And, bonus, you won’t have to spend a ton of time making these desserts. These easy additions will give you more time to lay out your clothes for the important early season cookouts (because first summer impressions matter), and will allow you to take center stage in the dessert display.
Just channel my Mommy when you place it on the table and be as dramatic as possible. 😂 The OG wrist flourish as you remove the top is still an effective move. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)
Onto the recipes!
Vanilla Pound Cake
This amazingly delicious Vanilla Pound Cake is so deceptively easy that you won’t believe it. It’s absolutely perfect for a simple yet elegant dessert and perfect for your summer dessert table.
Coca-Cola Chocolate Pound Cake
This incredible Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake is fudgy and moist and…absolutely perfect for any summer cookout. It uses oil instead of butter and sugar, which means it comes together in a snap 🫰🏾. Do yourself a favor and use an easy-to-prep bundt pan for an even faster prep!
Grilled Peaches with Fresh Whipped Cream
These grilled peaches with fresh whipped cream are so easy and so fast that it’s impossible to believe they could be so delicious. If you’re lucky enough to have good peaches in May (first of all, lucky), this dessert is a showstopper that you can plate right in front of guests for a little extra razzle dazzle. Ms. Gloria would approve of this move.
Easy Date Night Banana Pudding
Savor a classic comfort dessert elevated—my Date Night Banana Pudding marries rich vanilla pudding, banana liqueur whipped cream, and love in every spoonful. Banana pudding is a classic dessert for literally any occasion, and this decadent dessert can be presented in many ways, including in adorable little single-serve dessert cups!
Cherry Vanilla No-Churn Ice Cream
This rich vanilla ice cream base is enhanced with glorious flambéed cherries for the ultimate summer treat. This ice cream is the perfect accompaniment for other desserts, or it’s incredible on its own.
Making enough for a party? Do yourself a favor and double the batch, because nobody wants to see the uncles in short pants, socks and sandals, arguing over who took the last of it.
The Easiest Whipped Cream
This easy whipped cream is the perfect classic topping for ice cream sundaes, pies, waffles and more! Elevate your summer tables with this topping that takes five minutes to make! And, bonus, you can get rid of that stuff in a tub forever!
Sock it to Me Pound Cake
This southern staple has been adapted for those with nut allergies. You won’t miss the pecans in this ultra decadent version, though you can absolutely add them if you’d like
And yes, this is the most time-consuming dessert on this list, but if you have a touch more time before your weekend plans, I guarantee that you won’t regret making it!
Goat Cheese Skillet Focaccia
Charcuterie board? Say less. Make this simple Goat Cheese Skillet Focaccia and slice it up to add an impressive, beautiful, and delicious addition to your beautiful summer spread.
The Best Vanilla Glaze
This vanilla glaze is easily customizable to fit any pound cake! This basic glaze is thick, sets up beautifully, and serves as a great base for pound cake toppings like sprinkles, nuts, toasted coconut, and many more!
The Best Strawberry Sauce
A perfect finishing touch for the start of summer. If you’re lucky enough to have good strawberries this time of year (again, lucky), this topper is a special final topping for just about any dessert, from cake to ice cream. Perfectly balanced with just four ingredients, it is a special taste sensation on summer desserts.
Vegan Snickerdoodle Pound Cake
You would never know that this deliciously moist, tangy, cinnamon-y Snickerdoodle Pound Cake was actually vegan unless someone told you. It is, quite literally, a perfect plant-based take on my original Snickerdoodle Pound Cake!
Peach Cobbler Muffins
These wonderfully-spiced Peach Cobbler Muffins are perfect for a summertime brunch. Featuring two levels of real peach flavor, these muffins are the perfect way to celebrate this special summer treat.
Sour Cream Pound Cake
This quintessentially classic pound cake has such a special place in my heart; it was the first pound cake of my life and it is the reason why I do what I do. It is a classic vanilla cake with ingredients that you likely have on hand! Can you say easy peasy?
No-Churn Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
This dreamy, luscious Vanilla Bean No-Churn Ice Cream is the perfect accompaniment for the other easy desserts on this list, or it’s perfect all on its own!
Simple, Classic Affogato
This dessert has no business being this simple and this delicious. It’s the perfect dessert to accompany a delicious meal, and it takes only a few minutes and a few ingredients to make! And bonus, you can use the No Churn Vanilla Bean Ice Cream that you made to made for this dessert! The melt is 🤌🏾🤌🏾🤌🏾.
My dear B(aking) B(estie), I promised quick and impressive for these last-minute cookout desserts, and it’s my hope that you find one (or fifteen) dishes on this list that will have the honor of gracing your summer tables.
Happy baking, BB! Don’t forget to follow Begin with Butter on Instagram and subscribe to the Begin with Butter YouTube channel to get the absolute most out of your BwB experience!