It’s summertime, and the heat makes us crave food that’s fresh and sweet. If you live in the city, then going to the beach or your usual summer retreats might be difficult given the quarantine. It is a good opportunity for you to either learn something new or practice what you already know. If you haven’t read our post on distractibaking yet, we recommend you do. Then, try your hand at making cakes for the summer.
What are Cakes for the Summer?
If you are wondering what a summer-themed cake is, it is basically a dessert that contains fruit. Cakes for the summer are typically healthy, fresh, and sweet. While we’re all familiar with Christmas fruitcakes, there are many other dessert recipes that list fruit as one of the main ingredients.
In Western countries, citrus fruits and berries are the most popular. The Philippines may not have much in terms of berries, but we have a lot of other fruits that are perfect for tropical weather. Bananas, mangoes, pineapple, watermelon, melon, dalandan, and the list goes on.
In this post we give you summer cake recipes from our archive. We are also going to list down a few tips for baking with fruit to help you out.
Tips for Baking with Fruit
Ready to start baking cakes for the summer? When it comes to using fruit, we recommend you read helpful tidbits of advice.
1. Use fruits that are in season.
The Philippines is lucky in that we have more several fruits that are in season during the summer months. Examples of these are mango, langka (jack fruit), melon, and pineapple. Plus, there are some that are available all throughout the year, and these include: banana, pomelo, and papaya.
Use what is in season because these are easier to find and so much fresher, which brings us to our next tip.
2. Choose fresh fruit over frozen ones.
The process of freezing fruit causes it to contain a larger amount of water. Using fresh fruit will give your summer-themed cake more flavor than those in the frozen section of your market or grocery. If you need to resort to using frozen fruit, make sure to thaw and drain properly.
3. Clean your fruit before use.
Nowadays, unless it says so in the packaging, fruit is grown with insecticides. It’s important to clean them before putting them into your cakes for summer. Rinse each piece in cold running water. There are cleansers specifically for fruits and vegetables that are available, but it’s better to invest in a scrub brush. Set it aside for this purpose only. Use it to remove stubborn dirt that doesn’t rinse off immediately.
4. Give your fruit a light coating of all-purpose flour.
Fruit that is coated with flour doesn’t sink to the bottom when you add them to your summer cake batter. We love using Maya Kitchen All-Purpose Flour for this. Go easy on the flour for this tip though. You only want a light dusting.
5. Cut fruit into small pieces.
Another way to prevent fruit from ending up at the very bottom of your cake batter is to cut it into small even pieces. Also, your summer cake or pie will cook evenly.
Cakes for the Summer from NewGen Baker
1. Double Decker Mini Mango Cake
This mini cake can be eaten in one go, so its best to bake a few. The great thing about this recipe is it’s made easy with MAYA Happy Mug Caramel Cake Mix, which you can cook in the microwave. Fresh slices of mango, caramel sauce, and a cream make this the perfect summer treat. Add some fresh mint leaves as garnish for a touch of freshness.
2. Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Who doesn’t associate lemonade with summer? Combined with strawberries this delicious lemon dessert is the ultimate summer-themed cake. Layers of strawberry filling, cake, and fresh strawberries make this hard to beat. Hurry and read the recipe!
In case you’re wondering, there are plenty of strawberry farms in Mountain Province, and March to May are the prime months to go on a picking spree. It’s likely your market or grocery will have some for sale. If not, thaw and drain your frozen ones properly because this recipe calls for lots of them.
3. Calamansi Con Leche Cupcake
Let’s not forget our favorite Filipino citrus fruit: calamansi. This recipe is one of our most unique cakes for the summer. The fact that it yields a dozen delicious cupcakes make it all the sweeter.
The cake itself uses calamansi juice, which makes it tart. A pleasing contrast to the sweetness of the dulce de leche cream topping.
We hope this post helps you create wonderful cakes for the summer for your family to enjoy. Let us know what your favorite one is by leaving a comment below.
