There are few pleasures more universal than a good summer dessert. Not the heavy, rib-sticking puddings of winter, nor the overly elaborate creations that spend more time being photographed than eaten, but the sort of desserts that seem to capture the season itself: ripe berries piled high, melting ice cream, citrus-spiked creams and puddings best served outdoors with friends.
Summer is the season when some of our best ingredients are at their peak. Strawberries finally taste like strawberries, stone fruits arrive in abundance and even the simplest bowl of fruit can feel like a dessert in its own right. The recipes in this collection make the most of that bounty, whether through Mary Berry's upside-down apricot and Cointreau pudding, Nadiya Hussain's ingenious summer fruit semifreddo, or Tom Kerridge's raspberry ripple ice cream designed to round off a barbecue in style.
There are crowd-pleasers for garden parties, make-ahead desserts for entertaining and lighter options for those days when turning on the oven feels like a challenge. Jamie Oliver's budget-friendly frozen berry crumble proves comfort food still has a place in summer, while Thomasina Miers's fruity Mexican paletas and Angela Dowden's griddled bananas offer refreshing alternatives when temperatures climb.
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From Letitia Clark's lemon-laced pavlova and Andi Oliver's tropical cheesecake to Ilhan Mohamed Abdi's Somali chai tres leches cake, these recipes celebrate the colours, flavours and abundance of the season and give you an excuse to linger a little longer at the table.
Mary Berry's upside-down apricot and Cointreau pudding
Ingredients:
- Butter, melted, or sunflower oil
- 2 × 400g tins apricot halves in syrup, drained well and lightly dried on kitchen paper
- For the topping: 125g granulated sugar, 75g butter, 2 tbsp Cointreau
- For the sponge: 115g self-raising flour, 115g baking spread, 115g caster sugar, 2 eggs, finely grated zest of 1 small orange, 1 tbsp Cointreau
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Use a deep, fixed-base 20cm cake tin.
- Make the topping: heat sugar and 4 tbsp water in a stainless-steel pan until dissolved. Boil until deep caramel. Remove from heat, add butter and Cointreau, stir, then pour into tin base.
- Brush sides with melted butter or oil. Arrange apricot halves on caramel.
- Whisk sponge ingredients for 1½-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Spoon over apricots and level. Bake for 50-55 minutes until golden and sides pull away.
- Leave to stand for 30 minutes, then loosen sides and invert onto a plate.
- Spoon any loose caramel over the top and serve warm in wedges.
Tip: Can be made up to 12 hours ahead and gently warmed. Freezes well.
Nadiya Hussain's summer fruit semifreddo
Ingredients:
- 400g frozen mixed summer fruits
- 100g caster sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 7 slices white bread (about 170g), crusts removed, halved lengthways
- 600ml double cream
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
Method:
- Put frozen fruit, sugar and water in a pan. Bring to boil, then remove from heat. Drain fruit through a sieve, reserving liquid. Cool liquid completely.
- Line a 20cm round Pyrex dish with cling film.
- Dip each bread piece quickly into fruit juice and place vertically around dish edge, slightly overlapping. Use remaining piece for base.
- Whip cream to soft peaks, add golden syrup, then fold in fruit.
- Spoon mixture into lined dish, fold over any bread edges. Cover and freeze for 3 hours.
- Turn out onto plate, remove cling film, cut into wedges and serve.
Tom Kerridge's raspberry ripple ice cream
Ingredients:
- 250ml whole milk
- Pinch of salt
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
- 500ml double cream
- 5 large free-range egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For sauce: 200g raspberries, 150g golden caster sugar
- To finish: whipped cream, few raspberries
Method:
- Heat milk, salt, sugar and vanilla pod and seeds until simmering. Remove, cover and infuse 1 hour.
- Set a bowl over an ice bath. Pour cream into bowl and set a sieve over top.
- Whisk egg yolks, then gradually add warm milk. Return to pan and cook over low heat, stirring until custard thickens. Strain into cream. Stir, add vanilla, chill overnight.
- Churn in ice cream machine according to instructions.
- For sauce: simmer raspberries, sugar and 1 tbsp water until sugar dissolves. Sieve, then simmer 6-8 minutes until reduced. Cool.
- Spoon half ice cream into container, add half sauce, repeat. Swirl with knife. Freeze 4 hours.
- Scoop into bowls or cones, top with cream and raspberries.
Pavlova with lemon olive oil curd
Ingredients:
- 6 egg whites
- 350g sugar
- Zest of 3 lemons plus 1 tbsp juice
- 10g cornflour
- For cream: 250ml double cream, 200g Greek yoghurt, 3 tbsp icing sugar
- For curd: 5g cornflour, juice of 2 lemons, 1 egg plus 2 yolks, 140g sugar, 40g butter, 30ml olive oil, pinch salt
- Optional: 200g strawberries, edible flowers, basil leaves, lemon zest squiggles
Method:
- Preheat oven to 130C fan. Line baking tray with parchment.
- Whisk egg whites with lemon juice to stiff peaks. Add sugar gradually, then whisk in lemon zest and cornflour.
- Spread meringue into a large circle, edges higher. Bake 1 hour until crisp. Cool in oven with door open.
- Whip cream to soft peaks, stir in yoghurt and icing sugar.
- For curd: whisk cornflour into lemon juice, then add all ingredients to pan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking, until thick. Cool.
- Spread cream on pavlova, dot curd on top. Decorate with flowers, strawberries, basil and lemon zest.
Jamie Oliver's frozen berry and apple crumble
Ingredients:
- 1kg mixed frozen berries
- 2 eating apples (300g)
- 100g unsalted butter (cold)
- 150g plain flour
- 75g rolled oats
- 150g granulated sugar
- Vanilla ice cream to serve
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200C. Defrost berries in microwave or fridge. Drain and reserve juice.
- Chop apples into 1cm cubes.
- Rub butter into flour until breadcrumb-like, stir in oats and half the sugar.
- Tip berries into baking dish, stir in apple and remaining sugar. Sprinkle crumble topping. Bake 25 minutes until golden. Serve with ice cream.
Tip: Use reserved juice to make syrup by adding 2 tsp sugar and reducing.
Griddled bananas with blueberries
Ingredients:
- 4 bananas, unpeeled
- 8 tbsp fat-free Greek yoghurt
- 4 tbsp oatmeal or fine porridge oats
- 125g blueberries
- Runny honey to serve
Method:
- Heat griddle pan over medium-hot heat. Griddle bananas 8-10 minutes until skins blacken, turning occasionally.
- Transfer to serving dishes, cut open lengthways. Spoon over yoghurt, sprinkle with oats and blueberries. Drizzle with honey and serve immediately.
Mango and chocolate paletas recipes
Mango version:
- 2 small ripe mangoes
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 tbsp light agave nectar
- For chilli-lime salt: 10g piquin chillies, 10g sea salt, 100g caster sugar, zest of 1 lime
Method:
- Blend mango flesh with lime zest, juice, agave and 300ml water. Adjust sweetness. Pour into moulds and freeze 8 hours.
- Blitz chillies with salt, stir in sugar and lime zest. Dip paletas in chilli-lime salt.
Mexican chocolate version:
- 400ml almond or whole milk
- Few pinches cinnamon
- 55g dark chocolate, chopped
- 55g milk chocolate, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp golden syrup
- 90g white chocolate
- 50g almonds, flaked
Method:
- Warm milk with cinnamon and syrup. Remove from heat, stir in chocolates until melted. Cool, pour into moulds, freeze 8 hours.
- Melt white chocolate, toast almonds. Drizzle over paletas and sprinkle with almonds.
Pineapple, spiced caramel and thyme tarte tatin
Ingredients:
- Plain flour for dusting
- 500g block puff pastry
- 150g caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Leaves from 4 sprigs thyme
- 500g fresh pineapple flesh, thinly sliced
- 25g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200C. Roll out pastry to a circle slightly larger than your ovenproof pan.
- Place pan over medium heat, scatter sugar evenly, then cinnamon, pepper and thyme. Heat until sugar dissolves and turns deep caramel. Arrange pineapple slices nicely, add butter pieces, cook a few minutes until caramelised.
- Remove from heat, place pastry on top, tuck edges inside pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden.
- Carefully invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm.
Coconut and lime cheesecake
Ingredients:
- For base: 100g gingernut biscuits, 100g oat biscuits, 50g desiccated coconut, 120g melted unsalted butter, pinch salt
- For filling: 280g full-fat cream cheese, 4 tbsp coconut condensed milk, 200ml coconut milk, 150ml cream, grated zest and juice of 2 limes, 100g white chocolate, melted
- For topping: 1 fresh coconut, 1 tbsp maple syrup, grated zest of 1 lime, 1 fresh mango, diced
Method:
- Crush biscuits, mix with coconut, melted butter and salt. Press into tart tin. Chill 1 hour.
- Beat filling ingredients except chocolate until smooth. Mix in melted chocolate. Spoon onto base. Chill 2 hours until set.
- Preheat oven to 180C. Crack coconut, peel flakes. Toss with maple syrup and half lime zest on baking tray. Toast 10 minutes until crisp. Cool.
- Top cheesecake with toasted coconut. Mix diced mango with remaining lime zest and serve alongside.
Berry platter
Ingredients:
- 900g sheep's yoghurt
- ½ tsp salt
- 100ml good-quality olive oil
- 10g lemon thyme sprigs
- 1 orange, shaved zest
- 200g blackberries
- 250g raspberries
- 300g strawberries, hulled and halved
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 200g blueberries
- 150g cherries, pitted
Method:
- Mix yoghurt and salt. Line colander with muslin, place over bowl. Add yoghurt, fold muslin over, weight down. Drain in fridge 24-48 hours to make labneh.
- Heat oil gently until bubbles form. Remove from heat, add thyme and orange strips. Cover and infuse overnight or at least 30 minutes.
- Blitz 50g blackberries, 100g raspberries, 100g strawberries with sugar and lime juice until smooth. Mix with remaining berries and cherries.
- Spread labneh on platter. Spoon over berries. Sprinkle lime zest. Drizzle with 2 tbsp infused oil and garnish with orange strips and thyme leaves.
Somali chai tres leches cake
Ingredients:
- 150ml milk
- 397g can condensed milk
- 350ml evaporated milk
- 2 tsp Somali tea spice
- 24 Madeira cake slices (510g)
- 500ml double cream
- 100g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 100g crushed pistachios
Method:
- Heat milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk with spice. Simmer 5-10 minutes, strain, cool.
- Arrange cake slices in a 23x30cm baking dish in two layers. Poke holes with chopstick. Reserve 250ml milk mixture, pour remaining over cake.
- Whip cream, icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Spread over cake. Top with pistachios. Refrigerate 4 hours.
- Serve with reserved milk mixture poured at base of each slice.
Stuffed Lebanese pancakes with fresh clotted cream and orange blossom syrup
Ingredients:
- For syrup: 200g caster sugar, 120ml water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp rose water, 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- For ashta: 1.2l whole milk, 4 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice, 1½ tbsp cornflour, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 1 tbsp rose water, 2 tbsp orange blossom water, 200g ricotta cheese (optional)
- For atayef: 300g plain flour, 1 tsp dried instant yeast, 1 tsp caster sugar, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, pinch salt, 100ml whole milk, 350-400ml lukewarm water
- For garnish: 80g finely chopped pistachios, 1 tbsp rose petal jam
Method:
- Make syrup: boil sugar and water, add lemon juice, simmer 8-10 minutes. Add rose and orange blossom waters. Cool.
- Make ashta: simmer 1 litre milk, add vinegar to curdle. Strain curds. In clean pan, mix remaining 200ml milk with cornflour and sugar, cook until thick. Add rose and orange blossom waters. Mix with curds and ricotta. Chill.
- Make atayef: whisk flour, yeast, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt. Whisk in milk and water to smooth batter. Rest 30-45 minutes.
- Heat non-stick pan. Pour small rounds of batter, cook on one side only until bubbles appear and surface sets. Keep covered.
- Place spoonful of ashta in centre of each pancake, fold into half-moon, pinch one edge to seal.
- Arrange on platter, drizzle with syrup, sprinkle with pistachios and rose petal jam. Serve immediately.
