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Hi Bold Bakers!
IN THIS RECIPE: Grilled slices of angel food, piled high with macerated strawberries and topped with lightly whipped lime cream. Thanks a million to PAVILIONS® for sponsoring this recipe, it was inspired by PAVILIONS® exclusive O Organics® & Lucerne® brands & their Summer Starts Here campaign.
When you think about grilling and barbecues, I bet it’s easy to have your mind immediately go to savory things like hamburgers, hotdogs, brisket, or even grilled vegetables. When I think about a hot grill though, I go one step further and like to think about how I can use all of that heat to follow up the savory with sweet.
What’s a cookout without a dessert, anyway?
As I was walking through my local PAVILIONS® store, I caught myself eyeing the fresh organic strawberries and immediately started connecting the dots between strawberries and limes. I swear they were made for each other! That’s when it hit me, I needed to make a summer dessert that had both. It would ultimately become a new spin on your classic homemade shortcake recipe, but I’d be using a grill and angel food cake to bring it all together instead.
That’s right. If you’ve never had grilled cake before, you’re in for an adventure with my Grilled Homemade Shortcake with Strawberries & Lime Cream recipe. Excited by the idea of grilling something sweet and delicate like cake, I was able to get everything I needed right there in the store to make it a reality.
I love that PAVILIONS® provides its customers with content to inspire recipe planning and meal ideas like this. Their Summer Starts Here content hub makes it incredibly easy through new fresh seasonal recipes, easy- to-shop recipes, and culinary tips and tricks. This recipe wouldn’t exist without it!
Learn more at pavilions.com/summer to find your inspiration this summer.
The Right Strawberries
For this recipe, you’ll need sweet & ripe strawberries, which are luckily plentiful in my neighborhood PAVILIONS® store. In addition to having high-quality ingredients for this recipe, you’ll need to give your strawberries time to macerate. Get them ready at least an hour in advance so their juices can form!
The Angel Food Cake
When it comes to angel food, which will be the homemade “shortcake” base for this summer’s best dessert, you have two options: you can easily make one (included in the recipe down below — and if you do I suggest you make it the day before for easier cutting and grilling) or you can go ahead and use store-bought, no problem.
PAVILIONS® can help you find exactly what you need, including the ingredients to make an angel food cake from scratch, or you can check their bakery section and you might even find one all ready to go! They are the definition of a one-stop shop.
How To Grill Cake
Cake? Grilling? Yes!
Keep in mind that you’re not baking the cake on your grill. Instead, you’re taking a slice of cake and adding some heat and flavor to it by briefly grilling it. You will need to take care not to grill it when your BBQ is too hot so as not to burn the cake, as that can happen quickly if you’re not careful!
Luckily, it’s a very simple process, and you’ll be glad you tried it!
To make things even easier, give your recipe planning an upgrade with shoppable recipes on the
Summer Starts Here content hub.
Juicing Limes For The Whipped Cream
Bursting with flavor, the limes I got from my PAVILIONS® store were both organic and filled with tart citrus that pairs perfectly with homemade whipped cream. I have a tip for you when it comes to juicing citrus, and it applies to lemons as well: pop your lime in the microwave for roughly anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute depending on how ripe your lime is.
The results are amazing! You get probably double the amount of juice as before with very little effort. This makes juicing citrus easier and way less wasteful. And, might I add, if you don’t have a squeezer at your side — use a fork in each half after slicing.
What You Need To Make This Dessert
- A Grill or BBQ
- Fresh strawberries and limes, I got mine at my local PAVILIONS® — use their new Summer Starts Here content hub for a one-stop, trusted source for culinary and lifestyle inspiration
- Angel food cake, either homemade or store-bought
- If homemade, an angel food cake pan
- An electric stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the cream to soft peaks
- A zester
How To Make Grilled Homemade Shortcake With Strawberries & Lime Cream
This dessert is mostly assembly after you’ve nailed the brief bit of simple grilling. On medium-low heat, grill your angel food cake for 2-3 minutes on each side before removing. Then, once plated, add your macerated strawberries and a big dollop of whipped lime cream and enjoy it straight away.
Don’t skimp on the cream, trust me!
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making This Dessert
- Use high-quality ingredients, such as PAVILIONS® organic strawberries and limes
- Make the angel food cake the day before so it will be easier to cut and grill
- Don’t have time to make the cake? You can always use store-bought angel food cake no problem.
- Take care not to grill your cake when the BBQ is too hot or it will burn very quickly
- At the end of your BBQ once the grill is cooler is the perfect temperature to grill off your cake
- Stand by the BBQ as you grill your cake to make sure it doesn’t get too toasted
- Get your strawberries ready at least an hour in advance so they have time to sit and form juices
that you can spoon over the cake when serving
- Once you have grilled the cake, I suggest serving the dessert immediately while the cake is freshly grilled and warm
Thanks A Million, PAVILIONS®!
One-stop shopping and the ease of recipe planning through Summer Starts Here really brought this recipe to life. I just have to thank PAVILIONS® personally for sponsoring this recipe, written by me, so I could bring it to all of you Bold Bakers out there!
Try These Recipes!
Grilled Homemade Shortcake with Strawberries & Lime Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (6oz/172g) powdered sugar (I used Signature Select®)
- 1 cup (5oz/142g) all-purpose flour (I used Signature Select®)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (I used Signature Select®)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (12oz/340g) egg whites (about 12 egg whites, I used O Organics® eggs)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup (8oz/225g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 cups (20oz/568G) fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (12floz/360ml) heavy whipping cream (I used Lucerne® Cream)
- 2 limes
Instructions
Angel Food Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter an angel food cake pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar, flour, cornstarch (I used Signature Select® for all 3), and salt.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites (I used O Organics® eggs) and cream of tartar on medium speed until you've reached soft peaks.
- Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually sprinkle in granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form. Mix in extracts and remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the whipped egg whites and fold gently with a large spoon or spatula until just combined. Sprinkle over the remaining flour mixture and gently fold until no streaks remain.
- Transfer the batter into a prepared cake pan and bake until the top of the cake springs back when touched, 40–50 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and transferring to a rack and let cool completely. I suggest making the angel food cake the day before your BBQ.
Macerated Strawberries
- Wash, hull, and halve the strawberries and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the granulated sugar and allow to sit for 60 minutes to macerate. Stir occasionally.
Lime Whipped Cream
- Using an electric stand mixer or hand mixer whip the cream (I used Lucerne® heavy whipping cream) to soft peaks. Add the zest of the limes and stir. Place in the fridge until needed.
Assembling the Strawberry Shortcake
- Turn your BBQ to medium-low heat. Cut 6 thick slices of angel food cake and place on the preheated grill. Grill on each side for 2-3 minutes or until your cake is toasted. Remove from the grill.
- Place your grilled cake on plates and spoon over the macerated strawberries and any juice that formed. Finish with a big dollop of whipped lime cream and enjoy straight away.
Why juice the limes if not added to this recipe? Only the zest seems to be used in the whipped cream, is that correct?