Show off the best of summer fruit with these 9 simple, homey desserts

Summer fruit is so sweet and plentiful this time of year, you could throw a bunch of it in a bowl and convincingly call it dessert. It’s true that you don’t need to do much, or anything, to peaches, blueberries, cherries and more. The thing is, they’re also delightful to bake with.

[7 ways to savor plums, the sweet, tart treasures of summer]

Because the fruit is already great, it doesn’t take a lot in the way of effort or ingredients to let it shine. Here are some simple, homey, fruit-forward desserts from our archives to consider.

Peach Apricot Buttermilk Cobbler, above. If you tend to find desserts overly sweet, here’s one from a collection of less-sugar treats we shared last year from cookbook author Marcy Goldman. Finely minced dried apricots are the stealth MVP for amplifying the flavor.

[With less sugar, these cobblers, crisps and crumbles let their fruit flavors shine brighter]

(Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Any-Fruit Cobbler. Despite boasting a similar name, this adaptable dessert is a completely different style than the one above. Here, a batter is poured directly into a cast-iron skillet with the fruit.

[Browse our Recipe Finder for more than 9,000 Post-tested recipes at washingtonpost.com/recipes]

(Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Dolester Miles’s Blueberry Cobbler. Yes, a third cobbler that is also rather distinct from the other two! This one is named after its source, the winner of the 2018 James Beard Award for outstanding pastry chef.

[How a self-taught pastry chef in Alabama became one of the best in the nation]

(Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Summer Fruit Crumble. I adapted this recipe from the great Maida Heatter. The topping includes oats and nuts for crunch.

(Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Buttermilk Sheet Cake With Peaches and Blueberries. Cathy Barrow’s recipe comes together with very little effort. Use whatever berries or stone fruit you like.

(Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Lemon Peach Pound Cake. Diced peaches are incorporated into this loaf, which includes cornmeal for additional tenderness. If your inclination leans more toward something round with streusel, try Peach Crumb Cake.

[How one couple made it cool to wait in line for 25-pound boxes of perfect summer peaches]

(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Blueberry-Ginger Mini Clafoutis. Ellie Krieger offers these charming, petite sweets made with whole grains and crystallized ginger for extra zing. If you want something bigger, she also has a Honey Whole-Wheat Clafoutis With Raspberries.

(Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

Blueberry Cornmeal Cake. Readers like to rave about this oldie but goody from our deeper archives. It’s baked in a cast-iron skillet and takes well to your choice of berry.

[7 sweet treats that taste better in a cast-iron skillet]

(Goran Kosanovic for The Washington Post)

Blueberry Hazelnut Ricotta Cake. Here, too, you can change the fruit and nuts to suit your taste, though do keep the ricotta for the best texture.

More from Voraciously:

It’s everything but the bagel with this summer tomato tart inspired by a deli favorite

Chill out this summer with piña coladas, frozen Irish coffees and other blended cocktails

Make the most of your zucchini bounty with these 6 summery recipes