A Dozen Mother’s Day Desserts That Will Seriously Impress The Women Of The Hour

See, this is the epitome of Mother’s Day dessert — sweet, fruity, with slightly unexpected flavors that will make her sit back and say, “Wow.” This recipe is from Marie Frank’s new cookbook More Than Sweet: Desserts with Flavor; you can customize it to your partner’s favorite fruit, and it serves eight to 10 so there will be plenty to go around.

INGREDIENTS:

Filling

• 2 pounds / 900 g stone fruit (such as nectarines, apricots, cherries, or plums), pitted and sliced ¼ inch / ½ cm thick
• ½ cup / 100 g granulated sugar
• Zest and juice of ½ orange
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground lavender
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

Topping

• 1 cup / 125 g all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons / 175 g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ cup / 55 g cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch / 1.3 cm pieces
• ½ cup / 120 ml cold buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons demerara sugar
• Crème anglaise or ice cream (such as lemon verbena; see page 75), for serving

PREPARATION:

Make the filling.

1. Place the fruit in a large bowl and toss with the granulated sugar, orange juice and zest, cornstarch, lavender, cinnamon, black pepper, and salt. Set aside to macerate for 10–15 minutes.

Make the topping.

1. Mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and cloves in a medium bowl, then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the buttermilk and mix until everything is just combined.

Assemble the cobbler.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C.
2. Arrange the fruit in a 9-inch square baking dish, drop 2-inch (5 cm) round “biscuits” on top of the fruit, then brush the biscuits with heavy cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
3. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices bubble around the edges, 40–50 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature with crème anglaise or ice cream.

Excerpted with permission from More Than Sweet: Desserts with Flavor by Marie Frank, published by ‎Hardie Grant North America, April 2026, RRP $40.00 Hardcover.

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