Indulgent Grilled Pound Cake with Peaches and Bourbon Caramel Drizzle

It's that time of year when peaches are showing up in every grocery store. I picked up some delicious ones from my local Costco with the intent to make a summery dinner with grilled peaches. I did, in fact, make a grilled peach dinner, but I thought the peaches were so sweet that they overpowered the rest of the dish. So scrap that! I decided to use the rest of the peaches in a show-stopping dessert where they belong!

I had never grilled a peach before, but damn if they weren't delicious! The sugar from the peaches caramelized on the grill, causing sugar strands to lift off the grill grates. What a sexy way to prepare fruit!

So I thought to myself, let's make a delicious grilled peach dessert! And while we're grilling peaches, why not grill the pound cake too? Then my head gets going and now I want ice cream to chill out my warm dessert, and I'm going to need salt to balance all that sweet, so the obvious choice is a salted bourbon caramel. Voila! Summer deliciousness on a plate.

I started with a basic pound cake recipe and then tweaked it to my liking. I believe all good cakes have buttermilk and oil in common. Do yourself a favor and go to the store and buy buttermilk. The whole "just add lemon juice to milk" is not the same! You'll also need potato starch, which can be found in the flour aisle next to all the fancy Bob's Red Mill flours and starches. I purchased it at my local Meijer. I'll post more recipes that use potato starch because there's actually quite a lot of uses for it.

This pound cake recipe is pretty straightforward. Cream butter & sugar, then add eggs followed by the dry ingredients alternated with the wet. The only really bizarre thing (besides potato starch) that I did in this recipe is to use shortening and sugar to grease my loaf pan instead of the traditional shortening and flour. The shortening and sugar heated together make a caramel that coats the pound cake and creates a crispy exterior. The only trick to this is you must flip your pound cake from the pan while the cake is still hot. If you don't, the caramel will stick to the pan like glue.

AfterI served this dessert with cinnamon ice cream but you can use any flavor you'd like.

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Grilled pound cake slices with grilled peaches

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Making the Perfect Pound Cake

The foundation of this dessert is a moist, tender pound cake with a hint of vanilla. Here’s the recipe to follow:

Ingredients:

• 1.5 sticks butter (softened)

• 2 tbsp shortening

• 1.5 cups sugar

• 3 eggs

• Seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup potato starch

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup oil (neutral flavor like vegetable or canola)

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

  
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and sugar a loaf pan.

2. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Stir in vanilla seeds or extract.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt.

6. Mix Buttermilk and oil in a small bowl. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk & oil to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I checked my cake at 45 min and covered with foil to prevent overbrowning. My cake needed the full 60 minutes.

8. Allow cake to sit in hot pan for 5 minutes and then flip over to remove. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.

   Tip: If sugar crystals still exist (the top sides of my cake still had visible crystals), you can use a kitchen torch to lightly caramelize the sugar. This resulted in a deliciously crunchy exterior.

   
   

This pound cake has a tender crumb thanks to the potato starch and buttermilk, which also add moisture. The vanilla bean seeds give a natural, aromatic flavor that shines through when grilled.

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Grilling Peaches for Sweet Smokiness

Grilled peaches add a juicy, smoky contrast to the pound cake. Choose ripe but firm peaches to avoid mushiness.

How to Grill Peaches:

• Cut peaches in half and remove the pit.

• Brush lightly with oil or melted butter to prevent sticking.

• Place cut side down on a hot grill over medium heat.

• Grill for 3-4 minutes until grill marks appear and the peach softens slightly.

• Flip and grill the skin side for another 2 minutes.

• Remove and serve with pound cake and caramel sauce

  
  

Grilling intensifies the peach’s natural sugars and adds a subtle char that complements the caramel sauce perfectly.

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Grilled peach halves with char marks

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Salted Brown Butter and Bourbon Caramel Sauce

This sauce brings richness and warmth to the dish. Brown butter adds a nutty flavor, while bourbon gives a subtle kick without overpowering the other elements and the salt balances out the sweetness.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 tbsp bourbon- I measure this with my heart

• Good Pinch of sea salt

  
  

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until it turns golden brown and smells nutty (about 4-5 minutes). Watch carefully to avoid burning.

2. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved.

3. Slowly pour in heavy cream while stirring continuously.

4. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 3-4 minutes until thickened.

5. Remove from heat and stir in bourbon and salt.

6. Let cool slightly before drizzling over the grilled pound cake and peaches.

   
   

This sauce can be made ahead and reheated gently. The bourbon flavor mellows as it cooks, leaving a smooth, rich finish.

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Serving with Cinnamon Ice Cream

The final touch is a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. The cool creaminess balances the warm cake and sauce, while the cinnamon adds a hint of spice that ties all the flavors together.

If you don’t have cinnamon ice cream on hand, you can sprinkle a little ground cinnamon over vanilla ice cream or make a quick cinnamon whipped cream.

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Plated grilled pound cake with peaches, caramel, and cinnamon ice cream

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Tips for Success

• Slice pound cake thick: About 1-inch thick slices hold up better on the grill and caramelize nicely.

• Watch the grill time: Pound cake grills quickly. About 1 minute per side is enough to get golden grill marks without drying it out.

• Adjust sweetness: If your peaches are very sweet, reduce the sugar slightly in the caramel sauce.

• Serve immediately: This dessert is best enjoyed fresh off the grill with the warm sauce and cold ice cream.

  
  

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