sesame cookie crust adds nutty contrast and dramatic color against the vibrant filling. The no-bake preparation means you won’t heat up your kitchen as spring temperatures rise.
10. Blood Orange Polenta Cake
Catch blood oranges before they disappear! This rustic Italian-inspired cake showcases their ruby flesh in two ways – candied slices on top and juice in the batter. Coarse polenta gives fascinating texture, creating pleasant resistance against your fork.
Almond flour adds moisture and nuttiness that complements the citrus perfectly. The whole thing gets soaked with blood orange syrup while warm, creating a dessert that’s somehow both light and indulgent at once.
11. Vanilla Bean Tres Leches Cake
Clouds don’t taste this good! This ultra-moist sponge cake – literally “three milks” cake – gets upgraded with real vanilla bean specks throughout. After baking, it’s pierced all over and soaked with a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream infused with more vanilla.
The result? A cake so moist it’s almost pudding-like, yet somehow maintains its structure. A crown of lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh spring berries balances the richness perfectly.
12. Rosewater Pistachio Mini Cakes
Jewel-toned beauties that taste like spring gardens! These individual cakes combine ground pistachios and delicate rosewater for a Middle Eastern-inspired flavor profile that’s both exotic and comforting. Each bite delivers nutty richness followed by floral notes that aren’t at all soapy.
The pale green cakes get topped with rosewater glaze tinted the palest pink. Crushed pistachios and dried rose petals aren’t just for looks – they add textural contrast and intensify the flavors.
13. Strawberry Basil Shortcake
Herb-infused brilliance! This ain’t your grandma’s shortcake. Fresh basil leaves get worked into buttery biscuit dough, adding an unexpected herbal note that makes the strawberries taste even more strawberry-ish (it’s science, trust me).
The biscuits themselves walk the perfect line between cake and pastry – sturdy enough to hold up to juicy berries but tender enough to yield to your fork. A splash of balsamic in the macerated strawberries adds depth without tasting vinegary.
14. Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake
Light as air yet bursting with flavor! This towering chiffon cake showcases Meyer lemons – those magical citrus fruits that taste like regular lemons crossed with mandarin oranges. The secret to its cloudlike texture? Whipped egg whites folded into a batter made with oil instead of butter.
A sheer glaze of Meyer lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar adds just enough sweetness without overwhelming the delicate cake. The pale yellow color practically glows, making this a stunning centerpiece.
15. Blackberry Lime Cornmeal Cake
Sweet-tart magic in every bite! This rustic round cake gets delightful texture from medium-grind cornmeal, creating almost a corn bread-like base that’s still decidedly dessert. Wild blackberries – those intense little flavor bombs – stud the batter and burst during baking.
Lime zest brightens everything, cutting through the berries’ sweetness with citrusy punch. The whole thing gets a sprinkle of turbinado sugar before baking, creating a crackly, caramelized top that’s impossible to resist.
16. Apricot Almond Upside-Down Cake
First apricots of the season steal the show! Halved and arranged in a spiral, these blushing beauties caramelize in brown sugar and butter, creating a stunning top when the cake is flipped. Their tartness perfectly balances the sweet, almond-scented cake beneath.
No fancy decoration needed – the glossy, amber fruit arrangement is all the adornment this showstopper requires. The cake actually improves after a day, as the fruit flavors seep deeper into the base.
17. Lavender Honey Pound Cake
Heavenly aroma alert! This dense, buttery pound cake gets sophisticated flavor from two spring superstars – local honey and culinary lavender. The key is restraint with the lavender (too much and you’re eating soap) and using the best honey you can find.
The golden crust yields to a tender interior that’s moist without being heavy. A simple honey glaze spiked with just a touch more lavender soaks into the warm cake, creating sweet little pockets throughout.
18. Mascarpone Berry Naked Cake
Berry bonanza between cloud-like layers! This showstopper features impossibly light vanilla cake layers separated by mascarpone cream that’s barely sweetened to let the berries shine. The “naked” frosting technique – where sides remain partially visible – gives rustic charm perfect for spring gatherings.
Every spring berry gets invited to this party – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries create a naturally beautiful decoration. Their juices mingle with the cream, creating watercolor-like streaks of pink and purple.
19. Ricotta Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Mediterranean sunshine on a plate! This ultra-moist single-layer cake combines three Italian favorites – ricotta cheese, lemon, and olive oil – for a dessert that’s both rustic and refined. The ricotta creates tiny pockets of creaminess throughout the tender crumb.
Deceptively simple-looking, this cake delivers sophisticated flavor that makes it perfect for both brunch and after-dinner dessert. No decoration needed beyond a light dusting of powdered sugar!
20. Cardamom Pear Upside-Down Cake
Spiced sophistication! This upside-down stunner features spring’s first pears arranged in a gorgeous pattern, then caramelized to golden perfection. The real magic happens when warm cardamom meets the fruit – an unexpected pairing that will have guests begging for your secret.
The cake itself has yogurt in the batter, creating tanginess that balances the sweet fruit topping. Brown butter adds nutty depth that makes this cake memorably different from standard versions.