The 13 best recipes to bake in August
Recipes to savor summer’s sweetest days.
Date
August 1, 2025
August calls for recipes that celebrate summer’s final stretch, from juicy stone fruits to peak-season tomatoes. Whether you’re baking a fudgy zucchini cake, whipping up a no-churn ice cream with the kids, or making a golden cobbler for backyard dinners, these recipes capture the flavors and fun of late summer. Here’s what to bake this month.
1) Brown Sugar and Oat Fig Bars
Hearty oats, caramelly brown sugar, and naturally sweet figs make these bars an ideal grab-and-go treat. They’re no-fuss and come together in no time, but you can also freeze a batch to have ready for easy snacking. You can use jarred fig jam in place of dried figs, like this one from Blake Hill Farm — just check the tip at the bottom of the recipe page for details.
Get the recipe: Brown Sugar and Oat Fig Bars
To make this, you'll need: Rolled Oats
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Berry Easy Jam Bars, Raspberry Frangipane Bars
2) Chocolate Zucchini Cake
When you've baked enough zucchini bread but are still looking for creative ways to use up a glut of this green vegetable, switch things up with this cake. It uses three whole cups of zucchini, yet you'd never know there was anything but chocolate in this ultra-moist, fudgy cake. The zucchini ensures a tender crumb — think banana bread meets carrot cake — while the cocoa powder and espresso powder guarantee robust chocolate flavor.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Cake
To make this, you'll need: Triple Cocoa Blend and Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Tahini Praline-y Zucchini Cake
3) Just Peachy Peach Muffins
Put your summer-ripe peaches to good use in these sugar-crusted muffins, which pair the fruit with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Mixed entirely by hand, these muffins require just two bowls, a whisk, and 20 minutes of prep time.
Get the recipe: Just Peachy Peach Muffins
To make this, you'll need: Vietnamese Cinnamon, Allspice, and Nutmeg
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Peachberry Buckle, Caramel Peach Upside-Down Cake
4) Pizza Oven Detroit Pizza
Enjoy classic Detroit-style pizza at home with this recipe’s thick, chewy crust, crisp cheesy edges, and sauce-on-top finish — all baked right in your outdoor pizza oven. No pizza oven? No problem. You can bake it in a conventional oven, too.
Get the recipe: Pizza Oven Detroit Pizza
To make this, you'll need: Fabulous Focaccia Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Grilled Pizza, Grilled Garlic Knots
5) Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins
If you need an on-the-go breakfast, try these blueberry oat muffins, which retain a delightfully tender texture from oat flour. More nutrition-dense than most muffins, they’re a great way to start the day while still enjoying a freshly baked treat, and the subtle flavor of the oat flour pairs well with blueberries.
Get the recipe: Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins
To make this you’ll need: King Arthur Oat Flour and King Arthur Rolled Oats
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Miso Oatmeal Scotchies, Morning Glory Breakfast Bread
6) Cherry Pie
With a flaky all‑butter crust and vibrant fresh-cherry filling, this pie highlights the best of seasonal cherries. The addition of orange juice and vanilla enhances the rich, juicy fruit, making every bite extra-flavorful.
Get the recipe: Cherry Pie
To make this, you'll need: Instant Clearjel
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Cherry Cupcakes
7) Raspberry and Honey Sheet Cake Layer Cake
This impressive sheet cake features layers of moist hot milk cake and is filled with a vibrant raspberry whipped cream. Finished with a honey-sweetened Swiss buttercream, it balances floral sweetness with the tart flavor of freeze-dried raspberries.
Get the recipe: Raspberry and Honey Sheet Cake Layer Cake
To make this, you'll need: Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Golden Vanilla Cake, Raspberry Lemon Cake
8) Tomato Pie with Parmesan and Basil
Celebrate peak tomato season with this savory pie, featuring layers of juicy tomatoes nestled into a creamy Parmesan and basil filling, all baked in a tender, buttery crust. For the most beautiful presentation, use a mix of sliced heirlooms and halved cherry tomatoes. Make sure to let your tomatoes drain well before mixing into the filling to keep the crust crisp.
Get the recipe: Tomato Pie with Parmesan and Basil
To make this, you'll need: King Arthur Pie Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Savory Zucchini Galette, Cheese and Mint Ka’ak (Middle Eastern Bagels)
9) Birthday Cake Ice Cream
This no-churn Birthday Cake Ice Cream is pure celebration in a bowl — without the need for an ice cream maker. It’s made by whipping heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk until light and fluffy, then folding in rainbow sprinkles and bitesize cubes of yellow cake. A recipe from our upcoming kids’ cookbook, Sweet & Salty, it’s a fun, family-friendly treat that even young bakers can help create.
Get the recipe: Birthday Cake Ice Cream
To make this, you'll need: Rainbow Pop Nonpareils
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Mango Float Ice Cream Cake, S'mores Icebox Cake
10) Banana Bread Blondies
These sweet bars combine the fruity flavor of banana bread with the chewy texture of blondies. Cooking the bananas first deepens their flavor and reduces some of their moisture to keep the bars from being too cakey. Perfect for summer snacking, they’re easy to mix in one bowl and even better topped with ice cream.
Get the recipe: Banana Bread Blondies
To make this, you'll need: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Swirled Rhubarb Bars
11) Sourdough Sandwich Bread
This richly flavored, soft-textured loaf is perfect for summer sandwiches. Its tangy flavor and tender crumb make it an ideal base for peak-season tomato sandwiches — Caprese, BLTs, or just sliced tomatoes, salt, and mayo.
Get the recipe: Sourdough Sandwich Bread
To make this, you'll need: Baker's Special Dry Milk
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Classic Sandwich Bread, Semolina Sandwich Bread
12) Easy Peach Cobbler
The best peach cobbler has a perfectly thickened filling — juicy but not runny — with a tender, flavorful topping. And that’s exactly what this recipe delivers. A biscuit-style cobbler, it’s flexible enough to accommodate other stone fruits, berries, and even apples, all of which go beautifully with a crunchy, sugar-crusted topping lightly scented with almond extract.
Get the recipe: Easy Peach Cobbler
To make this, you'll need: Pure Almond Extract and Sparkling Sugar
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Southern-Style Peach Cobbler, Spiced Peach Shortcakes
13) Tahini Chocolate Bars
Rich chocolate ganache and nutty tahini are a natural pairing in this oven-free, no-bake dessert. The tahini layer is mixed with butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs for a sturdy base with textured crunch, then finished off with a smooth layer of melted chocolate and cream.
Get the recipe: Tahini Chocolate Bars
To make this, you'll need: Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Wafers
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Peanut Butter Brownies, Apple-Cinnamon Bars with Peanut Butter Glaze
Craving more sunny treats? Discover even more Classic Summer Desserts to bake before summer’s end!
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
29 Reviews
Tagged:
Filed Under:
Recipes
