Pound Cake with Sweet Cream, Berries and Blackberry Simple Syrup

This dessert is simple and delicious. Perfect for warm summer months when you want something light, sweet and tasty. The buttery pound cake, homemade whipped cream, fresh berries and fragrant blackberry syrup are a winning combination.

If you don't have time to make a pound cake from scratch, you can save time by using a prepared cake and making the homemade whipped cream and blackberry syrup.

This dessert takes full advantage of all the sweet juicy berries that are in season

A nice puddle of blackberry syrup adds lots of rich flavor

Is this tempting you? look at that nice plump blackberry. They are so delicious with the sweet whipped cream

Ingredients

Prepared pound cake (recipe follows)

Basic Whipped Cream

fresh raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries

Pound Cake 

3 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks softened butter
3 cups cake flour
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
6 eggs (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar in a mixer. Add eggs one at a time.
Add flour and cream, alternating between the two. Add baking powder. Add salt. Add vanilla. Pour cake into tube or bundt pan that has been sprayed with baking spray. Place cake in oven that has not been preheated and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool cake in pan on baking rack for 30 minutes.

Basic Whipped Cream

1 pint whipping cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Directions 

Whip the cream in a bowl until it begins to get fluffy, when stiff peaks start to form, add vanilla and sugar. It takes a couple of minutes for the peaks to form. Chill the cream until ready to use. 

Blackberry Simple Syrup

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup water

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

Directions 

Combine sugar, water and blackberries in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. When mixture boils, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 5-7 minutes crushing blackberries against side of the pan. Remove from heat and let mixture steep for 15 minutes. Strain blackberry syrup through strainer and let cool. This syrup keeps 7-10 days in refrigerator.

To assemble the dessert, slice pound cake, place generous dollop of whipped cream, drizzle with blackberry syrup and top with fresh berries.

Bon Appetit!

Rose Water Ice Cream in Rose Petal Mint Leaf shot glasses

I am so excited to share with you my recipe for Rosewater Ice Cream. I discovered Rosewater Ice Cream several years back when a colleague who was from Persia introduced me to this wonderful treat. One day she walked into the office with this ice cream, but it did not look like ordinary ice cream, it looked super rich and creamy and had the consistency of Gelato. When I asked her what kind of ice cream she was eating, she said "Rosewater". My response to her was: "Rosewater? you mean this ice cream is made from rose petals? she said yes and I insisted she take me to this place with ice cream made from roses. We walked down the Sunset strip to Mashti Malones and I got to experience it for myself. All I could say was....WOW!

Through trial and error, I experimented and came up with this recipe. You only need a hint of rosewater. Traditional rosewater ice cream looks just like Vanilla ice cream, but I thought it would be pretty to tint the ice cream pink. I also made shot glasses out of rose petals and mint leaves. This makes such a stylish presentation and the possibilities are endless! You can use lemon slices or any fruit you like and sorbet or ice cream. If you don't have time to make the ice cream yourself, use store bought and then make the shot glasses for an amazing and stylish presentation. All you need is a shot glass mold, H2O, mint leaves and rose petals.  You can purchase the molds at Bed Bath and Beyond or any store that sells culinary supplies.

 This is all you need for the shot glasses. Add Water to the mold and place mint leaves and rose petals in the water. Make sure your rose petals are pesticide free.

Mint leaves add an extra special touch to these shot glasses

Rose petals add pizazz and elegance

 Rosewater

This is what the shot glass looks like after it has frozen overnight.  You could also serve a drink in these, but I love the idea of putting a frozen dessert or fruit in them. These melt very quickly. Place a beautiful towel or piece of fabric under the ice to catch the melting water.

Ice Ice Baby!

Isn't this beautiful?

Are you ready to make rosewater ice cream? Here we go!

Rosewater ice cream

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
4 egg-yolks
1/3 tsp salt
1 tablespoon rosewater (you can purchase rosewater at any middle eastern grocery store)
Method:
Heat the milk and the sugar in a pot, take care not to boil it. When all the sugar melts, turn off the heat.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks until foamy and add the heavy cream to it.

Add the warm milk-sugar mixture to the yolks-heavy cream mixture. Add the salt and the rosewater. Stir well.
Return the mixture to the pot and cook on medium heat. Keep stirring until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Cool mixture and pour into ice cream maker.

Rosepetal Ice Cream served in a rose and mint leaf shot glass, surrounded by rose petals and a 14K spoon. The good life......You betcha:-) You will feel like royalty when you enjoy this amazing treat and if you serve this at your next dinner party or any function where you want a little extra panache, your guests will feel like royalty too! Do you deserve such riches? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet Sandwiches

When I think of refreshing desserts, sorbet is at the top of the list. These sorbet sandwiches are a nice twist on the usual ice cream sandwich. These are made with sugar cookies and delicious homemade sorbet. If you are pressed for time, this works just as well with store bought sorbet.



Fresh Lemons make this sorbet tart, sweet and refreshing!




Fresh Strawberries add the perfect sweetness




How cute are these?




Want some?




Ok, time to make sorbet sandwiches:-) Lets Go!

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet Sandwiches

Store bought or homemade sugar cookies.

Spread sorbet on sugar cookie and place another cookie on top. Press together.

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet

1 lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons

Note:  Add 2 teaspoons vodka or rum, it keeps the sorbet from freezing too solid.

1. Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Puree the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.

Lemon Sorbet

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and cool.

Combine the sugar water with the lemon juice and the lemon zest and pout into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to instructions. After the sorbet is made, transfer to an airtight container.



Pound Cake Sandwiches (Colorblock Dessert!)



Are you looking for a cold, refreshing and comforting dessert? These pound cake sandwiches will not disappoint! Sweet, Creamy, delicious sherbet nestled between two hunkin slices of pound cake make for a very delicious dessert. And its colorful and summery. During these warm months, my ice cream maker is always on overdrive as I whip up homemade ice creams, sorbets and sherbets.  I was pressed for time so I made the homemade pound cake and used store bought sherbet.  If you want to save time or just don't feel like baking a cake, you can use a store bought loaf pound cake and sherbet.

I know the moment I post a recipe, I instantly lose some of you until I post another fashion item. Who says food can't be fashionable? A color block dessert? Um, Yes Please!!!! This blog is about style at 360 and well, in my world that includes fabulous food!

Try serving this at your next barbecue or gathering. I guarantee you have a hit!

This is a quick and easy showstopping dessert! Don't you want some?

Pound Cake Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 cup  unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups sifted all purpose flour (sift 3 times before you measure it)

1 cup whipping cream

Directions:

Butter and flour or use nonstick spray on 2 9x5 loaf baking pans and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer  until light and fluffly (approximately 4-5 minutes).

Stop once or twice to scrape down batter from sides of bowl and then add eggs one at a time beating slowly after each additon. Add one third of the flower mixture at low speed and add half the whipping cream. continue alternating flour and whipping cream and end with flour. Add vanilla and mix to combine. With rubber spatula scape down sides until completely mixed pour into loaf pans 2/3 full.

This cake does nor require a preheated oven. Put cake in unheated oven at 325 for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Oven times vary, so check at the 50 minute point. Depending on which oven I use, this cake gets done in under 1 hour, but in an oven that may not get as hot,it might take the whole 1 hour and 15 minutes.


It is scorching outside and I would love nothing more than for you to join me for pound cake sandwiches by my pool. How does that sound?

Me and my mini me are having this for dessert.  Life is Sweet!