10 Convincing April Fools' Day Recipes That Will Trick Everyone

Share a laugh with these fun, fake-out ideas.

February 09, 2023

Related To:

Calling All Pranksters

Whether you’re looking for a silly way to trick your kids or a fun, themed dessert to serve to your friends on April 1st, these fake-out ideas are just what you need. With a little bit of clever trickery, each one is transformed into something completely different—and sure to result in a good, old-fashioned case of the giggles. One of our favorite food pranks? These French fry look-alikes, which are really breadsticks rolled in cinnamon-sugar. Don’t worry about the 'ketchup'—it’s just strawberry jelly!

Get the Recipe: April Fools' Fries: Cinnamon-Sugar Sticks

Cheese Wheel Cake

To get the look of a wax-coated wheel of cheese, cover a rounded-edge layer cake with red fondant—and disguise the sliced edge with pale yellow frosting. The added touch that takes this over the top: sugared grapes. Talk about a sweet surprise!

Get the Recipe: Cheese Wheel Cake

April Fools' Bagel: Doughnut Sandwich

This "everything bagel" is really a cake doughnut brushed with honey and sprinkled with chopped chocolate-toffee bits. It's got all the fixins: smoked salmon (thinly-sliced papaya), cream cheese (frosting), tomato (red gummy candy) and scallions (green gummy candy).

Get the Recipe: April Fools' Bagel: Doughnut Sandwich

Nacho Normal Cheesecake

This cake is all about the details. Use your favorite candies to make classic nacho toppings (olives, lettuce and salsa) and top it all off with pie crust chips. The end result is so beautiful that you won’t want to bite into it! This is the perfect April Fools’ treat when you want to show off your artistic side!

Get the Recipe: Nacho Normal Cheesecake

April Fools' Lasagna: Banana Pudding Cake

There are no noodles in this "lasagna", just layers of pound cake, vanilla pudding, bananas and strawberry jam. Shaved white chocolate, crushed vanilla wafers and chopped mint leaves make up the "cheesy" topping.

Get the Recipe: April Fools' Lasagna: Banana-Pudding Cake

Ice Cream Steak Frites

Imagine getting ready to bite into a nice, juicy steak, only to find out that it’s ice cream! That’s the trick behind this realistic-looking chocolate ice cream steak—with a side of pound cake French fries. As an added touch, serve some "ketchup," which is really strawberry jam, alongside. It’ll be a pleasant surprise for dessert lovers.

Get the Recipe: Ice Cream Steak Frites

April Fools' Sushi: Rice Krispies Nuggets

Rice Krispies treats replace sticky rice for this fun faux-sushi, and gummy candy stands in for raw fish. Serve it with condiments of soy sauce (chocolate syrup), ginger (pink coconut), and wasabi (pistachio paste).

Get the Recipe: April Fools' Sushi: Rice Krispies Nuggets

Cereal-Bowl Cake

Tell friends you're serving breakfast for dessert, then cut into this jumbo cereal bowl and show them it's a cake! To make the look-alike, we baked a chocolate cake in a bowl, then carved out the middle and filled it with ice cream for the "milk." We pressed cereal into the ice cream, then added the ultimate cake topper: a big spoon.

Get the Recipe: Cereal-Bowl Cake

April Fools' Crab Cake: Fried Ice Cream

Cut into these delicious-looking "crab cakes" and instead of jumbo lump, you'll find vanilla ice cream. The sweet crispy crust is made from bread and shredded coconut. Serve them with a side of pistachio-white chocolate "tartar" sauce.

Get the Recipe: April Fools' Crab Cakes: Fried Ice Cream

Giant Ice Cream Taco

This may look like a gian taco but it's actually an ice cream cakema, de from chocolate ice cream, dyed coconut shavings, circus peanuts and cherries. Enclosed in two large cornmeal cookies, this taco is sure bring a lot of laughs into your home.

Get the Recipe: Giant Ice Cream Taco