On a hot summer day, the oven normally stays off in my kitchen. If possible. It can get really hot in my apartment and adding more heat from an oven would be just too much ;) No-bake cakes are a great option on days like that. Normally pretty easy to prepare and made mostly by the fridge. Even though those fridge cakes are the easiest way to get something sweet, there is much more to make in summer. To show you what I like the most, I put a list together with my Top 10 recipes for summer ;)
Summertime means fresh fruits and berries from the farmers market. Finally you can get everything from local farmers – even supermarkets now offer mostly locally grown veggies, fruits and stuff instead of products that have been traveling around the globe to end up in your shopping cart ;) For me personally, there is nothing better than seeing the first local grown strawberries or raspberries on the farmers market. So good! Finally, time to make all those summer cakes! Well… one ingredient is definitely not from local farms around Berlin, but still one of my favorites in summer: coconut! ;) Well… let’s see how global warming is changing our nature here – maybe in 10 years, we can grow coconut trees in our backyards :/
Anyway. I don’t want to turn this article into a global warming discussion – I wanted to show you my favorite recipes for summer, so let’s get started ;)
1. No-Bake Greek Yogurt Berry Cake
When summer finally arrives with some hot days, turning on the oven is something I try to avoid in my kitchen under the roof. It’s already 40°C hot in there and adding some more heat with a running oven is not a good idea. Fortunately, you can still “bake” a cake by not baking it but cooling it in the fridge in case you want something sweet. This No-Bake Greek Yogurt Berry Cake is a perfect specimen of that type of “bake” ;) Delicious and very refreshing on a hot summer day!
2. Blueberry Lemon Cake with Buttercream Flowers
This Blueberry Lemon Cake with all those flowers is definitely a showstopper – no matter if it’s summer or winter. The combination of the blueberries and lemon makes this cake a total winner for me – not only because of the looks ;) The only disadvantage a cake like this one here has… you need to cool it. The cake will not survive very long on a hot and sunny day outside. So keep it cool – tastes better anyway fresh from the fridge ;)
3. Buttermilk Coconut Pound Cake
Coconut is definitely a popular ingredient for any summer dessert. There are so many things you can do with coconut milk and/or coconut flakes, for example. In combination with buttermilk, you can get a nice cake like this delicious pound cake – they work so well together. The buttermilk makes the cake light and fluffy – exactly what you want in summer, right? ;)
4. Raspberry Curd Cheese Cakes
Here in Germany, you can get cakes like this Raspberry Curd Cheese Cake in basically every bakery, this kind of cake is pretty popular – not only with raspberries. The cake needs a bit more attention than other cakes but every minute working on it is definitely worth it. I am pretty sure you will love the result as much as I do. Cooled is this cake really refreshing in summer.
If you are looking for an easy peasy cake you should definitely try this one here. An Eton Mess Cake is exactly what the name implies – a mess, but an easy to archive mess ;) Easy cake layers and a whipped cream topping with some fruits, berries, and meringue. If you don’t want to make a whole cake, you can take a look at the dessert version of this recipe made in glass jars. Also very nice ;)
When I started baking I was not a big fan of cake rolls. The first couple ones I made were not really a success. The cake layer breaks easily when rolling it up or the filling sometimes spills out everywhere… it took a while for me to master cake rolls ;) Now I like making them because they are so light and you can make them in so many ways and decorate them nicely… you get the picture ;) This Raspberry Cake Roll should be easy to make even for beginners – so get your berries ready!
Cheesecake and coconut go really well together. If you also add some alcohol you got a winner in summer. At last in my opinion. This No-Bake Coconut Cheesecake needs no oven, just a nice and cool fridge. The rest is just waiting… well maybe some mixing before. But not much though ;)
8. Summer Pavlova with Fruits & Berries
Since I have to be careful when it comes to sugar, a pavlova is basically off-limits. Too much sugar. That does not mean you can’t eat it ;) I think you should definitely make this Pavlova someday. It’s delicious and a nice sweet treat in summer. All the berries on top, the whipped cream, and the meringue… maybe it’s ok if I have just one spoon to try? ;)
9. Orange Blossom Rice Pudding Cake with Fresh Berries
Do you like rice pudding? If your answer is yes, you will love this cake! Turning a regular rice pudding into a rice pudding cake is basically the best thing that can happen to an ordinary rice pudding ;P On top it is super refreshing in summer – straight from the fridge with some fresh berries on top – delicious!
10. Polenta Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Fresh Figs
How about a nice and easy cake with fresh figs in summer?! I am pretty sure you will love it! A delicious polenta cake topped with mascarpone cream and loads of fresh figs… it’s just awesome! Unfortunately, we get nice looking figs only for a short period of time here in Berlin, so every time I see them, they all end up in my shopping basket… to make a cake like this one ;)
Well… even though it’s all about cakes, there is so much more. Summer is also the time for pies! You might think of baked pies, but you can also make some awesome pies in your fridge. Here are some of my favorites as a little bonus for you. Since you made it up until here, you deserve even more :P
11. Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie
Coconut does not only work well in cakes – it’s also a great ingredient for a nice summer pie. Together with some chocolate and Oreo cookies you can make this delicious Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie. No need to turn on the oven, it’s all done in the fridge! A creamy delicious heavenly pie. Really ;)
OK, this one here does not work without an oven, but it is definitely worth the extra heat in the kitchen: The Best Key Lime Pie *EVER* ;) It really is the best one! One of the best things the Florida Keys have to offer besides the sun, the ocean, the great seafood, the friendly people, the sun…oh I got that one already ;P Well… you should try, it is really delicious! Even without original Key limes.
13. Vegan Coconut Banana Cream Pie
Last but not least – another dessert with coconut, but this one here es vegan. The Coconut Banana Cream Pie is one of my favorite vegan bakes of all times. So creamy, so full of flavors and soooo delicious! Caribbean vibes in your kitchen. If you been there, you know what I mean ;)
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
