MATT TAYLOR-GROSS

15 Summer Cakes

Fifteen of our favorite cake recipes, drawing on in-season produce and classic summer favorites

Published on July 7, 2015

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.

httpswww.saveur.comsitessaveur.comfileschristina_tosi_strawberry_lemon_cake_2000x1500.jpg

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

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

ADVERTISEMENTAD

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 »

ADVERTISEMENTAD

Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake

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.