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- When I think about summer, I think about fruit and I incorporate a lot of fresh fruit into my baking. The Road to Honey feels passionate about one summer fruit to make a Watermelon-Inspired Layer Cake that doesn’t use fresh fruit, but definitely captures the spirit of the season. The triple-layer cake uses pink, yellow and green food coloring – as well as a handful of mini chocolate chips – to give the cake a watermelon-like gradient. While the cake base is vanilla, the buttercream covering it is flavored with a hint of melon extract (another fruity flavor could also be used) to tie the taste of the cake in with its summery look.
- Creative Culinary make cherries the star of this Cherry Pizza Crostata Dolce. The dessert pizza starts off with a tender pastry dough, rather than the same type of dough you would expect to see in a savory pizzle. This delicate crust contrast well with the Limoncello-kissed ricotta cheese filling that is studded with juicy, fresh cherries. To get even more cherries in, each slice of served with a drizzle of a cherry and port wine sauce before serving.
- Two summer fruits found their way into The Sugar Coated Cottage‘s Strawberry Peach Pecan Crumble. This rustic dessert has a filling made with fresh peaches ands strawberries, which are tossed with brown sugar and cinnamon before going into a shallow baking dish. The fruit layer is topped with a buttery pecan crumble that adds a crisp texture to each bite, contrasting with the tender fruit below. This could easy make a breakfast dish (it is mostly fruit, after all), but it is a wonderful choice for dessert, as well, especially if you serve it with a scoop of ice cream on the side.
- Strawberries make another appearance in The Beach House Kitchen‘s Buttermilk Strawberry Sherbert. This no-cook sorbet base starts with plenty of fresh strawberries. The berries are pureed and combined with buttermilk, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and vanilla. The buttermilk gives the sorbet a creamy texture, while adding a bit of tang to contrast with the sweetness of the berries. This is a lovely, refreshing sorbet that you’ll likely make over and over – as long as you can get fresh, in-season berries!
- If you’re feeling like you could use a day at the beach, consider whipping up the Barman’s Journal‘s Seahorse Cocktail. This summery drink starts with bourbon, but has a tropical flair to it – thanks to the addition of fresh pineapple and lemon juices. The easy to make drink is topped off with a generous splash of ginger beer, adding spice and effervescence to every sip. I personally like a ginger beer like Stoli or Fever Tree (both are nonalcoholic) because they have a strong, sharp ginger flavor. If you prefer your drinks on the sweeter side, opt for ginger ale instead of ginger beer.
