Grilled Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce is a sweet finale to any summer cookout or barbecue. Rich ricotta pound cake with tart blueberry sauce and creamy vanilla ice cream is a memory maker!
why serve plain pound cake — when you can grill it??
So many of my all-time favorite desserts are about playing up contrasts of flavor and texture ~ and that’s exactly what you get with grilled pound cake. The ricotta pound cake is warm, caramelized, and a little bit smoky ~ the juicy blueberry sauce is nice and tart, and we all know what a melty scoop of vanilla brings. (You and your friends will be talking about for years to come!)
Shortcut Tip:
Use a store bought pound cake to save time.
the ricotta pound cake is worth the price of admission
You guys have gone crazy for my ricotta cakes lately, so I decided to swap the sour cream in my standard pound cake recipe for ricotta, and I can confidently say it was a good move!
Ricotta gives this grilled pound cake a moist, tender texture and a subtle richness without making it at all heavy. Those creamy curds create a fantastic soft crumb I can’t get enough of.
Start by slicing your (cooled) pound cake into 1″ slices.
ON THE STOVETOP WITH A GRILL PAN
Let your grill pan get nice and evenly hot for a couple of minutes, on medium heat.
Brush your pound cake slices with a little melted butter (optional, but gives a bit more caramelization and color).
Grill the pound cake slices for about 2-3 minutes per side. Lay them diagonally across the pan if you like the diagonal grill marks. (Note: keep a close eye on them! Stoves and pans differ and my “medium” heat might be a little different from yours.)
ON A CHARCOAL GRILL
Preheat your grill to medium and oil the grates.
Brush lightly with butter (optional), and grill for 1–2 minutes per side until toasted with grill marks.
It’s perfect to do after your meal, when the grill’s cooling down but still warm.
no-recipe blueberry sauce for grilled pound cake
It’s super simple to make a quick fruit sauce like this for topping cakes, ice creams and more. I consider it an essential skill in the summer months when fresh fruit is at its peak. The amounts are completely flexible, add sugar and lemon juice to your fruit to taste. Mix and match your fruit, too!
All I do is add my fruit to a saucepan along with a little sugar (a couple tablespoons at most) and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Feel free to add vanilla extract, too. Cook it briefly over medium heat until the fruit starts to break down and release its juice. Cook shorter for a looser sauce and longer for a thicker sauce. That’s it!
Grilled Ricotta Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce
5 from 1 vote
Grilled pound cake is a game-changer ~ it takes a simple ricotta loaf cake and turns it into a show stopping summer dessert!
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a standard 9×5 loaf pan and line with parchment paper for easier removal. Set aisde.
Brown the butter in a saucepan by heating it up over medium heat until it is fully melted and the milk solids start to sink to the bottom and turn golden brown and fragrant. This will take a few minutes but watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. (Note: browning the butter adds a nice caramel-y flavor to this pound cake, but you can simply use melted butter if you prefer.)
Set the browned butter aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, ricotta, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt, and the partially cooled brown butter. (you don't want the butter to be too hot or it will cook the eggs)
Whisk together very well, until everything is combined.
Fold in the flour just until everything is combined, don't over-mix.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread it out so it's even.
Bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes. This is a large, dense loaf cake so it does take a long time to bake, you may need a few minutes more than this. Gently tent the cake with aluminum foil towards the end of baking if you feel that it's getting too brown on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before carefully removing to a baking rack to completely cool. Set aside until ready to serve. (can be kept at room temperature for a day or so)
to make the blueberry sauce
Add the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the fruit is bubbling. Continue to cook for just a couple minutes (3-4 minutes) until some of the fruit has started to break down but some of the blueberries still remain whole. This will give you a looser sauce, if you want it to be thicker, you can continue to cook it to evaporate more of the liquid.
Allow the hot sauce to cool a bit before transferring to a serving container. You can keep the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to serve and serve it either cool or warm.
to grill the pound cake slices on the stovetop (see notes below for charcoal grill instructions)
Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium heat for a few minutes to allow the pan to heat up evenly.
Slice your cooled pound cake into thick slices (about 3/4-1" thick). Brush each side lightly with melted butter.
Place the pound cake slices on the heated grill pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side. Your stove and pan may vary slightly from mine, so make sure to check them early, you might need a bit less or more time, or to adjust your heat setting slightly.
Remove the grilled pound cake slices from the pan and serve while still warm with blueberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Grilling instructions for a charcoal grill
Preheat your grill to medium and oil the grates.
Brush lightly with butter (optional), and grill for 1–2 minutes per side until toasted with grill marks.
It’s perfect to do after your meal, when the grill’s cooling down but still warm.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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topping variations for grilled pound cake
Chantilly Cream along with fresh berries makes an easy and elegant presentation.
Rhubarb Sauce is a gorgeous color and has a fresh tart flavor.
Hey there ~ I'm Sue. I love to make delicious food, photograph it, and write about it, but mostly, I just love to EAT. Isn't that what it's all about? My recipes are creative, vibrant, and totally approachable no matter what your skill level. Let's grab a bite together!
Perfect timing – we have some awesome wild blueberries where we live. Can’t wait to try this.
Sounds amazing.