25 Pink Desserts for a Totally Sweet, Barbie-Themed Party
In case you somehow haven’t heard, Barbie is hitting theaters on July 21, and fans everywhere are celebrating with over-the-top themed parties. In case you’ve been invited to one (or better yet, are hosting your own), we’ve rounded up 25 pink desserts that are just right for the occasion. These cookies, cakes, ice pops, pies and other confections are equal parts festive, vibrant and easy to master. Read on for all the inspiration (and nostalgia).
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1. Strawberry Pie with Strawberry Crust
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Isn’t she lovely? The lattice crust is beyond easy to prepare, so don’t let its chic appearance intimidate you. (It’s colored with freeze-dried strawberries instead of food dye, BTW.)
2. Ombré Ice Cream Cake
Photo: Eric Moran/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 4 hours
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, no bake
Choose all the pink ice creams and sorbets you can get your hands on at the supermarket. The rest is as easy as layering them in a springform pan with whipped topping or fresh whipped cream and letting your freezer work its magic.
3. Strawberry Sponge Cake
Mark Roper/So French So Sweet
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
This buttery, sweet treat couldn’t be simpler to prepare. The cake only requires four ingredients that are likely already in your kitchen, while the pretty-in-pink topping is nothing but strawberries and confectioners’ sugar.
4. One-Ingredient Watermelon Sorbet
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 4 hours (includes freezing time)
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Who knew summer’s signature fruit could do all this? It’s as simple as freezing chopped watermelon, pureeing it until smooth and refreezing it until it’s scoopable. Oh, and in case you need help cubing the fruit, this is the easiest way.
5. Strawberry Half-Moon Cookies
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Cakey black-and-white cookies are an NYC staple. No hate to the O.G., but this blush-toned take on the treat just might surpass it. Chalk it up to the freeze-dried berries in the icing.
6. Cheater’s Mini Rhubarb Galettes
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Store-bought pie dough is the secret to these teeny-tiny delights. In-season rhubarb takes care of the rest, along with a quick egg wash and a flourish of turbinado sugar.
7. 3-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream Shell
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
It doesn’t get easier—or more nostalgic—than this deep pink ice cream shell, which hardens atop a cold scoop just like the store-bought kind of your youth. Make a batch ahead and store it at room temperature for up to two weeks.
8. Pink Party Doughnuts
Sally’s Baking Recipes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Because nothing says “Come on Barbie, let’s go party” like a heart-shaped dessert topped with pink vanilla glaze and rainbow sprinkles. Glittery sanding sugar would work, too.
9. Blueberry, Blackberry and Raspberry Soufflés
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Soufflé has a reputation for being finnicky, but as long as you’re gentle and don’t overmix the batter, these will rise to the occasion. Choose from raspberries, blueberries or blackberries.
10. Lemon-Raspberry Whoopie Pies
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
Whether you consider them cakes, cookies or pies, we can all agree on one thing: These handhelds are next-level adorable. The filling is a mix of whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar and store-bought raspberry jam.
11. Pink Velvet Cupcakes
A Classic Twist
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Complete with cream cheese frosting and on-theme sprinkles. Buttermilk in the cupcake batter ensures that they’ll turn out moist and tender.
12. Raspberry Prosecco Ice Pops
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 3 hours
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
We’re betting Barbie loves herself some bubbly. Take your pick of cava, prosecco or Champagne (if you’re feeling fancy) to combine with simple syrup and pureed raspberries.
13. Strawberry, Cardamom and Pistachio Pavlova Bites
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 3 hours and 25 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients, gluten free
Think of these poppables like herbal, edible clouds. Finished with a dollop of whipped cream, chopped pistachios and strawberries, each bite is giving Barbie dressed to the nines.
14. Watermelon Sugar Cookies
Sally’s Baking Recipes
Time Commitment: 6 hours (includes drying time)
Why We Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
You could add a dash of watermelon flavoring to the dough, but the summery icing design is really just for looks. We won’t tell if you go the easy route by using store-bought sugar cookie dough.
15. Raspberry Ice Cream
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 4 hours and 15 minutes (includes freezing time)
Why We Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, gluten free
Repeat after us: I do not need an ice cream maker to make ice cream. Instead, this recipe calls for an electric mixer, bowl and spatula—that’s it. Did we mention you’ll only need raspberries and four pantry staples to make it?
16. Coconut Rice Pudding with Rhubarb Compote
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
If you’re looking for a pink dessert that’s a bit more subtle, go with this dinner party-ready dish. The vanilla bean-kissed rhubarb compote is used to line the pudding cups. Top each one with toasted slivered almonds.
17. No-Bake Berry Tiramisu
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, no bake, beginner-friendly, make ahead
Tiramisu is the trendiest dessert of summer 2023. It’s only natural that it makes a cameo at your oh-so-timely Barbie party. Instead of a traditional mascarpone-egg custard, this recipe leans on whipped ricotta and cream cheese filling.
18. Pink Lemonade Cake
Grandbaby Cakes
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Not only is there lemon extract in the frosting and cake batter, but the recipe uses frozen pink lemonade concentrate for authentic color and flavor. Finish each slice with a lemon slice (candied, if you’d prefer) and a fun straw.
19. Raspberry Beet Tart with Oat Walnut Crust
Healthfully Ever After
Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser
The stunning color of this tart is courtesy of a single beet and a generous dose of fresh raspberries. Use an alternative flour in the crust to make the dessert gluten free.
20. Berries and Cream Cookies
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
These soft, comforting cookies are only eight ingredients away—and we’re betting you have nearly all of them on hand right now. Go ahead, preheat the oven, friend.
21. Gluten-Free Lemon-Raspberry Pavlova
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 2 hours and 40 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, <10 ingredients
Did you invite Gluten Free Barbie to your party at the Dreamhouse? She’s in luck because this layered delight is totally free of wheat. Think crisp, light-as-air meringue, whipped cream spiked with lemon curd and raspberry jam and fresh fruit.
22. Peanut Butter Cream Pie with Raspberry Meringue
Mark Weinberg/The Book on Pie
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Doesn’t that swoopy pink top look like it was plucked straight out of a fairy tale? The all-butter crust, peanut butter filling and raspberry meringue are made from scratch, but we promise they’re worth the effort.
23. Pink Lemonade Freezer Bars
Averie Cooks
Time Commitment: 4 hours (includes freezing time)
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, no bake, beginner-friendly
Equal parts sweet, sour and salty (shoutout to you, Ritz cracker crust), this no-bake dessert will satisfy every palate. Better yet, the recipe only requires ten minutes of prep to come together.
24. Glazed Doughnut Cookies
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
All the sweet, cinnamon-sugary flavor of an old-fashioned doughnut, minus the messy frying. We had Homer Simpson in mind while decorating, but the pink icing is totally Barbie too.
25. Watermelon-Kiwi Ice Pops
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 3 hours (includes freezing time)
Why We Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
If you have a blender or food processor, you can have these fresh fruit ice pops in the freezer in mere minutes. No molds? No problem—use popsicle sticks and paper cups in their place.
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Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
