One unlikely fruit makes this summer pudding the berry best

When berry season comes around, I practically hear trumpets announcing the fruit’s arrival at the local market.

I am reliably ready to pounce — eager to pile the plump beauties onto my yogurt bowls, work them into salads, blend them into smoothies and bake them into pies and muffins.

When I first encountered this classic U.K. dessert — what Britons call a “pudding” — I was enthralled. It is stunning, with a cascade of berries mingling with layers of bread soaked and pressed in the fruit’s brilliantly hued juices.

The dish has the quality of an elegantly plated, berry-soaked sponge cake, but besides the fruit, it is made with little more than humble slices of bread. The usual recipe involves heaps of sugar, though, so I decided to take a stab at a better-for-you version and was thrilled with the result.

The key twist is to take advantage of the inherent sweetness of ripe bananas, which are not a typical summer pudding component. Stirring the mashed banana into the juice that is rendered from heating the berries adds enough sweetness that only a little honey is needed to round it out, plus you get the added layer of banana flavor that pairs so well with strawberries and blueberries.

I also used whole-grain bread instead of white, a change that gives the dessert a somewhat healthier sensibility without sacrificing an essential tender, melt-in-your mouth quality. This is a treat that is truly worthy of its very special star ingredient.

Summer berry-banana puddings

You’ll need six 1-cup ramekins to make this stunning berry and banana British pudding dessert. Makes 6 servings.

12 slices soft whole-wheat bread, crusts removed (6 ounces total)

2 cups sliced strawberries, plus more for optional garnish

2 cups blueberries, plus more for optional garnish

2 cups raspberries

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons honey

2 very ripe medium bananas

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cut a round from each piece of bread that will just fit into your 1-cup ramekins. (Save the remaining scraps of bread for another use, such as bread crumbs.)

Combine the berries, water and honey in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries break down. While the berry mixture is still hot, mash the banana with a fork until smooth, then stir it into the berry mixture, along with the vanilla extract.

Place a heaping tablespoon of the berry-banana mixture in each ramekin. Add one round of bread to each, then divide the remaining berry-banana mixture among the ramekins and top each with another round of bread. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet (to catch any overflowing juices). Loosely cover each one with plastic wrap, then place a 15-ounce weight, such as a can of beans, on top of each one to compress the pudding.

Note: The puddings need to be refrigerated for at least 6 hours, and up to 1 day in advance.

To serve, remove the plastic wrap. Run a knife along the sides of the pudding, then invert each one into a dessert glass or onto a plate. Garnish with the fresh berries, if using.

Nutrition per serving: 230 calories, 5 grams protein, 51 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 125 milligrams sodium, 8 grams dietary fiber, 26 grams sugar.