Food and Recipes Desserts Beat the Heat With Our Best-Ever Summer Cakes and Pies By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Jennifer Davick Cakes and pies for the summer should be made with all the fresh fruits that the season brings, so these recipes include strawberries, peaches, blueberries, plums and more summery fruits you'll have on hand anyway. Of course, a summer dessert menu wouldn't be complete without some lemon and key lime options, which you'll find here as well. Summertime is also perfect for incorporating your favorite refreshing drinks into your dessert recipes. For those of you who aren't crazy about fruity or citrusy desserts, there are peanut butter, mocha, and chocolate options on this list, too. We've gathered our favorite and easiest summer cakes and pies recipes that will keep your sweet tooth satisfied without spending hours in the kitchen. Cool down on a hot summer day with an ice cream cake the kids will love, or throw together an easy no-bake cake or pie for a last-minute party or picnic with our best summer cake and pie recipes. 01 of 37 S'mores Pie Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: S'mores Pie You don't need a fire to get the flavors of this summer sweet. 02 of 37 Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake This summer dessert looks like a classic Southern pound cake from the outside, but the real reason for its name is revealed when you cut into it. 03 of 37 Key Lime Pound Cake Jen Causey Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake The classic, Southern-favorite pound cake gets an infusion of tropical flavor in this recipe for our best-ever Key Lime Pound Cake. 04 of 37 Georgia Peanut Pie With Coca-Cola Glaze Southern Living Recipe: Georgia Peanut Pie With Coca-Cola Glaze Peanuts and Coca-Cola are a classic Southern combo and we love them in this decadent pie. 05 of 37 Strawberry Lemonade Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Pie This pie is a masterpiece with a strawberry swirl top. 06 of 37 Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Layers of ice cream and ice cream sandwiches are topped with rich and creamy whipped cream for this no-bake dessert. 07 of 37 Pineapple-Ginger Upside-Down Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Pineapple-Ginger Upside-Down Cake This recipe calls for twice the amount of pineapple in a normal upside-down cake and has ginger for added flavor. 08 of 37 Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake This recipe may just be the easiest way to make strawberry shortcake. 09 of 37 Watermelon Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Watermelon Pie Use fresh summer melon for this bright and tasty pie. 10 of 37 Plum Cake Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf Recipe: Plum Cake The baked plums in this cake become jammy and soft while the sliced almonds on top add a nice crunch. 11 of 37 Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake We made the upside-down cake even more summery with the substitution of peaches for pineapples. 12 of 37 Peanut Butter Pie Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Recipe: Peanut Butter Pie This pie is not too sweet and not too salty, but definitely hits the spot. 13 of 37 Charlotte Russe Cake Micah Leal Recipe: Charlotte Russe Cake You don't have to turn the oven on to make this tangy and sweet cake. 14 of 37 No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hilegas Recipe: No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie Cool and creamy, this citrus pie tastes absolutely refreshing. 15 of 37 Nehi Orange Poke Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Nehi Orange Poke Cake Orange-flavored soda is the star in this easy poke cake. 16 of 37 Lemon Raspberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Lemon Raspberry Cake This light and tender layer cake is full of fresh summer flavor. 17 of 37 Lemon Loaf Cake Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Lemon Loaf Cake This light and refreshing cake is so good it can be served any time of the day. 18 of 37 Fresh Mint-Chocolate Pie Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Fresh Mint-Chocolate Pie If you love mint chip ice cream, you'll think this pie is absolutely dreamy. 19 of 37 Blueberry-Honey Upside Down Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Blueberry-Honey Upside Down Cake This buttery, dense cake is complemented by the gooey blueberry and honey jam. 20 of 37 Sweet Tea Bundt Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Sweet Tea Bundt Cake Steep tea in the milk used to make this Bundt cake and then brush with a sweet tea syrup once baked for maximum flavor. 21 of 37 Margarita Cake Southern Living Recipe: Margarita Cake Stretch happy hour to dessert with this cocktail-inspired cake. 22 of 37 Florida Orange Grove Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Recipe: Florida Orange Grove Pie The crust on this old-timey pie is made with baked meringue instead of pastry. 23 of 37 Banana Pudding Poke Cake Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Banana Pudding Poke Cake Using oil instead of butter in this recipe keeps the cake soft and moist. 24 of 37 Strawberry-Lemonade Cake Jen Causey Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Cake Tangy strawberry-lemonade jam is spread between tender lemon cake layers and topped with a strawberry frosting. 25 of 37 Kool Aid Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Kool Aid Pie This vibrant pie is inspired by a favorite childhood drink. 26 of 37 No-Bake Banana Split Pie Photographer and props: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: No-Bake Banana Split Pie This pie is the ultimate banana split sundae. 27 of 37 Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake This sheet cake takes the flavors of our favorite summer drink and turns it into a delicious dessert. 28 of 37 Mixed Stone Fruit Pie Alison Miksch Recipe: Mixed Stone Fruit Pie Mixed fruit sits in a crispy crust in this summertime pie. 29 of 37 Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler Jennifer Davick Recipe: Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler Pick out your favorite fresh summer berries for this dish (we used a combo of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries) and top or layer with homemade cream cheese ice cream — or the vanilla ice cream you have in the freezer, if the cobbler was enough cooking for one day. 30 of 37 Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie Jennifer Davick Recipe: Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie A homemade vanilla wafer crust, homemade lemon curd filling and homemade meringue topping will make this pie the furthest thing from store-bought at the potluck. 31 of 37 Key Lime Icebox Cake Photo: Hector M Sanchez; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck; Food Stylist: Vanessa Rocchio Recipe: Key Lime Icebox Cake This cake is so pretty, no one will have any idea it was no-bake. A tip from our kitchen: Add the lime juice once you've fully cooked the custard to let the cornstarch thicken the mixture properly. 32 of 37 Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Cake If you're craving minty chocolate chip ice cream, step it up to an ice-cream cake made with devil's food cake and topped with rich chocolate ganache. 33 of 37 Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie PHOTO: HECTOR SANCHEZ Recipe: Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie This no-bake pie made with homemade blueberry-cheesecake ice cream looks beautiful topped with fresh-from-the-market blackberries and blueberries. 34 of 37 Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie For the one who loves peanut butter-banana everything, this icebox pie is both rich and airy. 35 of 37 Key Lime Ice-Cream Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Key Lime Ice-Cream Pie We can't get enough of tangy key lime in the summer, and this ice-cream pie is a cool twist on the classic key lime pie you know and love. 36 of 37 Whiskey Pie with Tipsy Berries Hector Sanchez Recipe: Whiskey Pie with Tipsy Berries This whiskey pie with summer tipsy berries is the boozy dessert you need at your summer party. 37 of 37 Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie Jennifer Davick Recipe: Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie Satisfy both your sweet tooth and salty cravings with this refreshing summer pie. 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