Easy Grilled Pound Cake With Berries & Mascarpone Toppings
You don’t have to bake anything to make this yummy Grilled Pound Cake With Berries Camping Dessert Recipe because it starts with a prepared pound cake.
This is one of our favorite camping dessert recipes that combines fresh ingredients with pre-packaged ones making an out-of-this-world tasty end to your camping dinner!
Prepare In Advance
I love making fun camping desserts that are red, white and blue when we are camping on patriotic holidays. If you want to do as much prep as possible at home, here’s what you can do.
- At home:
- Toast the nuts.
- Clean and cook the raspberries and blueberries. Let cool, seal in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.
- Mix the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar, place in re-sealable plastic bag and keep refrigerated.
- At camp:
- Butter and grill the pound cake slices.
- Top with mascarpone cheese mixture, raspberries, blueberries, sauce and toasted nuts.
Cooking Methods & Equipment
I like using a cast iron grill pan or griddle for toasting the slices of buttered pound cake. You’ll need small pans to heat the two fruit mixtures.
- To prepare as one of our campfire recipes, you’ll want to have hot coals (not flames) for heating the pan.
- To prepare as one of our camp stove recipes, you can use either a non-stick skillet or a cast iron grill pan. I prefer the cast iron because it adds nice grill marks to the cake.
- To prepare as one of our camping grill recipes, you can place the cake slices directly on grill grates. For charcoal grills, I recommend avoiding using lighter fluid because I think it adds a funky flavor to food. I like using a chimney starter to quickly and efficiently light charcoal briquettes without chemicals. Check out our VIDEO to see how to use a charcoal chimney to light coals quickly and efficiently without chemicals.
Grilled Pound Cake Recipe Steps
Step 1. Toast the nuts. You bring out the flavor of nuts when you toast them. Chop the walnuts, then you’ll be adding them to a dry pan to toast them over medium/high heat.
- Camp Cooking Tip: You will “smell” the doneness; watch the nuts closely because once they start toasting … they can burn quickly.
- If you are doing this in advance, transfer the nuts to a sealable container and store them at room temperature until you are ready to use them.
Step 2. Make the berry sauces. Now it is time to combine the berries with a bit of lemon juice, zest and sugar. You’ll be cooking them down and mashing some of the berries to make a sauce.
- If you are doing this in advance, transfer the berry mixtures to sealable containers and refrigerate them until you are ready to use them.
Step 3. Make the mascarpone cheese topping. This is similar to a cream cheese frosting that is used on carrot cakes but instead of cream cheese you will be combining powdered sugar with mascarpone cheese.
- Transfer the mixture into a plastic re-sealable bag and let it sit out at room temperature if you are using it right away.
- If you are making this in advance, refrigerate the mascarpone mixture until just before you are ready to use it, then bring it out to get room temperature for serving. If the mascarpone mixture is not at room temperature, you won’t be able to pipe it through the bag.
- Camp Cooking Tip: Let the mascarpone soften a bit and then mix in the powdered sugar. I just do this in the container for less dirty dishes, always a camper’s goal!
Step 4. Toast the pound cake. Now it is time to butter the pound cake and grill it over a pre-heated cast iron griddle or grill pan using medium heat.
Hand Test For Cooking Temperatures
You don’t need a thermometer to determine the temperature of your heat source for cooking. Here are steps for the “hand test”.
- Hold the palm of your hand about 5 inches above the heat source (campfire coals, charcoal briquettes, propane grill etc.) you’re using for cooking. (Make sure nothing is flammable, like clothing or jewelry.)
- Pull your hand away from the heat before it hurts and note how many seconds have passed. Example: 6-7 seconds = medium heat.
| Heat Level | Temperature Range | Time |
| High Heat | 450-550°F (230-290C) | 2-4 seconds |
| Medium-High | 375-450°F (190-230C) | 5 seconds |
| Medium Heat | 350-375°F (175-190C) | 6-7 seconds |
| Low-Medium | 325-350°F (160-175C) | 8 seconds |
| Low Heat | 250-325°F (120-160C) | 9-10 seconds |
You are looking for a nice texture and flavor here. The butter adds a homemade essence to this store-bought cake.
A golden-brown, crispy texture and a slightly warmed cake make this camping dessert taste like something you would get in a fancy restaurant! Using prepared ingredients, like this pound cake, are the foundation of many easy camping meals.
Step 5. Assemble and enjoy. Almost time to eat! Place the pound cake on a plate, cut the corner off of your mascarpone’s plastic bag and pipe (squeeze out) the cheese mixture on your cake slices. Then top with each of the berry mixtures and nuts.
Variations & Substitutions
- If you don’t have mascarpone cheese use the same amount of cream cheese but add a little more powdered sugar because it has a tangier and less sweet flavor.
- Swapping out the fruit can give summer desserts a totally different taste. Try using strawberries, peaches or pineapple.
- If fresh fruit is not in season top the grilled cake slices with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream then drizzle with warmed chocolate or caramel sauce and top with nuts.
Pairings
I love a cold glass of milk with my desserts but when it’s cold outside I prefer a warm beverage like a rich and creamy cup of Campfire Hot Cocoa topped with mini marshmallows or freshly whipped whipping cream.
Meal Planning
Use my camping menu planner to stay organized when planning meals for your next trip. It’s FREE and you’ll get it delivered instantly to your inbox!
Similar Recipes
- No electric appliances are needed to make this scratch Dutch Oven Carrot Cake that is topped with cream cheese frosting.
- I make this Dutch Oven Blueberry Cobbler for my dad when he visits our campsite. Getting him to share it with the rest of us can be a challenge, he he.
- This Pineapple Upside Down Cake starts with a boxed mix that is jazzed up with pecans, coconut, brown sugar, pineapple slices and maraschino cherries.
Recipe
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Grilled Pound Cake With Berries & Mascarpone Toppings
Equipment
- Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Reversible Grill-Griddle (for grilling pound cake)
- Small pans (for heating fruit mixtures)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 (6 oz) container fresh raspberries
- 1 (6 oz) container fresh blueberries
- 1 lemon zest and juice (divided)
- About 4 tablespoons sugar divided
- 1 (8 oz) container mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 packaged vanilla pound cake loaf sliced in 8 even slices, about 1-inch thick
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
Instructions
- Add walnuts to small pan. Over medium-high heat, cook until nuts are toasted. You will “smell” the doneness; watch them closely because once they start toasting they can burn quickly.
- Add raspberries, half the lemon juice and zest and half the sugar to a medium sized pan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and berries are warmed through. While cooking use back of fork or potato masher to crush some of the berries to create a sauce, make sure to leave some berries whole. Set aside to cool.
- Repeat this process for the blueberries.
- Let the mascarpone soften a bit and then mix in the powdered sugar. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag. If you are doing this right before assembly, leave at room temperature so you can pipe it through the bag. If you are doing this in advance, refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
- Pre-heat cast iron grill pan or griddle to medium high heat. You can use a campfire, camp stove or RV stove as your heat source for this. (see Note #1)
- Butter both sides of each pound cake slice and grill on each side until nicely browned and toasted, about 1-2 minutes total.
- For assembly, place 2 slices of pound cake on a plate. Then, cut corner off of plastic bag and squeeze cheese through the opening, spoon on some of each berry mixture and top with the toasted walnuts. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use the “hand test”: hold the palm of your hand about 5 inches above the heat source, pull it away before it hurts, 5-6 seconds = medium heat.
Nutrition
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