30 Jul Mixed Berry & Plum Hobo Packs + Grilled Pound Cake

It’s getting to that point in the summer where my air conditioner is constantly a’hummin’ and my utility bill is high enough to warrant the consumption of budget-friendly beans and rice for dinner every night until we see temps below 85F again. How in the hell can 564 square feet cost so much money to keep cool?!

Okay, so we’re not really eating only beans and rice because no amount of sriracha could keep that interesting for long, but it does mean that two things are happening a lot more frequently around here  — LOTS of cold salad meals, and when we’re actually cooking, we take to the grill.

How, you ask, does one satisfy her sweet tooth without turning on the oven? Well, the first answer is ice cream. DUH. But the truth of the matter is, when you’re as far down the sugar addiction rabbit hole as I am, sometimes (okay, a lot of times) the only thing that can scratch the itch is a fat slice of cake. In the case of this recipe, store-bought, frozen pound cake from the rarely-visited “frozen desserts” section of my grocery store. Yeah, I went there.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and to be honest with you, it’s pretty damn good. Texturally, it quite light with a fine crumb and spongy texture — hard to achieve when creating a homemade pound cake, as many home bakers can attest. The flavor though, will never match that of a homemade cake, and that’s where these hobo packs come in. They’re the actual star of the show here, the cake is purely of a vehicle for shoving warm, juicy fruit into your mouth as deliciously as possible.

Hobo packs are relatively new to me. Developed by campers (or maybe actual hobos?) as a quick and mess-less way to cook over a campfire, they can be either sweet or savory. The idea is simple — wrap your food up in foil, place in hot coals or over a grill, and cook through. The real beauty of this method of cooking though, is that when exposed to heat the packs’ contents release their juices and everything kind of just melts together into a sort of steamy, single-serving of fire-roasted stew. If we’re talking savory, a little toasty bread and you’re set. It’s simple, outdoor cooking at it’s best.

Of course, we’re not accustomed to talking savory around these parts, so onto the Butterlust version. These hobo packs combine gorgeous ruby-fleshed plums with three kinds of berries and (obviously) just a touch of butter and sugar for added flavor and richness. When cooked for 10 minutes on the grill, all of the fruit’s juices release and create something very similar to a crisp or cobbler base. Everything is then spooned over smoky, toasted pound cake and topped with fresh, unsweetened whipped cream (if you’re feeling less hobo, more fancy). The grilled pound cake acts like a sponge, absorbing all of the bubbly, sweet nectar that the fruit has released, melding together into one incredibly magical semi-homemade dessert.

I developed this recipe in partnership with Kendall-Jackson — it’s meant to be paired with their K-J AVANT Red Blend, and really, you should try it. It’s such an easy red to drink, even in the summer, and pairs beautifully with the depth of flavor that berries take on when heated. I’m quite smitten (and maybe a little tipsy, too). Hop on over to the K-J blog for the full recipe!

One more thing!  This seems like the perfect time to mention that next week kicks off Butterlust’s second annual Eff the Oven August! I’m going to be featuring an entire month of no-bake recipes because let’s be honest, nobody wants to turn on their oven in this gawdawful heat. GET EXCITED, GUYS. I’ve got some goodies coming your way!

RELATED POSTS:

Honeycomb Cereal Pound Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream Mixed Berry Mascarpone Bundt Cake Berry Long Cake with Crumb Topping Lemon-Ginger Quinoa Pudding with Plum Conserve // Eff the Oven August