Yummy

15 Delightful Summer Desserts For Your Memorial Day Cookout

Beat the heat with something sweet.

by Ashley Jones

There’s really nothing like a sweet treat to cap off a long, hot summer day. A batch of homemade ice cream on top of a heaping helping of cobbler is just heavenly after a day in the pool or at the beach. Need a bit of inspiration? This list of recipes and ideas is sure to make your summer sweeter. Whether you’re hosting a Memorial Day barbecue, heading out for a picnic, taking a dish to a cookout, or just craving something tasty, these summer desserts are the perfect way to wrap up a meal.

One major perk of summer — in terms of dessert-making, that is — is all of the fresh fruit that’s in season. All sorts of berries and melons, peaches, pineapples, and mangoes are all at their flavor peak and are usually pretty easy to come by in the summer months. Because of that, you’ll find plenty of fruit-forward desserts on this list. Oh, and lots of yummy lemon desserts, too. It’s such a bright and flavorful way to celebrate the summer season. From tangy lemon blueberry cupcakes to luscious s’mores bars, the summer season is the perfect time to whip up these delectable desserts that your whole family will enjoy.

1No-Bake Rosé Cheesecake

Is there anything that feels better on a hot summer day than sipping a cold glass of rosé? Well, if there is anything, it’s probably doing that while you also dig into the no-bake rosé cheesecake from Brown-Eyed Baker. The fresh fruit is encased in gelled rosé atop a fluffy cheesecake layer and a graham cracker crust. Just look at how pretty it is!

2Strawberry Marscapone Tart

The perfect way to use up a batch of ripe strawberries is by making this strawberry mascarpone tart from A Beautiful Plate. It’s easy to put together with a no-bake filling and holds up nicely in the fridge if you need to make it ahead of time. Topped with fresh mint and sliced almonds, it’s as delightful to look at as it is to eat.

3Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

There’s just something about the brightness of lemon flavor that makes it perfect for enjoying during the summer. These lemon blueberry cupcakes from Baked By Rachel are filled with creamy lemon curd and topped with fluffy blueberry buttercream frosting. They look so summery and vibrant.

4Blackberry Layer Cake

Throwing a summer wedding? Baby shower? Memorial Day picnic? Any occasion where you need a beautiful summer dessert, this blackberry layer cake from A Classic Twist is a fantastic choice to make. Homemade blackberry jam is the star of this dessert, nestled among layers of vanilla cake and blackberry buttercream.

5S’mores Bars

When you don’t have a campfire nearby, but get a hankering for some s’mores, this summer dessert recipe from Pinch of Yum will come in handy. These s’mores bars have a cookie dough base that bakes up nicely topped with layers of chocolate bars, peanut butter (surprise!), marshmallow creme, and crushed graham crackers.

6Limoncello Tiramisu

I have to be honest and say that I never knew limoncello tiramisu existed until I found this recipe from A Cozy Kitchen. Now that I know about it, this summer dessert will be in heavy rotation around my house from May through August. Ladyfingers dunked in limoncello liqueur with mascarpone and lemon curd just sounds like such a dreamy combination.

7Key Lime Parfait

There’s something about the way these little individual cups of key lime parfait from A Classic Twist are layered that makes me think about the beach. A light and refreshing summer dessert, the graham cracker crumble is sweetened with maple syrup and the layers of coconut yogurt and key lime mousse are topped with toasted coconut.

8Cantaloupe Popsicles

Using just three ingredients, these cantaloupe popsicles from Damn Delicious are basically summer on a stick. They’re refreshing, creamy, and look so pretty. Serve them poolside or add them to your Memorial Day cookout’s dessert lineup.

9Tres Leches Cake

The combination of cool creaminess and light, fruit freshness makes tres leches cake an ideal summer dessert. From Brown Eyed Baker, this chilled cake has a luscious mix of three kinds of milk that soaks into the sponge cake in a way that’s so satisfying and basically melts in your mouth.

10Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This strawberry rhubarb pie from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs is jam-packed with fresh seasonal fruit and bursting with flavor. The lattice top with bright red fruit peeking through is totally Instagramable and will look super summery in photos of your summertime get-togethers.

11Peach Cobbler

At the tip top of my personal list of favorite summer fruits is the humble peach. And there are not many things I can think of that are more satisfying at the end of a summer day than a scoop of vanilla ice cream atop fresh peach cobbler. With this recipe from Foodie Crush, you can achieve the ultimate comforting and classic summer dessert.

12Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Turn your summer upside down when you make this delicious and classic dessert. From Simply Scratch, this pineapple upside down cake recipe is made with a moist vanilla buttermilk cake that soaks up all of the juices from pineapple rings and maraschino cherries baked in brown sugar and butter.

13Blueberry Lemon Thyme Cake

How beautiful does this blueberry lemon thyme cake look? From Half-Baked Harvest, it’s actually easier to make than it looks. The recipe calls for both blueberry jam and fresh or frozen blueberries, but it also notes that you can use any berry that’s in season to make this cake that’s equal parts sweet and zesty.

14Grilled Peaches & Ginger Ice Cream

Peaches and cream is a classic flavor pairing that you can take to the next level this summer with this recipe for grilled peaches and ginger ice cream from A Spicy Perspective. It’s particularly great if you’re hosting a barbecue and you’ll already have the grill going. All you need to do is prep the ice cream ahead of time and get it out once the peaches hit the grill.

15Classic Cherry Pie

Is it really even summer if you don’t make at least one cherry pie? From A Cozy Kitchen, this classic recipe includes plenty of plump cherries in the filling, plus vanilla bean and brown sugar for extra sweetness.

You can enjoy delicious sweet treats all summer long when you make these decadent summer desserts, starting with that first Memorial Day cookout.