Easy Summer Dessert: Grilled Pound Cake, Ice Cream, Chocolate, Pineapple

From Denny:  This is too easy.  You can grill this entire dessert indoors on a grill pan.  All you do is grill the fresh pineapple until it caramelizes nicely and gets those all important status grill marks.

Brush both sides of the prepared pound cake with butter.  We use clarified butter at our house because it helps your heart by skimming off the artery clogging milk solids and the resulting clear golden oil can also can be used at a higher heat.

Grill the buttered pound cake.  Top with vanilla ice cream and top with your favorite yummy chocolate sauce.  Summer is so easy with winning easy recipes like this classic!

Easy Dessert: Banana Nut Pound Cake Pudding

Photo by Family Features

From Denny:  Yet another tasty version of a bread pudding, only this time a prepared and toasted pound cake is used in place of the bread.

This recipe uses candied pecans.  If you can't find them, try roasting your raw pecans in a baking dish at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes - with a little butter like a tablespoon for one-half cup of pecans -  until lightly browned.

After roasting, lightly salt the pecans and add a tablespoon of brown sugar while still hot.  It will melt into the pecans so toss well to coat.  That will get the toasted and sweet taste of commercially prepared candied pecans.  You can make your own roasted candied pecans which are far fresher - and minus all those additive ingredients that seem to alter the full flavor of the nuts.

The beauty of the heavenly mixture of cream and eggs creating a custard for anything immersed in it is a winning combination since baking began.  It's the foundation of many good breakfast casseroles or sweet pudding desserts.

You only require two bananas for this recipe so it is a good choice for what to do with those last remaining bananas sitting on your kitchen counter.  And those broken eggs sitting in the fridge?  This is another way to dispose of those cracked eggs safely - in a baked dish.  I never use cracked eggs for fried or scrambled eggs as those versions of eggs are usually not thoroughly cooked.  Place them in a baked dish like this one and enjoy!

Fast and Easy Dessert: Pound Cake S'mores

Photo from Family Features

From Denny:  Want something fast and easy to serve for a family dessert or unexpected guests that drop by for a visit?  This is a simple one from Sara Lee.  It involves a prepared pound cake of your choice.

FYI, pound cake, even one made from scratch, freezes well so it's easy to have on hand for a last minute dessert.  When I make a pound cake I slice it when cooled and then freeze the slices separately so I'm ready to go for whatever portions are needed.

For the lovely melted gooeyness of the S'mores genre, add some miniature chocolate chips of your choice.  We like the dark 60 percent Ghiradelli chips at our house because it has less sugar and a far superior chocolate taste.

Then add some miniature marshmallows.  I'm not a marshmallow gourmet so you are on your own for a great brand on this one. :)

This recipe calls for chopped peanuts but you can substitute walnuts, pecans, almonds or macadamias to enjoy just as much.  Since we live in Louisiana we prefer the local fresh pecans found at the farmers' markets.  I'm of the opinion that for great taste pecans - or walnuts - and chocolate pair better than peanuts and chocolate.  And you don't have to be concerned about who might have peanut allergies so everyone can enjoy this easy dessert!

Blueberry Pound Cake

Blueberries Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: Talk about an easy recipe! It comes from a cake mix as its base. And, with the summer heat two months early here in south Louisiana all we can think about are refreshing cold drinks and berry desserts. :)

Even though the Mississippi River is above flood stage, and not expected to go down until sometime in late July or August, we are in a drought. Guess that's a good thing because the levees are earthen levees. So, the good news is we don't have to worry about more rain on the way to weaken those levees.

Meanwhile, my suburban Baton Rouge yard is thirsty and the grass is turning brown. It's just the beginning of June! As it is Spring came unusually early in February and we have been suffering from pollen blasts for months now. Which is why I haven't posted much in weeks, especially on my beloved food blogs. Sorry about that. The pollen just overwhelmed me. There sure are a backlog of recipes to post waiting in the draft area. At least that's the good news, right? :)

Recipe: Chocolate Pound Cake

From Denny: Awesome cake! You could bake this up, cut into fourths, freeze most of it, enjoy the rest baked fresh! Make the glaze as you need it. Something easy to keep on hand for unexpected guests or some cake required for your child's school function - just slice, glaze and arrange on a wonderful paper doily and disposable paper plate! What could be easier and more delicious?


Chocolate Pound Cake

Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients Cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 large eggs, at room temperature

2 egg large yolks, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

12 ounces unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped


Chocolate Glaze:

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 tablespoon honey

Equipment: 10 cup bundt pan

Directions

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the bundt pan.

Sift the flour, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs, yolks, vanilla, and espresso powder together into a bowl and set aside.

In a heavy duty mixer, beat the butter with the paddle attachment, on medium speed for 1 minute, or until smooth. Gradually pour in the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until the butter begins to lighten, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat, on medium-high, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes more.

Adjust the mixer's speed to its lowest setting. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until completely absorbed before adding the rest. Scrape down the sides of the mixer then beat on medium-high for 30 seconds more.

Adjust again to low speed and add half the egg mixture, mix until blended and smooth. Add the remaining egg mixture and beat until almost blended. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and fold in the chocolate by hand. Take care not to over mix the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan, on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan, and cool right side up on a rack. If not serving the same day, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Glaze just before serving. Cake can be frozen for 1 month.

For the glaze: Put all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more. Remove from the microwave and whisk until fully combined, smooth and glossy. While warm, pour glaze over cooled cake and do not spread. Serve as desired.

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