As much as I love a good pie, summer cakes can be just as delightful and rewarding for dessert.
There’s something wonderful and simple about a cake full of fresh summer fruits. Summer cakes are also generally simple cakes. These are things where fruit is the star and the fancier decorating or frostings can be saved for other seasons.
A summer cake is a celebration of not only the natural season but of the abundance of flavor and fruit from the earth. Use these recipes for inspiration and remember that many fruits can easily be substituted for one another.
Like the cherry recipe in general but aren’t a fan of cherries? Substitute berries instead. Most importantly use that fruit up and share it with family and friends this summer season.
Baking in the Summer Months
Turning the oven on to do some baking on a hot day is the last thing many of us want to do. The idea of making the house even hotter never feels wise or good even if we get delicious homemade cake in the end.
Choose to bake in the cooler mornings rather than midday. Choose cloudy or rainy days to turn on the oven. Work with mother nature and the temperatures not against.
The great thing about this collection of easy summer desserts is that it allows you to try different recipes based on the abundance of seasonal fruits throughout the summer so that you can pick the cooler days to bake.
How to Serve
A slice of cake is a complete dessert. One can never go wrong by simply serving it that way alongside some kind of tasty drink hot or cold. Iced tea or coffee in summer is, of course, ideal.
Do pay attention to the heat and keep things with cream cheese frosting refrigerated, etc. Make sure to watch any frosting at an outdoor picnic – they will all melt quickly.
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Some of the following recipes, skip frosting making them a better option for super hot days and parties – top those slices with whipped cream just before serving.
A scoop of ice cream is always welcome on a hot summer day and even more so when it’s on a slice of any of the following great cake recipes.
Summer Cake Recipes
Make the most of summer fruits and vegetables with this collection of summer cake recipes sure to please most every sweet tooth!
Berry Cakes
Fresh summer berries are a delight to behold and their bright colors and sweet flavors are perfect for featuring as the main ingredients in these delicious cakes.
Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Moist, fluffy, and full of decadent chocolate with fresh raspberries in both the cake and frosting, this cake is perfect for summer.
Fresh Berry Cake
Use any berry or combination of fresh berries in this simple cake that whips up in no time. Serve this with some vanilla ice cream for an easy dessert.
Grain-Free Fresh Berry Cake
Keep that cake grain-free with this recipe that highlights mixed berries for a summer treat that is great for afternoon tea.
Blueberry Bundt Cake
Bundt cakes are always amazing desserts and this version is full of blueberries and this amazing recipe comes with a gorgeous naturally colored glaze.
Strawberry and Lemon Polenta Cake
This combination of lemon and strawberry cake includes some coconut in its polenta base for a tropical summer cake that is sure to be a huge hit.
Strawberry Brownie Shortcake
Chocolate and fresh strawberries are a natural combination - why not get them in a shortcake version?
Stone Fruit Cakes
Peaches, plums, nectarines all make for different and unusual cakes that are just as at home for a sweet breakfast as they are for special occasions like birthday celebrations.
Nectarine Cake
Buttery and lightly sweetened with brown sugar this bundt cake features copies amounts of nectarines, allowing the sweet fruit to be the star of this simple dessert.
Plum Cake with Plum Jam Frosting
Tart, sweet, and lightly spiced this delicious cake is simple and easily served right in the cake pan for effortless frosting and serving.
Peach Breakfast Cake
Who says we shouldn't have cake for breakfast? This coffee cake is loaded with juicy fruits and perfect for guilt free summer brunch and breakfast meals.
Apricot Upside-down Cake
Upside down cakes are always fun and delicious. In this version, chewy apricots sit on top of a moist vanilla cake for a simple and impressive dessert.
Spiced Plum Upside Down Cake
Spices and late summer plums combine delightfully in an upside down cake that crosses that line between summer fruit and autumn spice delightfully well.
Cherry Cakes
Sweet and sour cherries provide a wide range of flavor that go well with everything from cream to chocolate and everything in between.
Sour Cherry Cake
Chocolate and sour cherries combine in a simple but oh-so-tasty cake perfect for company or family meals.
Cherry Bakewell Cake
A light sponge cake is layered with cream and cherries for a simple and yet delicious cake.
Rustic Sour Cherry Cake
Sour cherries make a great pie, of course, but they also make a tasty rustic cake. This one is loaded with fresh fruit and almonds for one of the more popular cake flavors.
Cherry Coffee Cake
Sunday brunch needs cake too and this white cake loaded with cherries would be more than perfect during the summer.
Chocolate Cherry Loaf Cake
Chocolate and cherries really do go hand-in-hand so why not combine them into a simple loaf cake?
Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Get all those glorious cherry cheesecake flavors in a simple to bake cake.
Vegetable Cakes
While the fruits of summer make amazing cakes, we should not forget that vegetables do too. These are sure to inspire creative use of all your garden abundance with their different flavors.
Radish Bread
A moist loaf cake that is lightly sweet and without any distinguishable radish flavor that can easily be breakfast or dessert and a great way to use up an overflowing garden.
Chocolate Beetroot Cake
Forget using dyes, especially artificial dyes, and color your chocolate cake naturally with some beets for a delicious and moist cake that is covered in a dark chocolate ganache for a completely over-the-top dessert.
Easy Zucchini Crumb Cake Recipe
Zucchini is always abundant and this crumb cake recipe is a perfect way to use it up and share with friends in a new way.
Lemon and Cucumber Cake with Gin Icing
The creativity of some cooks never ceases to amaze me - cucumber in a cake with lemon and gin? Sounds so different and yet the distinct flavor is so very amazing!
Lemon Blueberry Squash Bread
Get summer fruit and vegetables in one simple loaf cake with this recipe that uses yellow squash and blueberries in the same lemon cake batter.