Fruit-studded cake is summer on a plate

Summer doesn’t often inspire us to crank up the oven. But some dishes can make it worth enduring the heat.

Berries and peaches light up with just a touch of heat, and tomatoes become even sweeter. And what picnic would be complete without a juicy pie or some big, chunky cookies?

To help you along, a few new cookbooks show you how to make the most of summer’s bounty.

“The Sono Baking Company Cookbook,” for example, folds plump summer blueberries into tender, sour cream muffins. And chunky, chocolate-stuffed kitchen sink cookies practically scream “picnic.”

David Lebovitz’s “Ready for Dessert” promises visceral satisfaction starting with the cover, which invites you to drag a greedy finger through a cake’s thick chocolate icing. Inside, almond cookies become cobbler crusts and Guinness-spiked gingerbread gets topped with lime frosting.

Vegetarian cooking guru Deborah Madison has worked as a pastry chef. And she has put her knowledge to good use in “Seasonal Fruit Desserts,” a book stocked with no-fuss desserts that exploit summer’s just-from-the-farm sweetness.

“Fruit lends itself to improvisation,” she said. “If it’s really delicious to start with, it gives you so many possibilities.”

A right-side-up cake piled with fresh fruit offers a new take on traditional upside down cake.

The simple cake is made entirely in the food processor. She says it is sturdy enough to support a layer of fresh berries, pitted cherries, huckleberries, sliced peaches, quartered apricots or cut-up pineapple.

Right-side-up cake

Butter, for coating the pan

All-purpose flour, for dusting the pan

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups fruit (chopped if large)

2tablespoons granulated sugar

For the cake:

3 1/2 ounces almond paste

2/3 cup granulated sugar

8tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3eggs, room temperature

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2/3 cup corn flour

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 5-by-8-inch springform pan with butter and flour. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, then butter that, as well.

In a medium bowl, toss the fruit with the sugar, then set aside.

In a food processor, combine the almond paste and sugar. Pulse until evenly combined. Add the butter and pulse until well combined. With the machine running, add the eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the vanilla and almond extracts, and the sour cream. Blend until smooth.

In a medium bowl, mix the corn flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Add half of the dry ingredient to the processor and pulse 3 times. Add the second half and pulse 3 times again. Scrape the bowl to make sure everything is well combined, then give it 3 or 4 more pulses.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Pile the fruit over the top. Bake in the center of the oven until lightly browned and springy when pressed with a fingertip, about 1 hour or slightly longer.

Let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

Let cool to room temperature before slicing. Makes 8 servings.

From Deborah Madison’s “Seasonal Fruit Desserts”