Memorial Day is a great time to be with family and remember those who fought for our country. It’s a time of acknowledgment, appreciation, and reflection. Most people opt to spend this time relaxing with family and friends, enjoying a home-cooked meal (probably fresh from the grill), and taking some downtime to rest. It’s also the unofficial beginning of summer, so it’s a nice time to enjoy the outdoors before it’s too hot, and maybe sneak in a trip to the lake or beach before it’s too crowded.
No matter what you have planned, these dessert recipes are a sweet way to round out a meal. With fresh produce and late-spring and early-summer flavors, these recipes are best enjoyed with loved ones and warm-weather relaxation. From cakes to pies to ice cream sandwiches, all of these desserts are fairly easy in terms of skill level—so you can spend less time worrying about recipes and more time enjoying them with your friends and family.
Mixed Berry Flag Pie
Inspired by the red, white, and blueberry pastry at Noble Pies in Warwick, New York, this flag pie is a thoughtful way to pay tribute on Memorial Day. The filling is a mix of berries, and you can use any of your choosing. While some flag designs on patriotic desserts can get intricate and involved, we love the simplicity of this design and its homemade and handcrafted look.
Get the recipe for Mixed Berry Flag Pie.
Three-Layer Strawberry Cake
It’s peak strawberry season in many places across the United States, so it’s a great time to bake up this strawberry layer cake. We love this cake for so many spring and summer occasions, like graduations, showers, and even Memorial Day. It’s covered in dreamy cream cheese strawberry frosting, so you get a ton of strawberry flavor in each bite. It’s a delicious treat for your family on Memorial Day.
Get the recipe for Three-Layer Strawberry Cake.
Any Fruit Crisp
Introducing: the easiest fruit crisp ever. And you can use literally any fruit you want, even frozen if that’s what you have on hand. Strawberry, blueberry, or raspberry would be great this time of the year, or even a mix of all three. The crumble topping is easy to stir together, and then it all bakes until bubbly and golden brown. Serve this crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a memorable treat.
Get the recipe for Any Fruit Crisp.
Sugar Cone Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches
If you’ve always loved ice cream truck King Cones, this is the dessert for you. These Sugar Cone Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches are equally crave-worthy, thanks to hot fudge sauce, vanilla ice cream, salted peanuts, and homemade cookies (made with crumbled sugar cone!). They’re a nice sweet treat for Memorial Day, especially if it’s already feeling like summer in your neck of the woods.
Get the recipe for Sugar Cone Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice-Cream Bars
Another ice cream truck favorite, these Strawberry Shortcake bars are a great way to use up a haul of fresh berries. Featuring homemade sorbet and crushed shortbread cookies layered with homemade vanilla ice cream, these ice cream bars are a delicious, nostalgic treat. They’re the perfect dessert for a weekend cookout or a day at the lake.
Get the recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Ice-Cream Bars.
Key Lime Slab Pie with Candied Lime Zest
Before the opening of the scenic 113-mile Overseas Highway, fresh milk was hard to come by in the Florida Keys, making canned sweetened condensed milk a staple. Paired with fresh Key lime juice, it's turned this regional favorite into a worldwide phenomenon. We love this classic pie at any warm-weather get-together. The combination of sweet-tart filling, buttery crust, and freshly whipped cream just can’t be beat.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Slab Pie with Candied Lime Zest.
Puff Pastry Star Cookies
These simple cookies couldn’t be easier. They’re a little more pastry than cookie, but you get the idea. All you need to make these dazzling treats is puff pastry, your favorite jam, and some sugar for sprinkling. You’ll need a star cookie cutter as well, but it could be fun to experiment with different shapes. They’ll be good no matter how you cut it.
Get the recipe for Puff Pastry Star Cookies.
Campfire-Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cake
If you’re dusting off the grill this weekend, try this five-ingredient pound cake. That’s right, only five ingredients. Well, one of them is an already prepared or store-bought pound cake. But this is a fun one for the family if you’re going to have the grill going. Grilled pineapples and an easy-to-make glaze come together quickly, and then the whole deal gets well caramelized, either over hot coals or on the grill.
Get the recipe for Campfire-Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
Brandied Strawberry Shortcakes with Malted Whipped Cream
Strawberry shortcakes are a warm-weather favorite for a reason. The combination of lightly sweetened cake, fresh and juicy berries, and whipped cream is the epitome of spring all in one bite. We've made a few small changes to this classic treat to make it unbelievably tasty. First, we swap out your standard all-purpose flour for "00" pizza flour, which yields a lighter, more tender, and less chewy biscuit. Then, we marinate the berries in brandy, so the flavor is deeper and richer. And finally, we add malted milk powder to the whipped cream. Any one of these will make your shortcake better, but taken together, you're in for nonstop compliments.
Get the recipe for Brandied Strawberry Shortcakes with Malted Whipped Cream.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This Cream Cheese Pound Cake is one of those staple recipes that’s delightful for all occasions. We love this pound cake for Memorial Day weekend because it’s easy, you can always count on it to produce that dense crumb, and it can be served with a variety of glazes (strawberry or lemon would be delicious) or ice creams (vanilla is always a classic). A slice of this pound cake with some fresh berries and a scoop of ice cream would be a sweet way to round out a holiday weekend.
Get the recipe for Cream Cheese Pound Cake.
