20 days of spring baking

20 best spring baking ideas

Easter lemon and elderflower almond cake

What better way to celebrate the new season than with elderflower cordial-soaked almond sponges, creamy lemon curd filling and dainty edible flower decorations? Sign up for a free account to access this recipe.

Rhubarb and custard crumble bars

The crumble topping adds crunch to the tangy rhubarb in this retro bake. Great for using up seasonal produce, the fruity bars are best served with a cup of tea. Enjoy in the morning or afternoon when that sweet craving hits.

Hot cross bun cookies

With Easter fast approaching, add these spiced sultana cookies to your to-bake list. They make a fun after-school activity for kids to get involved with, as they can pipe the icing crosses on top with a sprinkle of desiccated coconut.

Blood orange sticky iced buns

Show off this sophisticated citrus fruit with our blood orange sticky iced buns. A more refined version of that cake shop staple, they're topped with a zesty icing and pretty edible flowers.

Classic banana bread

Baking banana bread is the perfect Sunday afternoon activity. Although it takes just over an hour, most of the time is hands-off with your cake in the oven, so pop on the kettle and enjoy taking time to slow down this weekend.

Kaju katli

Holi, the Festival of colours and love, is about celebrating the arrival of spring and the end of winter. Enjoy the diamond-shaped treat made all the more colourful with mandarin zest and orange, a pinch of saffron and roasted pistachios. Find out how to celebrate Holi from Indian food writer and chef Maunika Gowardhan.

Carrot cake cupcakes

Love carrot cake but don't feel like sharing with anyone? We've got just the solution – individual carrot cake cupcakes. A classic cake in cupcake form, made all the more delicious with an orange soft cheese frosting. You don't need any butter for this recipe – it calls for light olive oil instead.

Blood orange polenta drizzle cake

Squeeze in this recipe before the end of blood orange season, which shows them off to their best along with fine polenta in a sticky loaf cake. A twist on the classic lemon drizzle cake, it's easy to make and the ideal sweet treat to accompany your morning coffee.

Brown sugar breakfast cake

Begin your day by enjoying a slice of yogurt sponge topped with a luscious swirl of brown sugar buttercream. The beauty of this cake is that it tastes even better the day after baking. It’s also a treat that extends beyond breakfast – serve as a dessert with a dollop of cream.

Hot cross buns

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of the fasting period and commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus, hence the cross on the top. Try our foolproof classic hot cross buns recipe this Easter, made juicy with golden sultanas, fragrant with nutmeg, and sticky with marmalade. Try our vegan hot cross buns for a plant-based option.

Chocolate Easter cake

Get ahead of the big day with this easy chocolate celebration cake, exclusive to olive premium account holders (register for free here). Creamy chocolate buttercream is layered between moist sponges and topped with chocolate mini eggs and Matchmakers for a treat to make the Easter bunny proud. Sign up for a free account to find out the secret ingredient which makes the cake particularly moist.

Easter blondies

There's plenty to celebrate on Easter Sunday, the clocks have also gone forward meaning the days get even lighter from now on. Mark this double celebration with our Easter blondies. Chopped mini eggs make the perfect topping for this gooey, sweet treat – because you can never have too much chocolate at Easter.

Creme Egg brownies

Easter Monday falls on April Fool's Day this year but we're not joking when we say that this recipe is a chocoholic's dream. If you can't get enough of the good stuff, whip up our chocolate traybake for a special Easter treat.

Vegan lemon meringue pie

This tart and citrussy lemon meringue pie may come as a welcome respite from the chocolatey proceedings that go hand in hand with the Easter weekend. A few swaps turns classic lemon meringue pie into an impressive vegan dessert everyone can enjoy.

Malted milk chocolate traybake

This recipe is great for using up any odds and ends of Easter chocolate you've got lying around – mini chocolate eggs work particularly well for a crunchy topping. A mixture of Horlicks powder and Maltesers creates the classic flavour for the sponge. If you like chocolate-covered malted milk biscuits, you'll love this cake.

Carrot cake loaf

In honour of international carrot day today, try a twist on a classic carrot cake with our loaf cake version topped with brown butter soft cheese icing to make it extra special. You can brown the butter the day before, then whip it up with an electric whisk before mixing it into the soured cream.

Salted caramel cake

As it's caramel day, we had to pick a classic salted caramel layer cake and we challenge you to find anyone who can resist it. Both the sponge and buttercream are flavoured with salted caramel in this epic cake recipe, topped with nuggets of fudge and lashings of salted caramel sauce.

Rhubarb and custard cake

April is often the month (weather depending) when the rhubarb that is available in the shops changes from that grown indoors to outdoor-grown, which can vary in colour, texture and flavour. Capture its sharp and sweet flavours in cake form with this delicious rhubarb and custard sponge. Soured cream keeps this bake moist, and the crumble topping is a great contrast to rhubarb.

Brioche

Making your own brioche is much easier than you might think – it just takes a bit longer to prove than normal dough due to being enriched, so go by eye rather than exact timings. Master sweet, fluffy brioche with our foolproof recipe and if you happen to have leftovers, it can be transformed into our brioche bread and butter pudding.

Vanilla and raspberry mascarpone loaf cake

Who can resist a beautifully moist, raspberry-studded vanilla loaf cake? Invite a friend round and enjoy with a cup of earl grey tea. Feel free to swap out the raspberries for other berries such as blackberries or blueberries, if you prefer, and if you're lucky enough to have any leftovers, they keep well in the fridge for three days.