15 Summer Cakes
Fifteen of our favorite cake recipes, drawing on in-season produce and classic summer favorites
When we talk of summer desserts it's easy to learn hard on the virtues of pie, cobblers, crisps, and their brethren—those dishes that overflow with fruit and stain shirts with both plumbs and aplomb. But summertime cakes are a beautiful thing, baked on the weekend and enjoyed for breakfast or snack or dessert throughout the days that follow. These, too, are an excellent foil for the season's ripest produce and freshest flavors. And they get along handsomely with ice cream, too.
So bake a cake this weekend, be it stuffed with plums or lined with a bright lemony filling, and leave the pie for another day.
Vanilla Cake
This vanilla cake is anything but basic—the tang of buttermilk adds interest, while brown sugar bumps the earthy vanilla notes. Christina Tosi uses it as the base for her towering, masterful Strawberry Lemon Layer Cake. Get the recipe for Vanilla Cake
Classic Carrot Cake
This version of the cake is a potluck and bake sale favorite; the addition of crushed pineapple helps to keep it sweet and moist. Get the recipe for Classic Carrot Cake »
Strawberry Cake
Strawberry cake topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting is a favorite soul food dessert; this delicious version comes from Bertha’s Kitchen in North Charleston. Get the recipe for Strawberry Cake »
Lemon Layer Cake
Lemon infuses this layered masterpiece in three ways: zested into the batter, in a tart syrup that get drizzled over the cakes, and in a thick lemon curd frosting.
Hummingbird Cake
This hummingbird cake honors the legacy of the Southern cook Edna Lewis. Get the recipe for Hummingbird Cake »
Coconut Cake
Fresh coconut and its sweet water are the keys to this cake, passed down from pastry chef Ben Mims’ grandmother, Jane Newson.
Olive Oil Quatre Quarts with Chopped Fruit
This variation on a classic French pound cake, in which ingredient quantities are determined by relative weight, uses olive oil instead of butter for a light, fresh flavor. The recipe was developed by SAVEUR contributor Nancy Harmon Jenkins, who recommends using a Polder Kitchen Scale for accurate measure.
Black Forest Cherry Torte
This German dessert got it right by combining two of our favorite ingredients-chocolate and cherries!
Caramel Cake
The recipe for this butter cake draped in caramel fudge icing is based on a cake originally made by Louise Hodges, a home cook from Carmack, Mississippi.
Get the recipe for Blackberry and Apple Cake »
Loaded with ripe fruit, this moist cake is a cross between two classic English desserts, sponge cake and summer pudding. Get the recipe for Blackberry and Apple Cake »
Danish Dream Cake (Drømmekage)
This delightfully basic white sponge cake, encrusted with a coconut and brown sugar topping, is a dream to make and eat.
Yellow Cake with Fudge Icing
The key to making this cake’s rich icing is to stir it vigorously once it has cooled to the proper temperature.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
A North Fork Valley favorite in zucchini season, this moist chocolate cake gets its moistness from buttermilk. Get the recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake »
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