Now that summer has officially started (here in Europe) I thought it would be nice to share ten best summer dessert recipes from Mondomulia! In this post, I have listed my favourite cakes, tarts and ice cream recipes which celebrate the produce coming into season in June.
Rustic summer fruit and jam galette
Now more than ever we need to observe the importance of eating fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced food. This way, you will reduce the impact of your food shopping and reduce your carbon footprint. Buy seasonally also works out cheaper, and your fruit and veg will taste better. Use a seasonal food calendar to see what foods are in season.
June, July and August are the best months to eat fresh fruits: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries; stone fruits like apricots, nectarines and peaches; kiwi fruit; cherries and blackberries; melon and watermelon.
Pick your own raspberries at Peterley Farm in Buckinghamshire
In September, plums, figs, grapes, pears and Bramley apples come into season.
Figs come into season in September
These recipes and ingredients are based on what’s fresh and local in the UK and most of Europe, so please take care to do your research for your own local area and support the small businesses and local economy… And of course, create some delicious summer recipes!
Raspberry and custard cream tart
If you follow my blog, you’ll already know that my mission is to share a collection of resourceful and delicious recipes steeped in a practical way of approaching home cooking, i.e. minimising waste, following the seasons, using traditional recipes to create effortless meals packed with flavour.
I hope that you will have a wonderful and flavourful month by taking advantage of the fresh produce with these yummy recipes!
My favourite summer dessert recipes
1. Fig Semifreddo
Semifreddo ice cream is a quick and easy recipe that requires just a couple of ingredients and tools you all likely have in your kitchens. I made this recipe while on holiday in Formentera a few years ago, using an electric mixer to whip the cream (you can whip it by hand if you have strong arms!), beat the yolks with sugar and add any fruit jam you like. I obviously used a homemade fig jam for this semifreddo. Then, you freeze it overnight in a bread loaf tin and the job is done. No churning, no ice-cream machine required!
PS: this Strawberry and Cream Semifreddo is just as easy to make and delicious!
2. Baked Cheesecake with Wild Strawberry Jam
A New York style baked cheesecake is always a good idea! You can top it with a thick layer of jam, freshly made fruit sauce or seasonal fresh fruits. This cake is prepared with cream cheese and double cream, then baked in the oven for about one hour. Then, drizzled on the top with a wild strawberry jam.
3. Rustic Cherry Galette
I love making rustic galettes: pastry dough roughly wrapped around ripe summer fruit (it’s ok to mix and match!) and any fruit jam I find in my fridge. This cherry galette is the perfect way to showcase the most beautiful summer cherries! You can serve it as it is, warm or at room temperature. For an ever more satisfying dessert, add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s just perfect!
4. Lemon, Yoghurt and Cherry Cake
What could be better than yogurt and cherries for breakfast? This lemon, yoghurt and cherry loaf is the kind of cake you can eat a slice of in the mornings, with a cup of tea or coffee, or make it an afternoon treat or evening dessert. This is a simple vanilla sponge recipe made super-moist by the plain yoghurt and fresh cherries. The lemon flavour of zest and lemon curd (in the buttercream) is a nice added bonus!
5. Skyr Cake with Manuka Honey roasted Figs
One of my favourite cheesecake recipes, except…it doesn’t technically have cheese! This cake is made with skyr, an Icelandic cultured dairy product with the consistency of yoghurt and taste similar to sour cream. The result is a light cake with a sweet base and flavourful topping roasted figs glazed with honey. Figs and honey is such a delicious combination!
6. Summer Tart with Red Gooseberry Jam and Custard Cream
This tart is my take on Italian crostata di frutta with a buttery shortcrust pastry and rich custard cream. Red gooseberries are not so easy to find in supermarkets, but if you happen to see some, try them! Red gooseberries tend to be sweeter when ripe than green gooseberries and provide an incredibly sweet and slightly acidic taste. Look out for them in mid-July when they are in season.
7. Summer Peach and Raspberry Sponge Cake
All you need to do for this cake is combine all the ingredients of classic a vanilla sponge and – half way through baking – add juicy peaches and sweet raspberries. So easy to achieve and tastes like a mouthful of summer! Perfect for an afternoon tea at home or to take to a picnic!
8. Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake
One of the best cakes I’ve baked during the past four weeks of lockdown is this Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake from Ottolenghi’s Simple cookbook. The ground almonds add a nice texture while the plump berries and lemon make this cake super-moist. To finish, a sugary crust studded with sliced almonds.
9. Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Naturally, this list of summer desserts wouldn’t be complete without an ice cream recipe! Not everyone own an ice cream machine, and you do need one for this recipe. It is the easiest recipe for ice cream I have ever made and 100% foolproof! All you need is coconut milk, double cream, sugar and desiccated coconut. This ice cream is, well, creamy and delicious! I love to eat it with a fresh fruit salad or fresh strawberries.
10. No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
This Blueberry Cheesecake with blueberry and maple syrup sauce is raw, vegan, free of refined sugars and completely grain-free. If you are gluten or dairy intolerant, then this cake is perfect for you! It doesn’t require any cooking, but it does need a couple of hours in the freezer to set before it’s ready to serve.
