Baking with Summer Stone Fruit

From the plummy to the peachy, these are our favorite recipes for baking with the stone fruit of summer. Named for their hard pitted centers, stone fruits often represent our most beloved summer produce haul. Indulge in our deep-dish apricot and hazelnut tart, a cornmeal-flecked upside-down cherry cake, a spicy plum and ginger pie, and more. 

1. Peaches & Cream Cake

This three-tiered cake pairs one of summer’s beloved stone fruits with vanilla cake layers made fluffy by whipped cream folded into the batter. A Final veil of Vanilla Buttercream covers the peach-packed layers within.

2. Almond Plum Tart

Perfect for summer, this simple tart features a creamy almond filling studded with fresh plums and topped with an almond cream topping that bakes to golden perfection.

3. Peach Streusel Snack Cake

This spiced snack cake has it all: sweetness from the peaches, tang from the sour cream, and just the right amount of crunch from the Oat Streusel.

4. Washington Cherry Pie

Nothing compares to fresh cherry pie. This Washington Cherry Pie is simple and classic, sure to become a staple on your summer to-do list. This pie uses the recipe for Our Favorite Piecrust.

Photography by Matt Armedariz Recipe and Food Styling by Marian Cooper Cairns

5. Individual Plum Lavender Tarts 

For a range of colors and textures, we suggest using a variety of plums in these simple and fast puff pastry squares. (We like Damson, Victoria, or Satsuma.) Dress them up with our sour cream-lavender drizzle. The aromatic lavender adds floral undertones, while the sour cream cuts through the fruit’s sweetness.

Recipe Development Photography and Food Styling by Yossy Arefi

6. Apricot Hazelnut Crumb Tart 

This deep-dish Apricot and Hazelnut Crumb Tart is a true celebration of one of blogger and cookbook author Yossy Arefi’s very favorite fruits—the rosy-cheeked apricot. Apricots are one of those fruits that truly come alive with a bit of heat, and in this tart they are wrapped in a toasty and crunchy hazelnut crust and crumble. Use Blenheim apricots if they are available where you live—their honey sweet flavor just can’t be beat.

Cherry Crumb Cake

7. Cherry Crumb Cake

Ditch the extravagant garnishes and towering layers for this simple and sophisticated one-layer cake that is guaranteed to impress. With a layer of cherries baked beneath the Ginger-Lime Crumb Topping, our elevated take on the cherry-limeade cake (a summertime classic) is even more beautiful after you cut into it. You’ll get a juicy burst of cherry in every bite.

Georgia Peach Pie

8. Georgia Peach Pie 

Fresh peaches, buttery pie crust, and a straight-up bonkers streusel make this Georgia Peach Pie an absolute favorite. Don’t be surprised if serving a single slice elicits wild proclamations of undying love.  

Sweet Cherry Cornmeal Upside Cake sliced on white
Recipe Development Photography and Food Styling by Yossy Arefi

9. Sweet Cherry and Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake 

Upside-down cakes are one of the very best ways to use just about any seasonal fruit. Blogger and cookbook author, Yossy Arefi, offers a version with juicy sweet cherries and a light and fluffy cornmeal-flecked cake batter. This cake pairs well with just about any fruit—try peaches or nectarines later in the season. Don’t forget to serve it with a bit of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

10. Pistachio Apricot Cake

If a German apricot cake (Aprikosenkuchen) and a Sicilian pistachio cake did the tango, this jammy cake with creamy White Chocolate Ganache and fluffy pistachio frosting would be the result.

11. California Plum Pie 

Sweet and spicy, this California Plum Pie makes the most of summer’s stone fruit bounty. Ginger and black pepper add a subtle kick. Serve with ice cream for an extra special treat. 

Apricot Frangipane Tart

12. Apricot Frangipane Tart 

We love the extra crunchy texture almond flour lends to this not-too-sweet dessert’s crust. Smooth frangipane, an almond pastry cream, adds another nutty element, and is a great base for the fresh, juicy apricots in both taste and texture. 

Photography by Stephen DeVries

13. Cherry Clafoutis 

Years ago, when this recipe was first made, the cherry pits were left in the dish, giving an almond-like flavor when baked. For our variation, we replaced the pits with almond extract.

14. Almond-Browned Butter Plum Pie
 
If you are a crust addict, this Almond-Browned Butter Plum Pie is your dream come true. We added super-fine almond flour to the dough for subtle crunch—the perfect contrast to the juicy, sugared plum slices inside.

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