Celebrate the fruits of summer

These desserts showcase the fruits of summer - simply add the fruit on top of the dessert for a burst of colour and flavour.

Delicious: peach and blueberry yogurt cake. Picture: Guy Bailey

These desserts showcase the fruits of summer. If you can, make the cheesecake a day ahead and top with fruit to serve. In season, it’s lovely topped with fresh pitted cherries or cherries dipped in white chocolate.

Peach & blueberry yoghurt cake

160g softened butter

¾ cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 free range eggs

1¾ cups plain flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup Greek-style yoghurt

3 peaches, stones removed

125g blueberries

¼ cup apricot jam

Preheat oven to 170C fan. Grease a 22cm springform cake pan and line base with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour and baking powder on a medium speed until just combined – don’t over mix. Add yoghurt and stir to combine. Dice half of the peaches and slice the rest. Gently stir the diced peaches into the cake batter until just combined. Spoon mixture into pan, spread evenly and smooth top. Arrange the sliced peaches over surface, overlapping slightly, then blueberries. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Heat jam with 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan until melted. Strain and brush over hot cake. Allow to cool in the tin, then remove and serve with thickened or whipped cream. Serves 8

Fruit-topped cheesecake. Picture: Guy Bailey

Fruit-topped cheesecake

160g (about 10) plain sweet biscuits

90g unsalted butter, melted

900g cream cheese, softened at room temperature

¾ cup (165g) caster sugar

2 tablespoons plain flour

3 large free-range eggs, plus 1 yolk

¾ cup (180g) sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Fresh berries or cherries

Grease a 23cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Place biscuits and melted butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. Press into the base of the tin and refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 170C (fan). Bake base for 12 minutes; remove and allow to cool. Increase oven temperature to 190C. Place cream cheese, sugar and flour in electric mixer and beat until creamy and well combined. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, then beat in sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Beat 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Spoon over base and smooth the top. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 120C and bake for a further 25 minutes or until just set in the middle. (The cooking time looks short but gives you a pale, light and softly set centre.) Turn off oven and allow cheesecake to cool completely inside oven. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving. Transfer to a serving plate and top with seasonal fruit. Serves 8