These luscious desserts will have your family coming back for seconds.
Fruity desserts are one of the flavors of summer. When you’re headed to a barbecue, church homecoming potluck, or a big family dinner, dessert is a must. Add a little fruit, and those desserts automatically become lighter, fresher, and maybe even healthier. This month, we have three new fruity desserts for you to enjoy.
Blueberry Buckle
Contributed by Jessica Howard – “A buckle is a coffee-cake, nearly always made with blueberries, and topped with a deliciously decadent streusel. The buckle gets its name from its streusel topping, which ‘buckles’ in the oven while it’s baking.”
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
Batter
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup shortening
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries, washed and dry
Topping
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¹⁄³ cup flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter, slightly softened, cut in pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside. In a larger bowl, cream together the white sugar and shortening, then beat in the eggs and milk until mixture is smooth. Gradually stir in the flour until mixture is smooth. Gently fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into a greased, 9-inch square pan.
Kitchen Tips
Instead of a 9-inch pan, you can use two loaf pans. After baking, you can freeze for another day!
Banana Pudding Cake
Contributed by Melissa Laseter – “I like to freeze old bananas so I can make a cake like this or a loaf of banana bread whenever I want. I let them thaw on their own, or you can microwave them a bit to soften.”
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
15.25-ounce box yellow or butter-yellow cake mix
3.4-ounce package Banana Cream instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup water
¼ cup olive oil
Glaze Ingredients
Water
Powdered Sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan (or use a cooking spray with flour). Mix dry cake mix and pudding mix. Add eggs, water, and oil. Fold in bananas gently. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Kitchen Tips
If you don’t have a Bundt pan, a 9 x 13 baking dish will work. Decrease baking time slightly, to about 30 minutes.
Strawberry Trifle
Contributed by Carolyn Gregory – “This is easy to convert to a sugar-free dessert by using sugar-free ingredients. I’ve made it using a variety of fruits, such as bananas and blueberries. Once I made a trifle using fresh pineapple and kiwi. It’s a beautiful dessert!”
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
1 Angel Food cake, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 quarts fresh strawberries, capped and sliced
2 3.4-ounce boxes French Vanilla instant pudding mix
4 cups milk
8 ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
Using a mixer, combine pudding and milk. Blend until smooth. Fold in whipped topping, mixing until creamy. Set aside. Place half of cake pieces into a trifle dish. Top with half of the strawberry slices. Pour half of pudding mixture over berries. Repeat layers. Garnish with fresh strawberries.
Kitchen Tips
This is still just as delicious in a regular serving bowl, but a see-through trifle dish makes it beautiful to look at, too. For an extra-special presentation or serving ease, divide ingredients into mason jars for individual servings.
Pantry List
Blueberry Buckle
baking powder, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, eggs, flour, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, milk, salt, shortening, sugar
Banana Pudding Cake
eggs, olive oil, powdered sugar
Strawberry Trifle
milk
Shopping List
Blueberry Buckle
blueberries
Banana Pudding Cake
Banana Cream instant pudding mix, bananas, yellow cake mix
Strawberry Trifle
Angel Food cake, French Vanilla pudding mixes, frozen whipped topping, strawberries
This article originally appeared in HomeLife Magazine. HomeLife is looking for family-friendly, budget-conscious, original recipes from readers like you. Simply email us your recipe, name and contact info to homelife@lifeway.com. We will pay $25 for each recipe that is printed. We regret that mailed submissions cannot be accepted. Recipes become the property of HomeLife and may be edited prior to publication. Share your recipe with HomeLife!