grilled lemon pound cake with plums

 

happy monday! i am finally sharing the recipe for that grilled pound cake i talked about over on instagram the other week. as i mentioned before, justin & i got a barbecue for modest house which has been used pretty much every single day since. we are even grilling dessert on it! i got the barbecue from wayfair cananda (yay free shipping)! we didn't want a classic stainless steel model so i was excited when i saw this bronze and black model by dyna-glo. it is a 4-burner barbecue with a side burner too. we opted for the natural gas version & had a gas line installed this month so we never have to fill a propane tank again! our kitchen range is also gas so it wasn't much of a hassle to run the line outside too. now this pound cake! i loveeee pound cake in general but adding a little extra smokey flavour from the grill & topping it with sweet grilled plums took it to another level. you could top it with grilled peaches too once those are in season! i will definitly be doing that this summer. find the recipe below as well as the link to our shiny new barbecue.

p.s. don't forget to top it with whipped cream!!!

ingredients

for the grilled plums

  • 4 plums, quatered
  • 1 tablespoon raw sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • whipped cream, for topping

for the grilled lemon pound cake

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 lemon, zested

directions

for the grilled plums

  • in a bowl toss together the plums, sugar & butter.
  • place on the grill flesh side down for a minute on each side.

for the grilled lemon pound cake

  • in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter & sugar until fluffy.
  • add in the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla & yogurt.
  • sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda & sea salt.
  • beat until batter is smooth. about two minutes.
  • stir in the lemon juice & lemon zest.
  • bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top bounces back to touch.
  • let cool completly.
  • slice into 1/2 inch pieces & grill on each side for 30 seconds.
  • top with grilled plums & whipped cream!

this post was created in partnership with wayfair! thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog. you can find the barbecue i featured here:)

frozen watermelon margarita

 

ok watermelon lovers THIS is the drink you want to have in your hands all summer long. it is basically an adult version of a watermelon slushy but made with zevia's cucumber lemon sparkling water, fresh watermelon & a little bit of alcohol. it is beyond refreshing. zevia's sparkling water is lightly sweetened with stevia, making it zero calories. it is the perfect amount of sweetness when mixed with a juicy watermelon. i thought i was a genius (lol) when i came up with the idea of freezing zevia's sparkling water into the actual ice cubes for the margarita. when it is a million degrees out the ice begins to melt way too fast & the drink gets watered down. not anymore! this ice will melt into a flavourful cucumber lemon infused water. how smart is that?! i kept this a classic margarita & used the tequila/triple sec combination for the alcohol, but if you want to make this a virgin drink for the kids simply just omit the alcohol & replace it with equal parts zevia.

cheers & happy long weekend american friends! xo

ingredients

for the watermelon margaritas (makes 4 margaritas)

  • 3 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 8 ounces tequila
  • 3 ounces triple sec
  • 2 cups zevia cucumber lemon ice (see recipe below)
  • himalayan pink salt, to rim the glass
  • lime wedges, to garnish

for the cucumber lemon ice

directions

for the watermelon margaritas

  • in a blender add the watermelon, lime juice, tequila, triple sec & cucumber lemon ice.
  • blend until smooth. if margarita appears to be too thick, add a splash of zevia until desired consistency is reached!
  • rim glassses with lime juice & himalayan pink salt.
  • divide mixture evenly amongst four glasses.
  • garnish with a fresh wedge of lime & serve!

for the zevia cucumber lemon ice

  • pour zevia into two ice cube trays & place in freezer.
  • let freeze completly before using, about 4-6 hours.
  • remove from tray when ready!

matcha fudge sheet cake

 

happy long weekend!!!! i am so looking forward to relaxing outside, barbecuing, taking a little break from work & drinking way more ice coffees then one person should. it looks like the weather isn't going to be as hot as it was these past couple days here, but lets just cross our fingers the rain holds off for us. now let's talk about this cake!

remember sheet cakes? can we please make these popular again! i feel like in the 90s all i ever did was make cake mix sheet cakes & load them up with rainbow chip frosting. then as my skills progressed, i left behind the simple sheet cake for fancy frosted layer cakes. i forgot how simple & delicious these cakes are to whip up! even the rose frosting took no time at all. bonus points: you don't have to remove them from the pan & pray it doesn't break in the process. the base of this cake is matcha fudge & the frosting is a pure matcha buttercream. because it is a fudgey cake (kind of like a cross between a cake & a brownie) i wouldn't use this recipe for layer cakes! it is so dense, chocolatey & matchay you are going to LOVE it. plus it all whips up in one bowl! for the matcha powder i use aiya matcha's cooking grade blend so the flavours don't get lost when it is mixed with other ingredients!

ingredients

for the matcha fudge cake

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup dutch dark cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon aiya cooking grade matcha (i use the cooking grade)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup full fat plain yogurt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup boiling water

for the matcha buttercream

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons aiya matcha powder
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • cocoa nibs or chocolate sprinkles, for decorating

directions

for the matcha fudge cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl add the sugar, oil, vanilla, cocoa powder, matcha powder, eggs & oil. beat until well combined. whisk in the yogurt.
  • sift in flour, baking soda and salt. mix until the flour is fully incorporated into the batter, a few lumps are okay!
  • slowly pour in the boiling water until silky smooth.
  • pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
  • bake until the top bounces back to touch. about 30-35 minutes.
  • let cool completely before frosting.

for the matcha buttercream

  • in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and matcha powder.
  • add in the sugar & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy, about 10 minutes.
  • frost cake as desired & top with cocoa nibs!

thank you so much to aiya matcha for sponsoring this post! all opinions are my own. the cooking grade matcha blend that i used is availablehere. xo