Grilling Up Desserts for Canada Day!

Keep the heat outside this weekend for Canada Day and bake your desserts outside! Whether you make the delicious Angel Food Cake from Egg Farmers of Ontario and enjoy it with fresh berries or grill it up and grill the berries, it is a perfect red and white themed dessert for Canada Day!
If you are ready for some adventure, bake the whole cake outside in your cast iron skillet on the barbecue, yes you can and it will taste delicious with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream-you can make that decision on the day.
Be sure to have fun with family and friends this long weekend! Happy Canada Day!!

Grilled Rhubarb Strawberry Maple Upside Down Cake

This cake with a hint of spice and sweet maple brings out the taste of the local summer fruit. You can serve it with a light dollop of whipped cream if desired and more fresh berries.

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1/3 cup (75 mL) pure maple syrup

1/3 cup (75 mL) packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla

1 1/4 cups (325 mL) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda

Pinch salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream

Grilled Rhubarb Topping:

12 oz (375 g) fresh rhubarb stalks

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter 

1/3 cup (75 mL) pure maple syrup

1/4 cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar

1 cup (250 mL) small fresh strawberries, halved

Grilled Rhubarb Topping: Place rhubarb on grill over medium high, turning frequently about 2 minutes until lightly grilled marked and still firm; set aside. Rub inside of cast iron skillet with butter and heat with maple syrup and brown sugar on medium-high grill until begins to bubble. Boil gently for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat and arrange rhubarb stalks, cutting as necessary to fit bottom of skillet. Sprinkle with strawberries and set aside. Turn off one side of the grill and reduce temperature to medium-low on other half to reach 350 F (180 C).

In a large bowl, beat butter, maple syrup and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and salt. Alternately, stir flour mixture and sour cream into butter mixture making 3 additions of flour and 2 of sour cream until combined. 

Dolllop batter gently over fruit. Using small offset spatula;  smooth batter carefully without moving fruit. 

Place skillet on unlit side of grill and bake in 350 F (180 C) barbecue for about 35 minutes or until cake is golden and tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes.  Invert cake onto serving plate and turn over, removing skillet. 

Makes about 12 servings.

Grilled Strawberry Kabob Angel Cake Dessert

8 fresh strawberries, hulled

Cooking spray

2 slices Angel Food Cake 

1/2 cup whipped cream

Balsamic glaze (optional)

Skewer strawberries onto 2 soaked bamboo or metal skewers. Spray with cooking spray.

Grill skewers on greased grill over medium heat, about 1 minute per side.

Spray cake slices with cooking spray and grill about 2 minutes per side.

Place cake slices on plates and top with whipped cream and strawberry skewer.

Drizzle with balsamic glaze if desired.

Makes 2 servings.