“Ice Cream” Pound Cake with Mixed Berries
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes about 5 servings
This dish was created when I competed on Food Network’s Chopped: Grill Masters. When I opened the “mystery basket,” the only ingredients I recognized were pound cake and quail eggs. This took me back to Sundays after church in the summer when Mama made pound cake, strawberries, and ice cream. An Oklahoma summer could melt that ice cream quicker than you could eat it, but that’s what made it so good. On Chopped, I knew I didn’t have enough time to make ice cream, but I wanted to re-create that perfect moment when ice cream melts on cake to make a sweet glaze. Mama always taught us to improvise and stick to our roots.
- 1 (12-ounce) package frozen mixed berries, thawed
- 2 to 4 tablespoons plus ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Lemon-Almond Pound Cake (see recipe), or 1 thawed (16-ounce) frozen Sara Lee All-Butter Pound Cake, cut into ¾-inch-thick slices
1. Place the berries in a small bowl and combine with 2 to 4 tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ⅓ cup sugar, the cream, egg, and vanilla. Beat until the batter thickens just slightly.
3. In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Place 4 or 5 pieces of the cake in the skillet and baste the tops with about a tablespoon of the cream batter. Flip and repeat. Continue cooking the cake until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes per side. Be sure to flip and coat the cake 2 to 3 more times, allowing it to soak in more of the batter. Reduce the heat to medium-low if necessary. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining cake slices.
5. Top a slice of the cake with about 2 tablespoons of the berries. Place another slice on top to create a sandwich. Top with a tablespoon of the berries and lightly drizzle with some of the remaining cream batter. Note: You may not end up using all of the cream batter.
Tip: You can also grill the pound cake over low to medium heat, as I did on Chopped. You can also use about 4 cups of fresh mixed berries in place of the frozen.