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    Home » Recipes » Mother's Day

    Published: Apr 26, 2021 · Modified: May 2, 2022 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliate links Leave a Comment

    54 Mother's Day Brunch Recipe Ideas

    Four image collage with circle in the middle and red text
    Poster with for mother's day brunch showing blood orange mini cakes on wire rack

    From appetizers to layer cakes, if you're still wondering what to make to celebrate this holiday, I got you covered with amazing recipes. Check them out!

    Four image collage with circle in the middle and red text

    This post is updated every year with the most relevant content.

    I find that this is the perfect event for a great display of easy recipes, full of spring colors and bursting flavors.

    Setting the table: I like to take the time to think about what color palette I want that goes with the food. Mother's day can take any color you want but I always think about light and sunshine (hopefully) since Spring is in full swing. So make sure your plates, linens, and flowers match the spirit you want for the brunch.

    Table of Contents Hide
    THE RECIPES

    THE RECIPES

    The great thing about baking is that most recipes are good to eat year-round. We are not as eager to bake in the scorching summer, but spring and fall are perfect occasions. And a holiday is the perfect excuse.

    These are, hands-down, my favorites for a Mother's Day brunch table. You can make several of them ahead and keep refrigerated or frozen. There's a guide to Freezer Baking & Desserts that might come in very handy.

    SAVORY

    No brunch table can start unless there are great savory recipes, right? I have to confess that savory baking is one of my favorite things. And eating the results is a big part of why I love it, lol.

    • Avocado hummus: light, creamy, and delicious, this is fantastic to eat with pita chips. Make it with or without garlic, it stays fresh for several days.
    • Tomato Galette: an easy free-form tart, it has simple flavors but is very tasty.
    • Sweet & spiced nuts: two recipes that are incredibly easy to make and can be more or less spicy according to your taste! Any nut can be used, are ready to eat in less than an hour, and last several days.
    • Basmati Rice with Salsa Verde: gorgeous green-colored rice with seeds and almonds. The salsa verde is fabulous and can be made several days ahead.
    • Crustless Quiche: the perfect option if you don't want to make a pie crust! And, the filling can be customized to what you have. All the info is in the post.
    • Ricotta toast: it combines the creaminess of ricotta with juicy tomatoes and bits of crispy bacon. But first, the toasted bread is rubbed with garlic cloves to add an extra layer of yum!
    • Mushroom Leek Quiche: this is a superb dish for a brunch table because it can be made ahead and people seem to love mushrooms.
    • Baked Ricotta: if you never tried this recipe I encourage you to, asap! It comes together in no time and can be topped with whatever you have around.
    • Eggplant hummus: ready in 45 minutes, it's a flavorful and healthy dip recipe. You can char or bake the whole eggplant which gives it a smoky, deep flavor that is just fabulous!
    • Washed white table with bowl containing avocado dip, chickpeas on top, pita chips around
      Creamy Avocado Hummus Recipe
    • Whole baked tomato ahead seen from above on a white surface. Cherry tomatoes around.
      Tomato Galette (savory recipe)
    • Cocktail nuts in a white bowl on a white marble surface.
      Sweet Spiced Nuts (2 recipes)
    • White bowl of green rice with almonds and seeds on white marble
      Basmati Rice with Salsa Verde
    • Round dish with baked quiche on white surface
      Crustless Quiche Recipe (any flavor!)
    • Slices of toast with tomatoes and ricotta cheese on a wooden surface
      Ricotta Toast with Tomatoes and Bacon
    • Mushroom Quiche
    • Grey round dish with baked ricotta topped with tomatoes, white linen underneath, olives in background.
      Easy Baked Ricotta
    • White bowl with eggplant hummus on wooden board. Parsley and olive oil garnish.
      Eggplant Hummus

    SCONES, MUFFINS & BREAD

    • Irish Soda Bread: this is the king of no-yeast breads and is ready in an hour!
    • Parmesan Chive scones: these mini biscuits are so tasty they will bring raves from everyone! They can be made ahead and frozen.
    • Lemon Blackberry bread: a quick bread with amazing flavors, similar to a light pound cake that bakes to a golden brown and is covered with the most eye-catching pink icing.
    • Blueberry Scones: a crowd-pleaser that can be made ahead and frozen.
    • Easy Buttermilk scones: a great recipe that can be eaten with both sweet and savory fillings.
    • Strawberry Scones: these are beautiful and rustic. I personally love them for Mother's Day.
    • Double chocolate muffins: they will rise and crack beautifully, and have a fluffy, soft crumb with a deep sweet chocolate flavor.
    • Walnut Quick Bread: a fantastic sweet loaf with a scrumptious coffee glaze.
    • Blackberry muffins: full of juicy blackberries, they have a soft and tender crumb and are out of the oven in 45 minutes. 
    • Round wire rack with slices and half loaf of soda bread; green and white kitchen towel in the background.
      Easy Irish Soda Bread (4 ingredients!)
    • Close up of three scones stacked with a light colored background
      Savory Scones
    • Close up of blackberry bread with pink icing on wooden board, cut slices in front.
      Lemon Blackberry Bread
    • Three blueberry scones stacked on a white marble surface with greyish blue background.
      Blueberry Scones
    • Hand holding metal tray with baked scones and a green cloth.
      Easy Buttermilk Scones
    • Strawberry scones on wire rack, white background
      The Best Strawberry Scones
    • Close up of several chocolate muffins in a mound; white and pink background
      Double Chocolate Muffins
    • Front view of half walnut loaf with glaze and nuts on top. Grey surface and background.
      Walnut Bread (quick)
    • Opened paper liner with half blackberry on top on wooden grey surface, loose blackberries, muffin pan in background.
      Blackberry Muffins

    BARS & COOKIES

    There are some traditional recipes below that I love to include on a holiday table. All brunches should have some type of bread and cookies, of course!

    • Sesame Cookies: sweet and buttery, this is a unique recipe, and I bet they will surprise you too.
    • Fudgy, One bowl Brownies: my favorite recipe! It's easy to make and who will say no to amazing homemade brownies, right?
    • Lemon Shortbread cookies: one of the most popular recipes on this blog, this is a very simple lemon-flavored cookie.
    • Honey Walnut squares: a layer of buttery shortbread topped with a gooey mixture of honey and walnuts, these bars are easier to make than you'd think and very delicious! 
    • Mexican wedding cookies: a bite and you'll be hooked forever! They have a fantastic smooth, crumbly texture and are almond flavored.
    • Cocoa brownies: these are incredibly fudgy cocoa brownies. Topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache, this recipe will bring raves among chocoholics.
    • White Chocolate Nut Blondies: a recipe that is very easy to make and a crowd-pleaser. You can customize it with another type of chocolate or nuts.
    • Lemon Crinkles: a crowd-pleaser, these are fantastic and easy to make.
    • Hungarian shortbread: this filled shortbread is unbelievably crunchy due to the genius idea of adding an egg yolk to the dough. Almost too good to be true it can be made in advance.
    • Sesame cookies over napkin and silk paper; wooden background
      Sesame Cookies
    • Several plain fudgy Brownie squares on white surface
      Easy Fudgy Brownies (one bowl)
    • Green wood board with stack and individual lemon glazed cookies
      Lemon Shortbread Cookies
    • Walnut Squares
    • Crumbly round butter cookie, bitten, white surface with crumbs and powdered sugar.
      Snowballs (Mexican Wedding Cookies)
    • Squares of cocoa brownies, raspberry pieces, wire rack, white surface
      Fudgy Cocoa Brownies (easy recipe)
    • White Chocolate Walnut Blondies
    • Stack of lemon crinkle cookies, white cloth with color dots, green leaves in background
      Lemon Crinkle Cookies (with video!)
    • Overview of golden hungarian shorbread squares on wooden table
      The Best Hungarian Shortbread

    CAKES & CUPCAKES

    I narrowed down my favorite cake recipes for this time of year which was not easy. I hope you find them amazing like I surely do.

    • Strawberry Pound Cake: a simple vanilla cake that is moist, sweet with baked strawberries inside, keeps well for several days, and can be frozen! The berries get soft and jammy and add a wonderful flavor.
    • Hummingbird Cake: beautiful layers flavored with banana, pineapple, cinnamon, and walnuts combined with a sweet cream cheese frosting. A fantastic classic cake that keeps well and can be frozen.
    • Lemon Almond Bundt: I'm crazy about this cake. The combination of flavors is divine and the cake is moist and unique.
    • Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes: the most amazing cupcakes that taste just like a shortcake! With sweet whipped cream and a strawberry filling, these are simply outstanding.
    • White Chocolate Raspberry Cake: the most popular cake on the blog, this is a showstopper that can be made with fresh or frozen berries.
    • Blood Orange Mini Bundts: such beautiful cakes and so easy to make, you can also use regular oranges, but that pink glaze is everything!
    • Double Chocolate Layer Cake: made-from-scratch cake meets the easiest ever 5-minute chocolate frosting in this decadent dessert.
    • Ricotta Cheesecake: this is one of the most popular recipes on this blog, and with good reason, it's so easy to make and such a crowd-pleaser!
    • Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake: this cake is a stunner. Lemon layers are filled and frosted with a blueberry cream cheese frosting with a hint of citrus zest.
    • Front view of cut pound cake with strawberries and pink glaze; white background
      Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake
    • Slices of frosted layer cake on blue background, whole cake in white cake stand
      Hummingbird Layer Cake
    • White pinkish background and plate with eaten slice of double chocolate cake, silver fork
      Double Chocolate Layer Cake
    • Vanilla cupcakes topped with cream and fresh strawberry on white plate
      Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
    • Glazed white chocolate raspberry bundt cake on white plate, grey background
      White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake
    • Pink glazed Mini bundt cakes on wire rack, pink glaze dripping, white bowl, orange wedge
      Blood Orange Sour Cream Cakes
    • A whole bundt cake on a green cake stand, white background, lemon wedges, plate stack
      Lemon Almond Cake
    • Lifting a slice of ricotta cheesecake from the whole cake on a white plate with a silver knife. White background.
      Easy Ricotta Cheesecake
    • Slice of lemon cake with blueberry sauce on white plate, silver fork, white background.
      Lemon Polenta Cake
    • Cut Lemon Blueberry Cake on cake stand
      Lemon Blueberry Cake

    PIES AND TARTS

    Some traditional pies and some wonderful desserts that will be approved by your pickiest eaters.

    • Easiest Cherry Custard Tart: I can't emphasize enough how easy and sophisticated at the same time this tart is. The dough requires no refrigeration!
    • Chocolate Raspberry Tart: smooth truffle filling with juicy raspberries in a tart that is very easy to make yet looks sophisticated.
    • Peach Galette: a round of sweet dough is topped with luscious almond cream, fresh peaches, and sliced almonds. The result is juicy, slightly sweet, and crunchy.
    • Lemon Ricotta Pie: I consider this the best one I ever made and it never fails to make an appearance at this time of year.
    • Strawberry Cream Pie: easy to make and so delicious! This is my grandmother's recipe with a twist.
    • Black forest tarts: a twist on the black forest cake, these tarts have the perfect chocolate crust, a layer of raspberry jam, sweet cherries, whipped cream, and chocolate shards! 
    • Front view of cherry tart on white cake stand, grey background
      Easiest EVER Cherry Tart
    • Single slice of raspberry chocolate tart on white plate, whole raspberries, white background.
      Chocolate Raspberry Tart
    • Whole baked peach galette on parchment paper, top view
      Easy Rustic Peach Galette
    • Single slice of ricotta pie on parchment over wooden table, with book, pan in background
      The Best Ricotta Pie (Italian recipe)
    • Partial view of strawberry tart on white surface, mint leaves and fork beside
      Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie
    • Hand holding small chocolate cream tart with whole cheeries on top
      Easy Black Forest Tarts

    NO-BAKE TREATS

    • White plate with chocolate peanut clusters on pink surface, peanuts around
      Chocolate Peanut Clusters (super easy!)
    • Double chocolate cookie bark
      Double Chocolate Bark - 4 ingredients!
    • White surface and blue background with squares of chocolate nut fudge leaning into each other.
      Microwave Chocolate Fudge
    • Chocolate oat squares on a wire rack with confetti, bluish background
      Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (no-bake)

    Though many think these types of recipes are suited for more wintery holidays, I love them because they're SO incredibly easy to make and such a crowd-pleaser! A little homemade chocolate treat will add so much to your table.

    • Chocolate Peanut Clusters: the queen of homemade chocolate bars, utterly irresistible.
    • Cookie Chocolate Bark: two types of chocolate marbled with cookies and nuts.
    • Easiest Fudge ever: can't beat this microwave recipe that can have just about any add-ins you want.
    • Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars: wonderful flavors together in a bar that is a good project to make with kids.

    DESSERTS

    With the start of berries and stone fruit, this brunch table can have the easiest and best desserts, including icebox and dump cakes which I include here because they are best eaten in a bowl with a spoon.

    • Lemon Icebox Dessert: very popular with blog readers, it comes together very quickly and is loved by everyone.
    • Blueberry Cobbler: an old-fashioned dessert that is particularly tasty with a scoop of ice cream.
    • Cherry Chocolate Dump cake: meant to be eaten in a bowl with a spoon, it's easy (made with boxed cake mix) and the flavors are fantastic!
    • Strawberry dump cake: a quick, easy dessert with amazing flavors. The topping is similar to a cobbler but made with cake mix (yes, store-bought).
    • Strawberry Crisp: with brown sugar and a fruit layer that makes its own syrup, this dessert couldn't be more delicious!
    • Old fashioned Peach Cobbler: can't go wrong with this dessert that is both juicy and floury at the same time.
    • Easy No Bake Lemon Dessert
    • White bowl with serving of blueberry cobbler, a spoon
      Easy Old Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
    • Baked strawberry dump cake in oval white dish with fresh strawberries on top; partial image.
      Strawberry Dump Cake
    • Close up of chocolate cherry dump cake serving in a white bowl.
      Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
    • Hands holding white bowl with strawberry crisp and ice cream, silver spoon
      Easy Strawberry Crisp Recipe
    • Glass dish with half eaten peaches in syrup, biscuit topping and silver spoon.
      Easy Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

    Vanilla Custard Sauce

    Also known as Crème Anglaise, this is a French light custard sauce. I had to add it here because it's so perfect for Spring, and so delicious!

    Use it on top of pound cakes, pies, fruit, pancakes, or waffles. It can be made ahead and flavored with different extracts (coffee, lemon, orange) besides vanilla.

    Crème Anglaise or French Custard Sauce: click to find the recipe with a step-by-step video!

    Pouring custard cream on blueberries and strawberries on white bowl

    Our holiday is in October (I live in Buenos Aires) because that's when our spring happens. Right now it's all fall leaves and cool days.

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

    More Mother's Day Recipes

    • Top view of whole glazed walnut bundt cake on a white plate, gold forks, and light-colored cloth.
      Maple Walnut Cake
    • Two frosted cupcakes and a cinnamon stick on a pinkish cake stand with white background.
      Cinnamon Cupcakes
    • Pecan Sandies
    • Three stacked glazed lemon brownies (or blondies) on a wooden board. Top one is bitten. White background.
      Lemon Blondies

    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    Hi, I'm Paula!

    A baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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