MATT TAYLOR-GROSS
Recipes

15 Summer Cakes

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

By SAVEUR Editors


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.

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
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

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
Hummingbird Cake

This hummingbird cake honors the legacy of the Southern cook Edna Lewis. Get the recipe for Hummingbird Cake »

Coconut 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
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
Black Forest Cherry Torte

This German dessert got it right by combining two of our favorite ingredients-chocolate and cherries!

Caramel Cake
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.

Blackberry and Apple Cake
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
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 »

Continue to Next Story

Want more SAVEUR?

Get our favorite recipes, stories, and more delivered to your inbox.