Pucker Up for Our 21 Best Sweet/Tart Lemon Desserts

By Vanessa Greaves
Updated December 22, 2020
Credit: Kim

Can you pucker up and smile at the same time? Let's find out. Our 21 best lemon desserts will put you to the test with their tongue teasing, sweet/tart flavors. Check them out and find your new favorite luscious lemon dessert to brighten up your day.

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Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

Credit: Dianne
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"My first attempt at making a lemon meringue pie and it was delicious! Just as the name implies, it tastes just like the ones my Grandma used to make." — SandyS

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2 of 21

Chef John's Lemon Bars

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"This is one of my favorite cookies of all time, although technically they're closer to a pie than a cookie," says Chef John. "Nothing prepares you for that intense, awesome sweet-tart lemon flavor and custard, perfectly contrasted against that crisp, sweet buttery shortbread cookie." Reviewers agree, giving this recipe a solid 5-star rating.

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Lemon-Buttermilk Pound Cake with Aunt Evelyn's Lemon Glaze

Credit: naples34102
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Sarah Copeland Sawicki shared her mother's award-winning recipe, and naples34102 says, "If you’re in search of a good lemon, buttermilk and/or pound cake, stop here. This one is all you’d hope for. Moist, great flavor, tender crumb, not too dense (the small amount of baking soda gives it just the right amount of lift) and beautiful. I did substitute pure lemon oil for the extract, but that did not influence my 5-star rating. I have no doubt your mother did in fact win blue ribbon awards for this cake. It really IS a winner."

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Lemon Cake with Lemon Filling and Lemon Butter Frosting

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"This is a great cake. The only adjustments I would make is to the frosting. I added yellow coloring to the icing. I would increase the frosting to allow for extra to pipe onto the cake to decorate it. A "crumb layer" is helpful when frosting this cake. Frost the cake very lightly and pay no attention to all the crumbs that will fall off the cake and mingle in the frosting. Refrigerate the cake for about a half an hour to let the icing firm up and then remove the cake and finish frosting the cake.....this way the crumbs stay in the first layer and will not ruin the look of the finished cake.

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Lemon Souffle Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

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"I've made this several times and love it every time. I change the toppings with other fruits and berries, but the basic cheesecake recipe is the same every time. I always get rave reviews!" — samsel

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Lemon Cupcakes

Credit: Zakiah
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"Here is a recipe I use for beautifully delicious lemon cupcakes. Ideally, you'd use buttercream frosting to ice cupcakes, but I tried these with Lemon Cream Icing for a less buttery icing, and they were perfect! These cupcakes are truly lighter than air and will melt in your mouth." — friedbluetomato

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Lemon Ricotta Cake

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"Tender, sweet, moist and delicious describes this cake. My Sicilian Grandmother used to make a cake exactly like this one. When she passed on I thought the recipe was lost forever. A big THANK YOU to the person who posted this recipe! My family loves it." — Cookin' With Lukie >^..^<

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Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

Credit: lutzflcat
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Reviewer Alaskafoodie offers a variation of this popular recipe: "This filling works well with phyllo dough sheets top and bottom for those of you who don't like the cresent dough. Put about 6 sheets on bottom and the same on top. Makes a crispy crust."

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Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Credit: Kim
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"Love lemon meringue pie and cheesecake? Well this is the best of both worlds. Great any time of year and sure to impress your guests." — Michelle Berger.

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Lemon Pie Bars

Credit: KGora
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Some reviewers doubled the filling, and some reduced the crust. But SMClanton says, "Omg, these were the best lemon bars! I made exactly as written and I thought it had the perfect amount of shortbread and lemon. Delicious delicious!" 

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Lemon Icebox Pie III

Credit: Sarah Crower
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"A family favorite when a no-bake, fast pie is needed. (And family members too small to use the oven can make dessert!)" says recipe creator Heather Simpson.  Very pretty when garnished with whipped cream and mint leaves."

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Lemon Cupcake with Blackberry Buttercream

Credit: Stacie Rae Putnam
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"Amazingly delicious! 5 stars for taste! Rave reviews from the family. Only change I made was that I used red raspberry preserves instead of blackberry simply because that is what I had. It worked perfectly. So lemony and refreshing - the flavors compliment each other wonderfully." — RebeccaD

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The Best Lemon Bars

Credit: Lela
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"Fantastic! The crust was nice, crisp, and buttery- exactly how I love it. And the lemon filling was just right. I took the advice of other reviewers and added the lemon zest. Also a tip to make sure you get maximum juiciness out of your lemons- pop them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. They yield much more juice this way! Very lemony, easy, and satisfying!" — MSALLIED

14 of 21

Greek Lemon Cake

Credit: Allrecipes Magazine
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"I have made this many times over the years, sometimes almost exactly as written, sometimes with many changes. It's always good: moist, light, and so lemony. Everyone loves it." — Irene

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Yogurt Cake

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"This is a fantastic recipe," says Rachie Pants. "Very easy to follow and turned out great. I even froze half of the cake to save for later and after defrosting it still tasted great."

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Tart Lemon Triangles

Credit: Laurie
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"I made this last night for friends and it was sooooo good!" raves CRANTSNCOOKING. "Very easy, too. I did add a bit more lemon juice and zest to make it a little zingier and not quite so sweet. The crust is delicious! I used my tart pan and it made a very thin tart, but it was perfect for a light dessert after a heavy meal."

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Lemon Poke Cake II

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"I baked in a Bundt pan but otherwise followed all directions. It was like a cross between a lemon bar and pound cake. Hubby said it was just like he remembered his Nana making :)" — Hatchi

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Italian Lemon Cream Cake

Credit: Cynthia Altamira
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"I enjoyed a lemon cream cake at a popular Italian restaurant so much that I wanted to recreate it at home," says recipe creator Cindy Catudal Shank. "It is a white cake topped with vanilla crumbs and filled with rich lemon cream. After a few attempts, this is the version that I like best. It uses a white cake mix to cut preparation time." 

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Super Lemon Ice Cream

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"This is the second summer I've used this recipe and I can't get enough! I use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest and steep for more like 30 mins before adding the eggs. I refrigerate everything overnight, then strain the lemon zest before adding the juice and freezing. I also use a whole cup of fresh lemon juice. If you are a lemon fan, this is the best ice cream you'll ever taste!" — lovnlife

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

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These made-from-scratch lemon cookies are easy to make and deliver loads of lemony flavor. "This is a very cakey soft cookie," says reviewer bbowling. "I used 2 TBSP of fresh lemon juice as my lemon was huge and I was concerned the batter would be too thin. That seemed to be the perfect amount."

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Lemon Brownies

Credit: Marianne
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"I loved these!" says reviewer Aleena Nye. "They are very lemony! My icing was very runny so I sliced the brownies and then poured the icing on. The icing went into the cracks and absorbed into the brownies. I then put powdered sugar on top. So delicious!"

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