Classic springtime pastries to whip up this season

While there are plenty of baked goods for all seasons, spring is strongly associated with a few classics. As you continue on your quest to become a pastry chef, you’ll want to try out new recipes and improve the final results you produce from classic ones. Let’s look at a handful of classic springtime pastries to help you find your next baking project.

There are a wide variety of springtime pastries to consider adding to your repertoire this season.

Cream, fresh berries and almonds shine in this sweet cornmeal cake

While harvest season for many types of produce is still far away, spring has a strong connection to rebirth, growth and the promise of bountiful yields of fruits, vegetables and grains. This cornmeal-almond cake with strawberries and a mascarpone-cream blend for a topping from Food & Wine offers fresh tastes and a variety of flavors that can easily remind everyone who eats it of the season.

For best results, you should prepare the cake and let it cool before you start making the topping, which is a relatively simple and quick process of mixing cream, mascarpone and confectioner’s sugar. If you’re planning a party and have a lot to do, You can make the cake and store overnight with no ill effects.

The colors of spring paired with eclairs

Eclairs are a year-round treat, but this version of the dish shared by The Food Network includes a few changes that make it especially appropriate for spring. The most immediately visible difference is the use of a variety of fruit juice-flavored glazes instead of the traditional chocolate fondant. The mixture of juice and confectioner’s sugar doesn’t just provide a fruit-flavored topping, it also offers a variety of pastel colors with close ties to the spring season.

Although the prep time is significant – about three and a half hours – this recipe yields about 25 eclairs, and you can easily make several batches at the same time to increase the final results. Food Network recommended spooning your flour into your measuring cup instead of scooping directly from the bag or container to avoid compaction and, as a result, overly dry final products.

Small-but-tall strawberry pies are fresh and delicious

Fresh fruit is just one of the features in this flavor-packed miniature dessert from Southern Living – and they’re so good, you may find yourself having more than one. A creamy lemon filling and vanilla cream are also major parts of the equation, and they come together with the strawberries to offer a variety of flavors in every forkful.

You’ll need to plan ahead to make the best mini-pies possible, as total time needed for the recipe is more than six hours. However, you’ll only be active for about 90 minutes and will simply need to keep a watchful eye over the pies during the rest. If you want one big pie, this recipe helpfully offers instructions for that preparation as its last step.

Many more springtime inspirations

There are so many desserts that can fit into a springtime theme, it’s impossible to pack them all into just one article. If you’re looking for more inspiration or want to further spread your wings with some additional recipes, we have you covered. These spring desserts – including chiffon cake, fruit tarts, carrot cake, meringue cake and another approach for eclairs – can help you find the perfect recipe for each and every occasion you encounter this spring.