The 13 best recipes to bake in August
Recipes to savor summer’s sweetest days.
Date
August 3, 2026
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 sheet cake, whipping up a no-bake dessert with kids, or making a fruit-filled finale for backyard dinners, these recipes capture the flavors and fun of late summer. Here’s what to bake this month.
1) 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, Espresso Powder, and Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Tahini Praline-y Zucchini Cake
2) 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 and a whisk. Best of all, you can get them on the table in under 45 minutes.
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
3) Sourdough Sandwich Bread
This loaf’s tangy flavor and tender crumb make it an ideal base for summer sandwiches. Enter peak-season tomatoes, and you can make everything from 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
4) Flourless Chocolate Lava Cake
With the dramatic reveal of a warm chocolate sauce center, these lava cakes are decadent, occasion-worthy, and — here’s the kicker — surprisingly easy to make at home. After tasting our way through countless versions, we landed on a cake that’s lighter, moister, and truer to its name than most of its counterparts: The fluid, lava‑like center practically spills out on cue.
Get the recipe: Flourless Chocolate Lava Cake
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Wafers
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Molten Chocolate Mini Cakes, Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cakes
5) Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins
Whether you enjoy them at breakfast or dessert, these muffins are ready whenever you need a sweet pick-me-up. During testing, we found that the combination of milk and sour cream in the batter led to the most balanced flavor and browning; meanwhile, the combination of butter and oil ensures a moist texture that lasts for several days.
Get the recipe: Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Muffins, The Simplest Muffins
6) Late Summer Berry Cake
As the name suggests, this is a cake for current times: The thick, buttery batter cradles any fruit you like. That includes juicy stone fruit, tiny blueberries, halved blackberries, or just about anything else that’s abundant. A dash of citrusy Fiori di Sicilia adds the final touch.
Get the recipe: Late Summer Berry Cake
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Fiori di Sicilia
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Hot Summer Spoon Cake, Cornmeal and Ricotta Cake with Fresh Berries
7) Iced Coffee Icebox Cake
Icebox cake is our summer secret weapon — it’s simple to make, uses few ingredients, and doesn’t require you to turn on the oven. It relies mostly on the power of time and the fridge to transform chocolate cookies and espresso-spiked whipped cream into a soft, luscious, cake-like dessert. Use store-bought chocolate wafers and this is just a five-ingredient dessert (plus a pinch of salt).
Get the recipe: Iced Coffee Icebox Cake
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Espresso Powder
If you like this recipe, you may also like: S'mores Icebox Cake, Chocolate Icebox Cake
8) English Muffin Toasting Bread
If you want to take it easy on a late summer afternoon but still want freshly baked bread, this recipe has your back. To make it, you only need to mix the batter, let it rise in a bread pan for about an hour, then bake. You’re left with a tender, close-crumbed bread with the nooks and crannies you’d expect from a split English muffin.
Get the recipe: English Muffin Toasting Bread
To make this recipe, you’ll need: King Arthur Standard Bread Loaf Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Easy Everyday Sourdough Bread, Classic Beer Bread
9) Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Calling for over two cups of grated zucchini, these muffins are an excellent way to use up any squash idling on your counter. The vegetable adds moisture and tenderness without any discernible flavor, and a generous amount of cocoa and chocolate chips makes these deeply chocolatey.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
To make this recipe, you’ll need: King Arthur Standard Muffin Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chocolate Breakfast Muffins, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
10) Lemon Cream Pie
For a dessert that’s light, bright, and cooling, turn to this creamy lemon pie from cookbook author Yossy Arefi. Its silky-smooth filling has a texture that’s lighter than cheesecake; a flavor that’s mellower than lemon curd; and that refreshingly tart zing you expect from a lemon dessert.
Get the recipe: Lemon Cream Pie
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Pure Lemon Extract
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries, Lemon-Blueberry Streusel Pie
11) Double Chocolate Banana Bread
This decadent banana bread doubles down on the fudgy richness with two forms of chocolate: bold dark cocoa adds bittersweet flavor and lends a strikingly dark color, while a scatter of mini chocolate chips creates pockets of sweetness. Sour cream steps in as the unexpected hero, adding a subtle tang and keeps the crumb tender and moist.
Get the recipe: Double Chocolate Banana Bread
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Double Dark Cocoa Blend
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Sourdough Banana Bread, Bananas Foster Banana Bread
12) Giant Cheesy Corn Fritter
This recipe is an easier take on classic corn fritters: Instead of individually frying and flipping, it makes one giant, skillet-sized baked pancake with crispy edges and a cheesy center. Pile this corn fritter with salad greens for an easy summer dinner, or enjoy it as a savory breakfast topped with fried eggs and extra scallions.
Get the recipe: Giant Cheesy Corn Fritter
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Staub Traditional Deep Skillet
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Mexican Street Corn Cornbread, Chili Corn Fritters made with All-Purpose Baking Mix
13) Berry Easy Jam Bars
These bars are as easy as summer baking gets. Made from a simple brown sugar-oat dough that doubles as both crust and streusel, they come together without a mixer, without prebaking, and without pre-cooking the fruit. Plus, the filling is customizable: Make it entirely with blueberries or throw additional berries like raspberries or blackberries in the mix.
Get the recipe: Berry Easy Jam Bars
To make this recipe, you’ll need: King Arthur Rolled Oats
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Raspberry Frangipane Bars, Rye Blueberry Bars
Cover photo (Late Summer Berry Cake) and food styling by Liz Neily.
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