20+ Recipes & Tips for Summer Baking to Keep Your Cool

Summer is the time for fun and great food. Despite the warmer temps, baked goods and desserts still have their place in summer. In fact, you can save a bundle of cash and enjoy more in-season summer fruit when you bake at home. Follow these recipes and tips for easy summer baking so you don’t lose your cool.

While you’re stashing the freezer with Lemon Pound Cake or munching on a slice of Cherry Cheesecake, be sure to save summer in the freezer by freezing berries for later.

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I spent many days of my childhood summers in my Gramma John’s basement kitchen. I always thought it was so cool that she had two kitchens. The basement, where the temps were a mite cooler, is where she did the bulk of her summer baking and canning.

All kinds of good stuff came out of that kitchen, including some amazing Buttermilk Donuts!

While some folks eschew summer baking, I just can’t. My summer memories are so enmeshed with baked goods and desserts, I can’t give it up!

(Though I will confess to skipping it on 100-degree days.)

I’ve found that there are some strategies so that I can bake my cake — in summer! — and enjoy it, too. Follow these recipes and tips for summer baking, so that you can enjoy all kinds of yumminess all season long.

Why Bake in the Summer

It’s cheaper to DIY. It’s almost always cheaper to bake it yourself than to buy it at the bakery. Enjoy your cake and your budget, too, when you bake it yourself.

It’s delicious. Not only is homemade tastier, but summer baked goods feature peak-season summer fruits. Make the most of cherries, berries, and stone fruit when you bake summer desserts.

Tips for Summer Baking

1. Bake in the cool of the day.

Rather than turning the oven on while its peak heat time, bake at night once things have started to cool off or in the early morning before temps heat up.

Afternoon temps can not only effect the comfort of your kitchen, but also the quality of your baked goods.

Yeast breads, softening butter, cookie doughs and pie crusts as well as frosted desserts can experience texture changes in the heat. Keep your goodies as cool as possible for best taste and texture.

2. Use a small kitchen appliance instead of the oven.

A standard oven puts off a lot of heat, forcing you to jack up the AC or sweat it out in the kitchen. Avoid the oven altogether by using a countertop appliance such as the air fryer, toaster oven, bread machine, slow cooker, waffle maker, pressure cooker, or panini press.

Yes! It’s true! You can “bake” some of your favorite summer dessert recipes in an alternative appliance. Case in point:

• My kids gobble down my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread made in the Instant Pot.
• Slow Cooker Chocolate Cheesecake is a top request at our house for summer birthdays.
• Panini Press French Toast is an easy, hands-free breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Think outside the box when you consider your small kitchen appliances. You can bake cake or cookie batter, as well as sweet and savory waffles in the waffle maker. Bake biscuits in the air fryer. Dust off the bread machine. Or use the toaster oven to bake a pie.

3. Chill out.

As mentioned earlier, hot temps can have an adverse effect on some of your baked goods.

Prepare to chill frosted desserts as well as cookie and pie doughs, and quite possibly yeast doughs to counteract the effect a hotter room temp can have on your recipe.

4. Choose recipes carefully.

In that vein, consider that summer might not be the best time for some of your favorite baking recipes. For instance, I often put my sourdough bread baking on hold during the hottest summer months as I find my sourdough starter to be a little more finicky in warmer weather.

I still use my starter in sourdough pizza, however, I grill pizza on the backyard BBQ. And remember that no-bake desserts like smores are pretty awesome substitutes.

Scroll down for some of our favorite summer baking recipes!

5. Always bake extra to freeze.

When you do bake, bake extra!  Summer is the time when fruits and vegetables are in abundance. Of course, we want to bake — think about Chocolate Zucchini Cake, the easiest Blueberry Crumble, or an all-summer Mixed Berry Pie.

We have to bake to enjoy these delicious fruit- and vegetable-based goodies!

So, make it worth your while! Be sure to bake in the cool of the day and then bake a lot at one time. Heat the oven once and get a lot out of the experience.

Bake double or triple batches, cool completely, and then wrap well for freezing. Using your freezer to store the excess will make it easy for you to enjoy baked goods all summer long as well as into the fall.

–> This list of Baked Goods to Make Ahead and Freeze is good in every season.

6. Try no-bake summer desserts.

There are so many delicious dessert recipes that can be made without baking altogether. Consider making ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, flavored whipped cream and fresh fruit, as well as other frozen treats like popsicles or homemade strawberry icebox cakes.

A stovetop doesn’t typically heat up the kitchen in the same way that an oven might. There are plenty of recipes that just use the stovetop for pulling together the ingredients that need to cook. Consider traditional cereal treats as well as Scotcharoo Bars and Coconut Millet Snack Bars.

Fancy things up by making Homemade Chocolate Pudding or Chocolate Parfaits. 

The crust for Nanna’s Toffee Dream comes together in a skillet. Crepes are a fun and delicious treat that can be sweet or savory — and an opportunity to try out buckwheat flour for truly authentic French fare.

During the summer, baking doesn’t need to go on hiatus. It can be easy and delicious without making you lose your cool. Just consider all the delicious possibilities!

FAQs

Foolproof Summer Baking Recipes

Zucchini Baked Goods

While not a fruit, zucchini is a prolific summer vegetable that goes perfectly in baked goods. It is delicious in cakes, waffles, muffins, and breads.

You can freeze shredded zucchini if you don’t want to bake right away, but it will be more watery after thawing. Be sure to squeeze it dry before adding to your baked goods. Learn how to freeze vegetables and fruits for later.

Berry Baked Goods

Summer is peak berry season! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and more all come in season throughout the summer.

Choose berries that are bright and shiny, without blemishes or bruises. Learn How to Store Berries of All Kinds so that they’ll stay fresh until you get baking. Remember, too, that they’re delicious served fresh in Berry Salad with Nuts & Coconut.

Stone Fruit Recipes

Summer stone fruits include plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries. These are excellent in pies, tarts, shortcakes, and cobblers. They also make great fresh toppings for cheesecake and no-bake recipes. Just pit and slice!

What to Bake in a Small Appliance

Surprisingly, there are several small appliances to “bake” desserts in, such as the bread machine, slow cooker, air fryer, pressure cooker, waffle iron, panini press, and toaster oven.

Dessert waffles are delicious topped with Sweet Cream Cheese and Lemon Sauce or even Homemade Chocolate Syrup.

More Summer Meal Planning Ideas

This post as originally published June 14, 2016. It has been updated for content and clarity.