10 light and healthy dessert recipes

Best HealthUpdated: Apr. 13, 2012

Don’t gorge yourself on icing-covered sugar cookies and chocolate eggs this Easter. Instead try these 10 delicious and healthy Spring-inspired desserts

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Lemon and Lavender Tea Cookies

Pretty as a picture and perfect for afternoon tea. These are delightful served at a baby or wedding shower, or as a sweet treat for the family.

Get the recipe: Lemon and Lavender Tea Cookies

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Daffodil Cake

Usher in spring by baking a daffodil cake-a fragrant, delicate sponge cake with swirls of yellow and white in every slice. This festive treat is lightly flavoured with orange, and it boasts one mere gram of fat per serving.

Get the recipe: Daffodil Cake

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Raspberry Almond Macaroons

These raspberry almond macaroons aren’t the coconut macaroon you probably know. They’re a light French sandwich cookie.

Get the recipe: Raspberry Almond Macaroons

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Lower-fat (nut-free!) Carrot Cake

With orange juice and crushed pineapple acting as healthier substitutions for oil, this carrot cake is both deliciously moist and simple to bake.

Get the recipe: Lower-fat (nut-free!) Carrot Cake

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Iced Fairy Cakes

Iced fairy cakes are easy to prepare and always popular with children. Using ricotta cheese in the topping makes a lighter, fresher alternative to the more usual glacé icing. The cakes are best iced shortly before serving.

Get the recipe: Iced Fairy Cakes

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Almond-Orange-Cardamom Cookies

These nutty cookies are packed with heart-healthy almonds and delicately flavoured with orange and cardamom.

Get the recipe: Almond-Orange-Cardamom Cookies

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Hazelnut Meringue Cake

Simply add candles to turn this light but gooey hazelnut meringue cake into a birthday cake. As it has a pastry cream and fresh raspberry filling, it’s much lower in fat and calories than conventional celebration cakes.

Get the recipe: Hazelnut Meringue Cake

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Raspberry and Passion Fruit Sponge Roll

This light, almost fat-free sponge, rolled up around a raspberry and passion fruit filling, makes a very pretty dessert. It’s ideal with sweet raspberries. Serve the raspberry and passion fruit sponge roll with homemade custard, if desired.

Get the recipe: Raspberry and Passion Fruit Sponge Roll

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Blueberry-Strawberry Mousse (It’s not yogurt!)

Take advantage of all the fresh berries available at your local grocery stores. This light dessert will satisfy even the biggest critics and takes just minutes to prepare.

Get the recipe: Blueberry-Strawberry Mousse (It’s not yogurt!)

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