Food and Recipes Fruits 20 Of Grandma's Famous Fruit Desserts Join us as we revisit some of the family matriarch's greatest hits. By Mary Alice Russell Mary Alice Russell Mary Alice Russell is a Southern Living fellow who is starting her career in lifestyle journalism. Primarily focused on social media and digital production, Mary Alice is excited to hone her skills and dedicate her professional life to beautiful things, from homes to hearts.A recent graduate of Washington and Lee University, Mary Alice majored in journalism and art history. At W&L, she was co-editor-in-chief of her school paper, The Ring-tum Phi, with her best friend and interned for The Welcome Home Podcast. Now based in Birmingham, Alabama, Mary Alice is a Virginia native who is proud to hail from the land of ham and peanuts. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 19, 2024 Close Photo: Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox From dump cakes and cobblers to pies and cakes, Grandma certainly loved her fruit-studded treats, and so do we. All of these recipes are delicious served à la mode or with a generous helping of homemade whipped cream, only if you can manage to get them on to a plate before stealing a bite! These Southern classics are so irresistible, we plan on taking some forkfuls out of the pan, just like Grandma did. 20 Of Grandma's Most Memorable Summer Desserts 01 of 20 Strawberry Dump Cake Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox We have to say, Grandma was onto something with her strawberry pie filling obsession. We love this cake for many reasons, but its simplicity cannot be beat. It comes together with a few of the store-bought favorites that the family matriarch seemed to always have on hand. Strawberry Dump Cake 02 of 20 Cherry Delight Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas For summer parties and potlucks, particularly during the 4th of July season, Cherry Delight is just what your celebration needs. It's sure to have friends and family requesting the recipe, just like Grandma's been asked a dozen times. Get The Recipe 03 of 20 Banana Snack Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Grandma always approved of eating cake for breakfast, and Banana Snack Cake is the perfect one to enjoy early in the morning. This simple cake will have everyone at the table requesting seconds. Get The Recipe 04 of 20 Easy Peach Pie Ann Taylor Pittman/Southern Living Grandma had a knack for always finding the sweetest peaches at the farmer's market, and this simple pie puts them on full display. Truly, the hardest part of this recipe will be tracking down fruit worthy of your grandmother's kitchen. Get The Recipe 05 of 20 Stone Fruit Lattice Slab Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen To feed a hungry crowd during the summer, a slab pie is the perfect way to show off stone fruit at its finest. The best part is that the recipe comes together in just four steps. Get The Recipe 06 of 20 Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Enjoy making this fluffy, delicious cake year-round by keeping some blueberries in your freezer. For the freshest fruit, pick some up from your favorite farmers' market, sort through your berries and freeze them on a cookie sheet before transferring them to an airtight container. Get The Recipe 07 of 20 Lemon Lush Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Grandma loved to make impressive desserts, but only she knew the smart shortcuts she took to dazzle the crowd and pull off a complete luncheon spread. In this retro favorite, the cookie crust and cheesecake-like filling come together in a snap. Get The Recipe 08 of 20 Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Pantry staples and fresh strawberries combine to make this sweet, spring cake. The cheesecake like consistency makes this a conversation starter at any picnic or luncheon. Get The Recipe 09 of 20 Triple Berry Sonker With Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones In a baking rut? This Triple Berry Sonker is sure to pull you out of it! The homemade dip and trio of fresh berries are hard to pass up. Get The Recipe 10 of 20 Peach Custard Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Grandma taught us how to make many classic pies, but in the summer months, it's hard to beat a Peach Custard Pie. This recipe's most important ingredient? Patience. Let the dessert cool at least two hours before serving so that it has time to completely firm up. Get The Recipe 11 of 20 Strawberry Trifle Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Fresh summer strawberries are truly celebrated to their full potential in this pretty trifle recipe. We love that it comes together in just 30 minutes. Get The Recipe 12 of 20 Best-Ever Lemon Meringue Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox We don't use the title Best-Ever Lemon Meringue Pie lightly. Follow Grandma's lead and delight your crowd with a slice of cool, creamy citrus-flavored pie. Get The Recipe 13 of 20 Classic Strawberry Shortcake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox We add sugar to the top of buttermilk biscuits to make the most lovely homemade shortcakes. Top with macerated strawberries and whipped cream right before serving. Get The Recipe 14 of 20 Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox If you're looking to replicate Grandma's famous banana pudding for your next potluck, this recipe is your ticket. If the sky-high meringue doesn't assure you, one bite of the creamy pudding will. Get The Recipe 15 of 20 No-Bake Strawberry Pie Joy Howard This is the most searched no-bake recipe in the South, and for very good reason. The combination of graham crackers, cream cheese and fruit is like nostalgia in a pie. Get The Recipe 16 of 20 Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Micah A. Leal Pineapple cakes are a favorite of grandmas everywhere, but one bite and this easy dump-and-bake dessert may just push the classic upside-down version out of the top spot. Get The Recipe 17 of 20 Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff When the dog days of summer have arrived and you can't bear to turn on the oven, take a tip from Grandma and make an icebox cake. Made with fresh strawberries and sweet banana slices, this pretty dessert doesn't even require a preheat. Get The Recipe 18 of 20 Coconut Cream Pie Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless It doesn't get much more retro or classic Grandma than Coconut Cream Pie. Make sure to put on the whipped cream right before serving to make for a pretty presentation any time. Get The Recipe 19 of 20 Strawberry Dream Cake Strawberry Ice-Cream Sandwiches As the name implies, we'll be dreaming about this cake for months or years after you've taken a bite. What makes it so divine is the Dreamy Whipped Frosting with mascarpone. Get The Recipe 20 of 20 Muscadine Dumplings Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Grandma loves her muscadines. She also loves sharing them in creative ways with family and friends. This recipe has a teder, lemony flavor and a cakey bottom making this a treat that everyone will love. get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit