Food and Recipes Desserts 20 Of Grandma's Most Memorable Summer Desserts Guarantee a delicious season with these recipes. By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital 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. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 24, 2024 Close Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Just like some people swap their bedding with the changing seasons, we rotate our recipes as well. Not only do we showcase the freshest produce, but we also utilize certain cooking methods more during certain times of the year. When we need new recipe inspiration, the first person we turn to is Grandma. This time around, we’re revisiting Grandma’s favorite summer desserts. From juicy fruit cobblers to no-bake icebox cakes, these vintage dessert recipes will delight at every summer event. 8 Of Our Editors' Favorite Summer Recipes 01 of 20 Fresh Peach Cobbler Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman There is no dessert that screams old-fashioned summertime quite like peach cobbler. This simple version that comes together with pantry staples tastes just like Grandma’s. Get The Recipe 02 of 20 Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Some of Grandma’s recipes take a practiced hand in the kitchen to master, but old-school dump cake recipes are literally foolproof. This sweet confection gained only five-star reviews, including one that says: “I made this yesterday and it was delicious! Now I have the whole pan to myself and will probably eat some every night for the next 2 weeks, but I'm not complaining!” Get The Recipe 03 of 20 Best-Ever Lemon Meringue Pie Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox We prefer our meringue “Mile-High” for the prettiest slices of this cool and classic pie. We can’t resist a warm cup of coffee or tea with this beautiful confection. Get The Recipe 04 of 20 Classic Strawberry Shortcake Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox These pretty little shortcakes are a delight to make and enjoy—the perfect way to spend an afternoon with Grandma! Our Test Kitchen recommends using pure vanilla to make the whipped cream extra rich. Get The Recipe 05 of 20 Blueberry Crumb Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle If you’re craving a dessert that showcases summer fruit but aren’t in the mood for a cobbler or crisp, try a crumb cake! This recipe would be delicious served at brunch as easily as after supper. Get The Recipe 06 of 20 Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Southerners know that the word “salad” doesn’t always mean a bed of greens with toppings and dressings. Sometimes, like with this nostalgic strawberry-pretzel combo, it can even be served at desert! Get The Recipe 07 of 20 Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Grandma would never dream of using instant pudding, so she’d approve of this from-scratch recipe. The toasty meringue topping makes it beautiful enough for the holiday sideboard. Get The Recipe 08 of 20 Strawberry-Vanilla Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell This simple cake, studded with fresh strawberries and homemade. buttercream, is a lovely centerpiece for a luncheon with Grandma. Get The Recipe 09 of 20 Lemon Lush Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell This layered, no-bake dessert is one Grandma remembers well. The hardest part is waiting for each layer to set so that the end result has beautifully defined layers. Get The Recipe 10 of 20 Triple Berry Sonker With Dip Photographer: Victor Protasio Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones This unique summer dessert is a must-try if Grandma loves cobbler. “Sonker was delicious and the crust was flaky/chewy, which was really nice on the warm berries,” wrote a five-star reviewer. “The dip... how fun! A cross between vanilla pudding and frosting, it was really good!” Get The Recipe 11 of 20 Atlantic Beach Pie CREDIT: GREG DUPREE; FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS We dubbed this sunny citrus recipe the easiest pie ever, and you have to try it for yourself to see why. “This pie is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. If you like key lime pie and lemon pie, this is a marriage of the two,” wrote one reviewer. “Going in my permanent collection for summer desserts!” Get The Recipe 12 of 20 Éclair Cake Molly Bolton/Southern Living “For me, the best thing about this cake is that it's a no-bake dessert,” writes Associate Editorial Director Kimberly Holland. “It's also fast—from start to finish, you're only going to need about 30 minutes. But then comes the hard part: the waiting.” Get The Recipe 13 of 20 Bisquick Blackberry Cobbler Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless While cobblers with a lattice crust looks professional, but we used a shortcut to make this cobbler it quick and easy for busy hosts. Don’t forget the whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving! Get The Recipe 14 of 20 Old-Fashioned Pound Cake Southern Living We might as well call this recipe “Old Faithful.” There is no occasion morning, noon, or night, that a pound cake isn’t an appropriate dessert. Add fresh summer fruit like peaches or berries on top, and you’ve made Grandma proud. Get The Recipe 15 of 20 Classic Chess Pie Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Sure, Classic Chess Pie can be served year round. But there’s something special about enjoying a slice with fresh summer berries from Grandma’s garden on top. Get The Recipe 16 of 20 Peach Fried Pies Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox These yummy treats start with a store-bought shortcut, canned biscuits, which make them a breeze to prepare. Pack up a batch for the church potluck or a summer picnic. Get The Recipe 17 of 20 Chocolate Delight Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely This layered beauty goes by many names around the South. Whatever you call it, there’s no denying it’s a total delight, and plenty of five-star reviewers agree. Get The Recipe 18 of 20 Charlotte Russe Cake Micah Leal This no-bake cake is an absolute stunner for a spring or summer gathering. This vintage cake “offers all of the decadence and indulgence of what you would think when you think of French pastry, but with the added benefit that you don’t even have to turn on your oven,” says recipe developer Micah Leal. Get The Recipe 19 of 20 Chocolate Icebox Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke This recipe from our 1972 Southern Living Party Cookbook is just as popular today. It can be prepared one day in advance and left to chill in the fridge, but wait until before serving to top it with whipped cream. Get The Recipe 20 of 20 7UP Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Old-fashioned soda cakes probably take up several pages of Grandma’s recipe book. This bright Bundt cake topped with sugared lemon and lime zest screams summer. Get The Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit