Our Favorite Retro Summer Baking Recipes

Summer is a season of pure deliciousness. The abundance is staggering—truckloads of freshly picked ears of corn, bushels of heirloom tomatoes, and pallet upon pallet of perfect fruit. The berries come first, led by strawberries and followed soon after by a parade of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Then come the stone fruit, cherries, peaches, and nectarines in shades of deep orange and red. It's an embarrassment of riches.

I frequently find myself overcome, promptly going into a trance at the farmers market or fruit stand and later awakening to find I've bought several pounds of juicy fruit without a plan. While I can eat plenty of it out-of-hand, even I can't consume the sheer amount of ripe fruit before it is past its prime. And that's simply not allowed—I will not let summer fruit go bad.

The solution: a little summer baking. Nothing so complicated as a homemade pie—I'm talking about back-pocket recipes that home cooks have relied on summer after summer, year after year, and some for hundreds of years. These recipes, from a sonker to a slump to a pandowdy, put the fruit front and center and lean into the ease of the season.

They've got funny names and are a little messy-looking, but that's part of their charm. Who can resist the jewel-toned juices, fluffy cakes, and crispy crusts? No one. Pair any of them with ice cream or whipped cream and serve at your next cookout or family dinner for the perfect end to a summer's day.

Strawberry Sonker

This recipe comes courtesy of Senior Editor Meg Scott. She shares, "My mother’s side of the family hails from Surry County, North Carolina, home to Mt. Airy, which inspired the fictional town of Mayberry in “The Andy Griffith Show.” Apart from the beloved TV show, the town’s other claim to fame is a highly regional rustic fruit dessert: the sonker."

Packed with fresh strawberries for a super juicy, rustic dessert, it takes just a few minutes and a short list of ingredients to whip up.

Berry Buckle

No matter what berries you have, you can put them to good use by making this moist, fluffy, and super fruity berry buckle. "This berry buckle is tender and buttery and ideal for breakfast or dessert—or just for snacking on throughout the day. The best part of this simple cake is how it’s loaded with berries in every bite," says recipe developer Stephanie Loo.

Not only can you use any berries—whether a single type or a mix—you can use a few different pans, too. Its adaptability is just right for lazy summer.

Blackberry Slump

Slumps are old-fashioned fruit desserts made entirely on the stovetop. Instead of adding a topping and baking, as you would with a cobbler, the batter goes on top of bubbling blueberries, followed by the lid. Steaming the dessert means you don't have to turn on the oven, something I flat-out refuse to do at peak summertime.

Author and Simply Recipes founder Elise Bauer sums it up: "Soft, fluffy dumplings, bathed in sweet, tart, ruby berries, and doused with cream. Sigh."

Peach and Raspberry Pandowdy

In my book, there are fewer combinations as delicious as peaches and raspberries. That's why I combined them in this delectable pandowdy recipe. A pandowdy is a retro dessert consisting of a fruit filling and a single pie crust on top. The crust is either added in pieces or cracked after baking for a rustic look.

Sorry to quote myself, but in case you need more encouragement: "Made with an incredibly simple fruit filling topped with a single pie crust, [pandowdy] is pie light. You still get the deliciously sweet and tart filling and flaky crust with half the work and clean-up."

Blueberry Grunt

A slump by any other name is a grunt. The two dishes are basically identical, only separated by their regional names. This recipe utilizes fresh blueberries for its juicy filling, which bubbles underneath mounds of buttermilk dumplings.

Recipe developer Cynthia Christensen recommends turning on your broiler for a quick upgrade: "When they are done on the stovetop, I like to brush the biscuits with a little more buttermilk and give them a sprinkle of sugar. Then I place the whole pot under the broiler for a few minutes, giving them a golden brown crisp that is positively joyful!"

Peach Brown Betty

"When it comes to fruit desserts, I find myself drawn to quick and easy options. I want something that lets the natural flavor of the fruit shine, with a few additional ingredients that not only enhance the flavor but contribute interesting texture as well. A peach brown betty checks all of those boxes," says recipe developer Molly Allen.

A brown betty is one of those clever desserts that will make you smack your forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?" The flavors and textures resemble a crumble, but the topping is made with stale bread. It's a clever, old-school (as in 200 years old) way of repurposing ingredients into something new and truly special.

Sweet Cherry Cobbler

Recipe developer Cindy Rahe has fond memories of picking cherries and making cobbler with her grandmother: "Like my grandma, I also love cobbler in the summer because it satisfies the urge for a dessert with a bubbling fruit filling and buttery, biscuit-like topping. Although I sadly don’t have my grandmother’s recipe, I love making this cobbler with summer cherries because it’s hands-down the seasonal fruit I look forward to most."

Celebrate cherry season by making this easy cherry cobbler, loaded up with sweet cherries and topped with a lightly crisp and fluffy topping.

Easy Peach Dumplings

It takes just five ingredients to make these easy peach dumplings. They satisfy my craving for a warm, buttery, almost caramelly peach dessert during the peak of stone fruit season. The magic ingredient that makes this recipe possible is frozen puff pastry. Thawed and cut into nine squares, each piece is stuffed with peach slices and coated in a brown sugar, butter, and peach juice sauce.

Take it from me: "The result is a dessert that’s easy to make, full of delicious textures and flavors, and requires just five ingredients. It’s my new summer favorite!" Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream for a real treat.