Grilled Angel Food Cake with Maple Whipped Cream

Once you’ve tried grilled angel food cake, there is a good chance you’ll never want it any other way. With a crisp, golden brown crust reminiscent of toasted marshmallows and that tender melt-in-your-mouth interior you’ve come to expect from angel food cake, this is sure to become one of your favourite go-to dessert recipes for fast and delicious results.

This recipe can be made with your favourite homemade angel food cake recipe or with the store-bought variety. However, if you buy a pre-made cake, look for one that is not packaged inside a disposable baking pan. The exterior of cakes sold like this tend to be very sticky, which makes them more difficult to slice. Look for one that is packaged with just plastic wrap around it for protection, instead.

Ingredients:

1 pint double (whipping) cream
1-2 T. real maple syrup

1 angel food cake, homemade or purchased
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into chunks or slices
½ pint fresh blueberries, washed

Directions:

In a large glass bowl, blend 1 pint of whipping cream with a hand or immersion blender until it doubles in size and changes texture. Then, drizzle maple syrup into the bowl and continue blending until the mixture is light and fluffy. Set aside.

Turn the grill on high.

Due to its round shape, angel food cake is normally cut into a series of wedges. However, the pieces will not brown evenly under the grill if cut like this. Instead, carefully slice the angel food cake with a sharp knife into equally thick sections by making a series of parallel 2” wide cuts, starting on one side of the cake and working toward the opposite side. Trim the pieces so they are all approximately the same size. The result should be uniformly sized pieces that will brown evenly.

Place the angel food cake slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush the top with melted butter. Turn over each piece and repeat on the other side.

Place baking sheet under the grill until a golden-brown crust starts to form. (You may need to rotate the baking sheet to get uniform results). Keep a close eye on the cake during this time because it can burn very quickly. Once toasted, remove baking sheet from oven and turn over each piece of angel food cake. Place back under the grill and toast the remaining side until golden brown.

To serve, arrange toasted slices on individual serving plates and top with maple whipped cream and fresh berries.