Grilled Strawberry Upside-Down Cake

This started out as a strawberry shortcake, which felt like a necessary addition to any good grill book. But as often happens, a little playing around with the format led to this super-fun upside-down cake. Placing whole strawberries in the bottom of the pan means that when it’s flipped, the batter creates cavernous little tunnels around the fruit, perfect for catching drips of soft whipped cream. It’s a stunner to look at and even better to eat. –Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

For the pound cake:

• 1 stick (4 ounces/115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 1½ cups (300 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 8 to 10 large whole strawberries, hulled

For the whipped cream:

• 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream, cold
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For serving:

• Fresh whole strawberries, for garnish
• Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Instructions:

Make the pound cake batter:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, oil, sugar, and salt and beat until all the butter has creamed together, making a paste-like consistency. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until fully incorporated. Beat in the flour and baking powder, then beat in the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until just smooth, taking care not to overmix.

Set up the grill:

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium heat, and set it up with two zones: a hot side and cold (less hot) side, for direct and indirect cooking. You want the temperature to hover around 350°F (175°C). If too hot, close the air vents and cool the heat down.

Grease a grill-safe 9 by 5-inch (23 by 12 cm) loaf pan. Line the bottom of the loaf pan evenly with the whole strawberries and pour batter over the top.

Place the loaf pan on the grill, close the lid, and cook until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the whipped cream:

In a bowl, whisk the cream, sugar, and salt until soft peaks form (or do this in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment). 

To serve:

When the cake has cooled slightly, invert onto a platter. Top with big dollops of whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and sprigs of fresh mint.

Excerpt from the new book American Grill: 125 Recipes for Mastering Live Fire by Tyler Florence. Text copyright (c) 2024 by Tyler Florence. Photos copyright (c) 2024 by Jason Perry. Published by Abrams.