The Top Five Tastes of Summer

Summer. It’s full of tall glasses of lemonade, evenings spent by the campfire, and frequent ice cream dates. But that’s not all that summer is good for. Summer is actually one of my favourite seasons because it is chalk full of some of the most inspiring and delicious flavours. And the best part is that the majority of them can be found at local farmer’s markets.

I’ve been taking full advantage of the fresh tastes of summer. From local peaches and strawberries to the tangy punch of oranges, summer flavours have been dominating my kitchen for the past couple of months. In appreciation of the summer and to encourage you to enjoy the last few weeks of it, I have decided to share five of my favourite summer-inspired baked goods.

These funfetti cupcakes were made with the intention of being enjoyed on a bright summer day. They are simple vanilla cupcakes with colourful sprinkles mixed in. They are topped with delicious strawberry buttercream and garnished with even more sprinkles. The strawberries in the buttercream and the bright colour of the sprinkles give these cupcakes a fun summery twist. Smiles are optional while devouring.

Nothing is juicier than a fresh fuzzy peach. When I picked up a basket of local peaches at a nearby farmer’s market, I knew that I wanted to experiment with new recipes that would do justice to this delicious summer fruit. As a result, I substituted the peaches into a recipe for apple pie bread and this was the result. The streusel on top gives a tasty crunch to the moist bread. Now isn’t that just peachy? (By the way, if you are interested in making this bread you can access the recipe by clicking here)

I made these cupcakes near the beginning of the summer for a young lady’s birthday. They are a simple vanilla cupcake but are topped with some delicious fresh strawberry buttercream and a marshmallow fondant decal. The flavour of the strawberries is very prominent with every bite. They are nice and light–the perfect treat for those hot summer days.

Ice cream is pretty much the definition of summer. When I had the opportunity to combine ice cream cones with sugar cookies for this order, I was delighted with the result. The icing is flavoured differently for each type of cone pictured above, giving a variety that was hard to choose from. But with these little cookies, it was okay to have more than one cone!

These Creamsicle Dream cupcakes were my favourite treat all summer. The combination of the orange with the creamy vanilla is a match made in heaven. These tasty little cupcakes are fresh orange flavoured cupcakes with a swirl of creamy vanilla buttercream and are topped with a candied orange. I made them for myself on my birthday and I was very pleased with the result. They were the perfect celebratory treat! (You can access the recipe by clicking here)

As the summer slowly wraps up, I am eager to continue baking with some of the fresh tastes of summer to savour every last moment. What are some of your favourite flavours to bake with?