Food and Recipes Desserts 51 Ways to Turn Berries into a Spectacular Summer Dessert By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Nothing beats a bowl of fresh summer berries—that is, unless you have the idea to take those berries and make them into an irresistible dessert. Fresh berries are one of the truest treasures of Southern summers, and turning your farm stand finds into tasty treats is easier than you think. So if you get a little carried away at the market and end up with a basket of berries (or three), why not transform them into one of our most popular berry dessert recipes? From frozen desserts that are sure to cool you down, to baked berry-studded classics, like the quintessential Blackberry Cobbler, these fresh berry dessert ideas are sure to have everyone asking for seconds. Try some of our favorite combinations that rely on fresh berries, like blueberries and lemons or strawberries and cream, for a perfectly paired dessert. Back to the market! 01 of 51 Berry Chantilly Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Berry Chantilly Cake Fresh berries mix with cream cheese and mascarpone cheese for a smooth and creamy filling and frosting. 02 of 51 Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes These sweet cupcakes draw inspiration from one of summer's most refreshing drinks. Top them with fresh sliced strawberries. 03 of 51 Mascarpone Cheesecake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Mascarpone Cheesecake This no-bake masterpiece is bursting with summer flavor thanks to the abundance of berries added on to the frozen cheesecake. 04 of 51 Strawberry Tart Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Recipe: Strawberry Tart While it may look intimidatingly beautiful, anyone can create this tart, as it relies on the simple ingredients of flaky crust, ricotta, and fresh glazed strawberries. 05 of 51 Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake Jennifer Causey Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake Lemon and blueberry are flavors matched in heaven, and this stunning Bundt topped with a bright berry glaze does the duo justice. 06 of 51 Blueberry Snowballs Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Blueberry Snowballs Make this refreshing New Orleans favorite this summer. All you need is fresh blueberries, lemon juice, and granulated sugar. 07 of 51 Mixed Berry Slab Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Mixed Berry Slab Pie Feed a crowd without sacrificing any style with this slab pie that features raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. The trifecta. 08 of 51 Strawberry Brownies Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Kay E Clarke Recipe: Strawberry Brownies Get the best of both worlds with these fudgy treats made with fresh strawberries, brownie batter, and a no-bake chocolate topping. 09 of 51 Strawberry Cheesecake Salad Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Salad Add graham crackers and sliced strawberries to this cheesecake pudding. 10 of 51 Deep-Dish Berry Cobbler Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Deep-Dish Berry Cobbler Deep-dish means there is more for everyone—and this three-berry cobbler is too good to ration. Lattice crust makes it pretty as a picnic. 11 of 51 Strawberry Icebox Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Strawberry Icebox Cake Layers of store-bought chocolate wafer cookies, homemade whipped cream flavored with strawberry jam, and fresh strawberries create this towering masterpiece fit for a feast. 12 of 51 TennTucky Blackberry Cobbler Sundaes Jennifer Davick Recipe: TennTucky Blackberry Cobbler Sundaes Savor in-season blackberries in this cobbler-turned-sundae that's bursting with berry flavor and a caramel surprise. 13 of 51 Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake Perhaps one of our most popular summer cake recipes ever, this lemony strawberry layer cake is an absolute dream. 14 of 51 Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake This moist dessert mixes texture from medium-grind cornmeal with the sweet taste of fresh blueberries for the perfect summer cake combination. 15 of 51 Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Greg DuPree; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cool off with the ultimate frozen treat: strawberry ice cream. This recipe gets an extra twist by adding fluffy angel food cake to the mixture. 16 of 51 Blackberry Cobbler Southern Living Recipe: Blackberry Cobbler It's actually been proven that adding a scoop of ice cream helps classic blackberry cobbler straight from the oven cool down even more quickly. No burnt tongues here! 17 of 51 Blueberry-Orange Blossom Honey Slab Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Blueberry-Orange Blossom Honey Slab Pie Have you ever seen a prettier pie that also feeds 12 people? We thought not. Orange, honey, and blueberry make the freshest trio of flavors. 18 of 51 Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars Two different homemade berry purees jazz up the most perfectly creamy cheesecake and ensures it doesn't taste saccharinely sweet. 19 of 51 Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Recipe: Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp A slightly crunchy, crumbly topping is made even better by super tender, sweetened berries and peaches. Serve with ice cream. 20 of 51 Key Lime Slab Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Key Lime Slab Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream The strawberry-infused whipped cream that tops this tangy recipe is reason enough to make it—and the pretty pink color makes quite the centerpiece. 21 of 51 Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Raspberry-Almond Crumble Bars Gooey in parts, crumbly in others, these bars have all the sweet jammy flavor we could want in a summer bar cookie. 22 of 51 Chocolate Strawberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Chocolate Strawberry Cake This layer cake doesn't want you to have to choose between indulgent chocolate and fruity strawberry, which will eliminate a lot of dessert debates in any house. 23 of 51 Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars For the perfect balance between cookies and pies, choose this berry-studded bar dessert made with our Slow-Cooker Apple Butter. 24 of 51 Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars Rhubarb adds a zingy dose of tartness to sweet berry bars, and seeing the berries before you eat them just adds to the charm. 25 of 51 Blackberry-Oat Crumble Bars Photo: Helen Norman; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Recipe: Blackberry-Oat Crumble Bars Take your berry crumble on the road by turning it into a portable bar dessert with the perfect layer of homemade jammy filling. 26 of 51 Strawberry Cream Pie Iain Bagwell Recipe: Strawberry Cream Pie A chocolate cookie-crumb crust adds crunch to the French pastry cream and bright berries in this recipe. 27 of 51 Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes Cornmeal makes these shortbread cookies extra crunchy, while cream cheese is combined with whipped cream to make the smooth filling. 28 of 51 Triple Berry Sonker with Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Triple Berry Sonker with Dip All your favorite berries come together in this dessert that has ties to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. 29 of 51 Mixed Berry Cheesecake Cupcakes Photographer: Alison Miksch Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Recipe: Mixed Berry Cheesecake Cupcakes Top these cheesecake cupcakes with raspberries and blueberries, or whatever is fresh in your region. 30 of 51 Homemade Berry Pop Tarts Southern Living Recipe: Homemade Berry Pop Tarts These homemade pop tarts give store-bought ones a run for their money. All you'll need is pie crust, berry jam, and a frosting of your choice. 31 of 51 Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel The cornmeal crumble that tops these muffins provides the perfect crunch to match the sweetness of the berries. 32 of 51 Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Strawberries add a beautiful swirl to the middle of this rich pound cake. 33 of 51 Strawberry Lemonade Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Pie Frozen lemonade concentrate is the magic ingredient in this sweet and summery pie. 34 of 51 Blueberry Streusel Muffins Southern Living Recipe: Blueberry Streusel Muffins Blueberry muffins meet coffee cake in this wonderfully crumbly dessert. 35 of 51 Lemon Raspberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Lemon Raspberry Cake Fresh raspberries give this cake's frosting and filling bright color and flavor. 36 of 51 Blackberry Jam Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Blackberry Jam Cake Caramel cream cheese frosting balances out the sweet layered cake that's made with blackberry jam. 37 of 51 Strawberry Galette Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Recipe: Strawberry Galette This berry treat is similar to a strawberry pie, but without any of the fuss. The store-bought pie crust folds over the filling in this dish for extra crunch and security. 38 of 51 Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars A blueberry and lemon filling is sandwiched between buttery layers of crust. 39 of 51 Strawberry Vanilla Cake Sarah Epperson Recipe: Strawberry Vanilla Cake Chopped strawberries bring bright color to this elegant layered cake. 40 of 51 Blueberry-Orange-Ginger Cobblers Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Blueberry-Orange-Ginger Cobblers Blueberries, orange zest, and freshly grated ginger make an aromatic and filling cobbler. 41 of 51 Bakeshop Blueberry Muffins Southern Living Recipe: Bakeshop Blueberry Muffins Craving the buttery goodness of a bakery blueberry muffin? This recipe will help satisfy that craving within the hour. 42 of 51 Strawberry Dream Cake Greg Dupree Recipe: Strawberry Dream Cake With layers perfectly filled with upright strawberries, each bite of this cake is sure to be a delicious dream. 43 of 51 Mini Strawberry Tarts Greg Dupree Recipe: Mini Strawberry Tarts Top these tarts with fresh strawberries tossed in sugar for a hint of added sweetness. 44 of 51 Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie Hector Sanchez; Stylist: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie This no bake cheesecake is perfect for summer. After preparing each layer, be sure to let it freeze for a pretty, assembled look. 45 of 51 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake This easy sheet cake is a strawberry lover's dream with its pink layers and strawberry garnish on top. 46 of 51 Berry Bread Pudding Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Amy Burke Recipe: Berry Bread Pudding Pour raspberry sauce over this comforting dessert to add sweet berry flavor. 47 of 51 Berries and Bubbles Hector Sanchez Recipe: Berries and Bubbles Prosecco and club soda are key to making this congealed berry salad. 48 of 51 Mixed Berry Scones With Lemon Ginger Glaze Briana Riddock Recipe: Mixed Berry Scones With Lemon Ginger Glaze Lemon ginger glaze adds an extra tart sweetness to these berry scones, which are the perfect snack for any time of day. 49 of 51 Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake Photo: Alison Miksch Recipe: Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake Use vanilla-flavored cornmeal batter for a sweet balance in flavor. 50 of 51 Mile-High Mini Strawberry Pies Hector Sanchez Recipe: Mile-High Mini Strawberry Pies Our trick for perfect mini pies? While your first batch of pies bakes, chill your reserved crust rounds. After you've let the pan completely cool off, you can start your second batch. 51 of 51 Cakey Strawberry Cobbler Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Recipe: Cakey Strawberry Cobbler You'll always want to use cakey batter for your cobblers after seeing how beautifully it puffs up around fresh strawberries—oh, and how delicious it tastes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit