Easy Raspberry Desserts to Brighten Any Day — 10 Shortcut Recipes

Tender and oh so juicy, fresh raspberries are the perfect balance between tart and sweet. Not only can you eat ‘em fresh from the container, this versatile fruit can also be canned for preserves, reduced into a silky sauce or baked into a decadent dessert — truth be told, it’s one of our favorites at the First for Women test kitchen. So we couldn’t resist gathering up our best-ever easy raspberry desserts that make it so simple (and delicious!) to satisfy a sweet craving. Keep scrolling for the foolproof recipes, plus secrets to getting the most out of berries.

How to keep raspberries fresh longer

There’s nothing quite like a juicy, super-fresh berry that’s bursting with flavor. And here’s the tricks we use in the test kitchen to help those raspberries really last:

1. Don’t wash them beforehand. While it’s common to rinse your fruit off and store it in the refrigerator so that it’s clean for consumption, rinsing raspberries too soon can actually cause them to go bad faster. That’s right — the dryer they are, the longer they last. It’s best to rinse ‘em off little by little as you work your way through the container.
2. Avoid storing them in the coldest part of the fridge. Places like the back or inside the crisper drawers are typically the coldest parts of a refrigerator. When placing fruits as delicate as raspberries, they break down much quicker. It’s best to keep them towards the front of the fridge.
3. Freeze ‘em this way. If you bought more raspberries than you know what to do with, not to fret! The freezer is your friend. Simply rinse your raspberries and lay them onto paper towels to dry completely. From there, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, you’re good to transfer them to a freezer-safe storage bag and freeze until you’re ready to use. (For more berry storage tricks, click through to learn how to make strawberries last longer.)

Our 10 favorite easy raspberry desserts

These recipes prep in as fast as 10 minutes, and we’ve got all sorts of treats that are sure to please. The hardest part? Picking which one to whip up first!

1. Lemon-Raspberry Dream Cake

Pudding mix creates a light-as-air frosting with 60 fewer calories per serving than store-bought versions.

2. Raspberry Fudge Cupcakes

Raspberry frosting and ganache turn boxed cake mix into decadent treats.

3. Raspberry Brownie Trifle

Just 5 ingredients and 20 minutes is all it takes to serve up this show-stopping treat.

4. Tickled-Pink White-Chocolate Meringue

With just enough richness from a pudding filling, these light, low-fat delights are absolutely irresistible.

5. Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake

We mixed raspberry into the batter to make our glazed Bundt extra moist — and extra delicious.

6. Mocha Raspberry Parfaits

These single-serve parfaits are a sweet ending to a casual evening of al fresco dining with friends and family.

7. Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dream

A boxed brownie-mix crust stacked to the heavens with rich no-bake layers make this cake easy and wow-worthy.

8. Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

Three kinds of chocolate guarantee this berry-licious treat bakes up rich and so decadent.

9. Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Parfaits

A snap to assemble, these parfaits can be made a day ahead — drizzle with chocolate just before serving.

10. Red Velvet Raspberry Roulade

A cocoa-kissed angel food cake and lemony Neufchâtel filling combine to create a tasty twist on a classic dessert.

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