Blackberry

Buttermilk keeps this moist cake light and flavorful. Dust it with powdered sugar as it cools for a sweet, decorative finish.

The crispy, cookie-like crust is incredible with the soft soufflé filling.

Layers of tangy lemon curd, fresh berry compote, rich mascarpone whipped cream, and purchased gingersnaps come together beautifully in this dessert.

The compote would also be great with angel food cake or sorbet.

This simple cake can be sliced and served or toasted before serving. For the best texture, use a medium-fine polenta.

To make these at home, look for ice pop molds with narrow openings for inserting the sticks. They can be found in cookware stores and at amazon.com. The author makes these and other pops for New York-based People's Pops.

Frozen açai puree is available in the freezer section of most supermarkets.

A press-in crust makes this party-worthy dessert easy to put together. For a pretty presentation, don't cover the lime curd completely with berries. The contrast between the dark berries and the bright lime curd is striking.

The luscious purple color of this drink is a stunner! Taste a berry first to check for sweetness. If it's not supersweet, add a tablespoon of sugar when muddling the berries.

In the early 1990s we hired a chef who loved to bake, and he came up with this pie. It became an instant classic. The fruit is only lightly sweetened, and its tartness combined with the sugar-crumb topping is a perfect pairing. Served warm with vanilla ice cream, it's heavenly. If you use frozen berries, increase them by 1/2 cup each and defrost slightly before tossing with the other ingredients.

Children of all ages will adore these homemade frozen treats. My recipe for Yummy Chocolate Cookies pairs perfectly with a variety of ice cream flavors. So you can be as creative as you want in choosing a filling—or two!

Exotic ginger-poached peaches are served with light, delicate meringues and softly whipped cream in a dessert that's great for summer entertaining (the peaches and meringues can be made a day ahead). A serrated vegetable peeler makes quick work of peeling the peaches.

By its very nature, a Pavlova is a little wild—as proved by these three tiers of airy meringue, which crack and crumble to reveal marshmallowy interiors while the berries' juices puddle all over drifts of whipped cream. And that playful mix of textures and flavors sure tastes delicious. Meringues aren't usually made with moist brown sugar, but here it adds a deeper kind of sweetness. Baking them in cake pans, another unusual technique, helps these meringues crisp up.

A crème fraîche custard is folded into the mixed-fruit filling of this elegant nectarine-blackberry crisp.

Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are baked between a crisp pastry crust and a crumbly streusel topping.

This luxurious treat is somewhere between a trifle, a tiramisù, and a summer pudding. The lime gives it a wonderful brightness.