Ingredients
¼ cup maple syrup
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tbsp vanilla extract
1 frozen all-purpose (plain) or vanilla pound cake, cut into 2cm slices or desired thickness
250g food-grade wood chips, for grilling
Fresh fruit and whipped cream (optional)
Fresh mint leaves, for garnishing*
*Available at your nearest FairPrice store.
Method
If you’ve got a small barbecue grill at home and some time on your hands, this dessert is the perfect recipe to warm up your nights or a leisurely brunch to kickstart weekends.
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- Bring a cast-iron pan to the highest heat for at least 5 minutes. Once it is very hot, cover the base with at least 1cm depth of oak chips and leave until the chips start to smoulder, but they shouldn’t ignite.
- Move the cast-iron pan to a barbecue grill carefully, then close the lid and leave to smoke.
- To make the smoked maple syrup, pour maple syrup into a small heat resistant bowl and place on the cool side of the barbecue grill. Cover the grill again and allow the maple syrup to sit for at least 15-20 minutes until it has taken on a light smoky flavour.
- If the chips are still smoking after at least 20 minutes, let them go until they have finished. Remove from the grill and set aside until ready to use.
- Combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a shallow bowl and beat well. Dip pound cake slices in the egg mixture to coat both sides.
- Place the pound cake slices on the hot side of the grill and cook for approximately 2 minutes per side until the egg is cooked through and the pound cake is lightly browned.
- Serve the grilled pound cake slices with smoked maple syrup, fresh fruit such as mixed berries and whipped cream (optional).