Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries

Introduction & Inspiration

Let me share a dessert secret weapon with you: Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries! It sounds simple, maybe even unexpected, but grilling slices of light, airy angel food cake transforms them into something truly special. This dessert is incredibly quick, easy, and always impresses guests.

Imagine warm slices of angel food cake, slightly crisp on the outside with beautiful grill marks, soft and airy inside, brushed with a tangy butter-balsamic mixture. Top that with sweet, juicy macerated fresh strawberries, and you have a dessert that hits all the right notes. It’s light yet satisfying.

My inspiration for grilling cake came from wanting a super fast dessert, especially after a barbecue when the grill is already hot! It’s also a fantastic way to elevate a simple store-bought angel food cake into something that feels much more gourmet with minimal effort. The contrast of warm cake and cool berries is fantastic.

If you’re looking for a last-minute dessert that tastes amazing and looks impressive without spending hours in the kitchen, this grilled angel food cake is your answer. It’s surprisingly sophisticated for something so simple!

Nostalgic Appeal

Angel food cake itself often carries a light, comforting nostalgia. It reminds me of potlucks, church suppers, or maybe a lighter option on a dessert buffet – always airy and subtly sweet. It feels familiar and unpretentious.

Grilling dessert, however, adds a layer of fun and perhaps unexpected nostalgia. It evokes memories of summer barbecues, cooking outdoors, and maybe even experimenting with s’mores or grilled fruit. It feels playful and adventurous.

And of course, the topping of fresh strawberries simply tossed with sugar is pure nostalgic comfort. It’s the taste of summer, childhood treats, and simple, perfect fruit flavor. Everyone loves sweetened strawberries!

This recipe beautifully combines the familiar comfort of angel food cake and strawberries with the fun, modern twist of grilling. It’s a delightful blend of old and new that feels both comforting and excitingly different.

Homemade Focus

Now, let’s be clear, the brilliance of this recipe often lies in using a good quality pre-made angel food cake as a clever shortcut. However, the “homemade” magic comes entirely from how you transform it and what you serve with it! It’s all about the preparation and technique.

You create the simple, flavorful macerated strawberry topping from scratch using fresh berries and sugar. You also mix the unique grilling “glaze” of melted butter and balsamic vinegar yourself – this adds a key flavor element you wouldn’t get otherwise.

The core homemade aspect is the technique of grilling the cake. Taking those plain slices, brushing them with your mixture, and carefully grilling them until perfectly marked and warmed through is where you add significant value and create something special. It’s active cooking!

So, while we embrace the convenience of store-bought cake, the crucial flavor additions and the unique cooking method make this feel like a thoughtful, homemade (or semi-homemade) creation. It’s much more than just slicing cake!

Flavor Goal

My primary flavor goal for this Grilled Angel Food Cake is a delightful balance of light textures and contrasting flavors – sweet, tangy, and subtly rich. It should be refreshing yet satisfying. A light dessert with character!

The grilled angel food cake itself should be warm and soft internally, but with enticingly crisp edges and visible grill marks from the caramelization. The butter-balsamic brush should add a subtle richness and a distinct tangy counterpoint to the cake’s inherent sweetness.

The macerated strawberries provide bursts of pure, fresh fruit flavor and natural sweetness, enhanced slightly by the added sugar. Their coolness contrasts beautifully with the warm grilled cake.

The overall experience aims to be light but flavorful. The airiness of the cake prevents it from feeling heavy, while the grilling adds smoky notes and texture, the balsamic adds tang, and the strawberries provide fresh sweetness. It’s a sophisticated balance achieved with simple elements.

Ingredient Insights

Let’s look at the simple lineup of ingredients for this quick and impressive dessert. The base is sliced angel food cake. You can use store-bought (often found in the bakery section) or slices from a homemade cake. Look for slices that are about 3/4 to 1 inch thick so they hold up on the grill. Angel food’s sturdy-yet-airy structure works well here.

Fresh strawberries are key for the topping. Choose ripe, red, flavorful berries. Slicing them helps them release their juices when macerated with just a couple of teaspoons of granulated sugar, creating a light, natural syrup.

For the grilling mixture, melted butter adds richness, helps prevent sticking (along with greasing the grill), and promotes beautiful browning and grill marks. Balsamic vinegar provides a crucial tangy counterpoint to the sweet cake and berries; a basic balsamic works perfectly fine here – no need for expensive aged varieties.

Optionally, reduced-fat vanilla ice cream adds a cool, creamy element that melts beautifully over the warm cake. Blueberry syrup (or other fruit syrups like strawberry or raspberry, or even chocolate sauce) can add another layer of flavor and sweetness if desired, though the simple berries are often enough!

Essential Equipment

The star piece of equipment for this recipe is, naturally, a grill! An outdoor charcoal or gas grill works beautifully, providing lovely smoky notes. Alternatively, an indoor grill pan set over medium heat on your stovetop works very well too, giving you those characteristic grill marks.

Whichever you use, make sure the grill rack or grill pan is clean and well-greased to prevent the relatively delicate cake slices from sticking. Medium heat is generally best – hot enough for marks but not so hot it burns instantly.

You’ll need a small bowl for tossing the strawberries with sugar, and another small bowl for mixing the melted butter and balsamic vinegar. A pastry brush is essential for applying the butter-balsamic mixture evenly onto the cut sides of the cake slices.

You’ll also need tongs or a thin, wide spatula for carefully placing the cake slices on the grill and flipping them without breaking them. Standard measuring spoons are needed for the sugar, butter, and vinegar. Finally, have your serving plates ready, as this dessert is best served immediately!

List of Ingredients with Measurements

Here is the complete list of ingredients needed for this simple and elegant Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries:

Cake & Grilling:

• Angel Food Cake slices (about 1 ounce each): 8 slices
• Butter, melted: 3 tablespoons
• Balsamic Vinegar: 2 tablespoons

Strawberry Topping:

• Fresh Strawberries, sliced: 2 cups
• Sugar: 2 teaspoons

Optional Garnishes:

• Reduced-Fat Vanilla Ice Cream
• Blueberry Syrup (or other syrup/sauce)

Using sturdy slices of angel food cake (about 3/4 to 1-inch thick) is recommended. Fresh, ripe strawberries will give the best flavor!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Let’s make this incredibly easy Grilled Angel Food Cake! It comes together in just minutes once your grill is ready. First, prepare the strawberries.

In a small bowl, gently toss the 2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries with the 2 teaspoons of sugar. Set this aside to allow the berries to macerate slightly and release their juices while you prepare the cake.

In another small bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar until combined.

Preheat your grill (outdoor or indoor grill pan) to medium heat. Clean the grill rack well and grease it lightly to prevent sticking.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush both cut sides of each angel food cake slice with the butter-balsamic mixture. Don’t soak the cake, just a light coating is needed.

Carefully place the brushed cake slices directly onto the preheated, greased grill rack. Grill, uncovered, for about 1 to 2 minutes per side. You’re looking for golden brown color and distinct grill marks. Angel food cake grills very quickly, so watch it constantly!

Use tongs or a wide spatula to gently flip the slices once the first side is marked and golden. Grill the second side for another 1 to 2 minutes until similarly golden brown.

Immediately remove the grilled cake slices from the grill onto individual serving plates.

Top each warm grilled cake slice generously with the macerated strawberries and their juice. If desired, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of blueberry syrup (or your preferred toppings). Serve immediately and enjoy the wonderful contrast of warm cake and cool fruit!

Troubleshooting

Grilling cake is quick and easy, but here are tips for avoiding common pitfalls.

Problem: My cake stuck badly to the grill! Solution: Ensure your grill rack or grill pan was thoroughly cleaned and well-greased before adding the cake. Medium heat is usually sufficient; excessively high heat can cause sticking and burning. Make sure the cake isn’t brushed with too much liquid, just a light coating.

Problem: The cake burned too quickly before getting nice grill marks. Solution: Your grill heat is likely too high. Reduce the heat slightly to a medium or medium-low setting. Angel food cake is delicate and toasts quickly due to its sugar content. Watch it constantly – 1-2 minutes per side is usually plenty.

Problem: The cake slices fell apart on the grill. Solution: Use slices that are sturdy and not too thin (aim for 3/4 to 1-inch thickness). Handle them gently with a wide spatula or tongs when placing and flipping. Very stale or overly moist angel food cake might be more prone to crumbling.

Problem: The cake tasted too strongly of balsamic vinegar. Solution: Ensure you measured accurately. If you’re sensitive to balsamic, you could slightly reduce the amount, or try a milder white balsamic vinegar instead for a less intense flavor. The butter helps mellow it too.

Problem: The cake seemed dry after grilling. Solution: Don’t over-grill! Just 1-2 minutes per side is enough to warm through, add marks, and slightly crisp the edges. Serving it immediately with the juicy strawberries also helps combat any perceived dryness.

Tips and Variations

This basic Grilled Angel Food Cake recipe is a fantastic starting point for creativity! Here are some fun variations to try.

Different Cake Bases: While angel food cake is wonderfully light, sturdy slices of pound cake also grill beautifully (though they are much richer and denser). Plain sponge cake slices could work too.

Fruity Grilling: Grill some fruit alongside the cake! Sliced peaches, pineapple rings, or thick strawberry halves brushed lightly with butter or oil grill up wonderfully and can be served with the cake.

Flavorful Brushes: Instead of butter-balsamic, try brushing the cake with just melted butter mixed with a little brown sugar and cinnamon, or melted butter with honey and lemon juice, or even a fruit liqueur mixed with butter for an adult version.

Topping Twists: Swap the simple macerated strawberries for a cooked berry compote, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, lemon curd, or different flavors of ice cream and syrups. Add toasted nuts or shredded coconut for crunch.

Spice it Up: Add a pinch of cinnamon or cardamom to the sugar used for macerating the strawberries. A tiny grating of fresh ginger could also be interesting.

Homemade Cake: If you’re feeling ambitious, bake your own angel food cake first, let it cool completely, then slice and grill it according to this recipe!

Serving and Pairing Suggestions

The absolute key to serving this Grilled Angel Food Cake is to serve it immediately after it comes off the grill. You want to capture that wonderful contrast between the warm, slightly crisp cake and the cool, juicy strawberries. Don’t let it sit around!

Plate each warm grilled slice individually. Spoon the macerated strawberries and their juices generously over the top. If using, add a scoop of ice cream right next to or slightly on top of the warm cake so it starts to melt slightly, and drizzle with syrup if desired.

This dessert is perfect for casual summer dining, especially after a barbecue when the grill is already going. It’s incredibly fast to make if you have the cake ready. It’s also a surprisingly elegant yet simple dessert for entertaining guests outdoors.

Keep beverage pairings light and refreshing. Iced tea, lemonade, sparkling water with fruit, or even a crisp white wine spritzer would be lovely. Coffee also works well with the toasted cake flavors.

Nutritional Information

Let’s look at the approximate nutritional profile for one slice of Grilled Angel Food Cake topped with 1/4 cup of macerated strawberries, without the optional ice cream or syrup:

• Calories: 132
• Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 3g (primarily from the butter)
• Cholesterol: 11mg
• Sodium: 247mg (mostly from the pre-made angel food cake)
• Carbohydrates: 22g
• Sugars: 4g (Note: this seems very low considering cake/added sugar/berries; perhaps an error in original source? Expect total sugars to be higher, likely 10-15g range)
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 2g

Please note potential discrepancy in the provided sugar count; actual sugar may be higher.

Based on these figures (keeping the sugar query in mind), this dessert forms a surprisingly light base! It’s low in calories and fat compared to many other desserts. The sodium content is moderate, mainly attributable to the store-bought angel food cake. Adding ice cream and syrups will, of course, significantly increase the calories, fat, and sugar content.

As written (without extras), this can be a great option when you want a satisfying sweet treat without excessive richness. The grilling adds flavor without adding significant fat. It’s a delightful way to enjoy cake and fruit in a lighter format.

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Recipe Summary and Q&A

In summary, this recipe creates a quick, easy, and delicious dessert: Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries. Slices of pre-made angel food cake are brushed with a simple butter-balsamic mixture and grilled briefly until warm and marked. They are served immediately topped with fresh strawberries macerated in sugar.

It’s a fantastic semi-homemade dessert perfect for warm weather grilling or anytime you need an impressive treat in minutes. The grilling adds a unique flavor and textural dimension to the light cake.

Here are some common questions you might have:

Q: Will grilling make the angel food cake soggy? A: No, if done correctly! Grilling quickly over medium heat toasts the outside and warms the inside without making it soggy. The butter helps create a slight barrier. Don’t soak the cake in the brushing mixture, just apply a light coat.

Q: Can I make this dessert ahead of time? A: No, this dessert is entirely dependent on being served immediately after grilling for the best warm cake/cool fruit contrast and texture. You can slice the berries and mix the butter-balsamic ahead, but the grilling and assembly must happen just before serving.

Q: Can I use a different kind of cake, like pound cake? A: Yes, sturdy pound cake slices grill very well using this method! They will be much richer and denser than angel food cake, offering a different but also delicious experience. Adjust grilling time slightly if needed.

Q: What if I don’t have an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan? A: You could try achieving a similar effect using a broiler (watch extremely carefully!) or searing the brushed cake slices briefly in a hot, dry skillet or on a flat griddle until golden brown on both sides. You won’t get the characteristic grill marks, but you’ll get the warmth and toasted flavor.

Q: Can I skip the balsamic vinegar? A: Yes, you can simply brush the cake with melted butter, perhaps mixed with a little sugar or honey if you like. The balsamic adds a nice tangy complexity that balances the sweetness, but plain butter-brushed grilled cake is also tasty.