Quick and Healthy Angel Food Cake Dessert with Vanilla-Honey Oranges
This 5-ingredient, easy Angel Food Cake Dessert recipe features warm, toasty cake under a cascade of winter fruit that’s perfectly accented by a little honey and a splash of vanilla! Super-fast for entertaining, or even for a special weeknight treat!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Includes Make-Ahead Steps • Vegetarian •
Ingredients
- 4 (1 - 1 1/2 inch thick) slices of angel food cake (about 1/3 of a whole cake – we use purchased cake from the grocery's bakery)
- 1 cup orange sections (from about two 9-ounce navel oranges), peeled and cut into sections with membranes removed (see directions for how to "supreme" cut an orange, in the post above)
- reserved juice from the oranges (squeeze the membranes and pith after extracting orange sections, to save the remaining juice that's left behind)
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate arils (we usually use refrigerated, packaged arils, but you can also see notes in the post on how to remove arils from a whole pomegranate)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt (optional for serving)
Instructions
- Stir together oranges and their reserved juice, pomegranate arils, honey, and vanilla. Set aside (cover and refrigerate for up to a couple of days if making this topping ahead).
- Preheat broiler. (See note below on alternate grilling and toasting options.)
- Spread the angel food cake slices on a baking sheet and broil until warmed and lightly toasted and golden on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side). We recommend that you keep your cake slices at least a couple of inches away from the broiler’s heat source, and also keep a close eye on them. Once they begin to toast, they can go quickly from golden brown to burned.
- To serve, drizzle a quarter of the orange-pomegranate sauce over each slice of warm angel food cake. Optionally, add a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt alongside. Serve immediately.
Notes
Alternate grilling and toasting instructions: This recipe also works well by grilling the slices of angel food cake for about 2-5 minutes per side. Be careful not to grill the cake over a high flame – we recommend grilling over a very low flame or on one side of a preheated grill where the flame has been turned off. You can also briefly toast the angel food cake slices in a toaster oven.
Purchased shortcuts: To make this recipe ultra quick and easy, we typically buy an angel food cake at our grocery store’s bakery and often grab the little cups of pomegranate arils from our store’s refrigerated produce section. If you prefer, you can certainly opt to make your own cake and buy a whole pomegranate to remove the arils yourself (see directions for removing arils in our post How to Open a Pomegranate, if needed).
Make-ahead step: The sauce can be made ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Yield: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a party. Since 4 servings (as the recipe is written) uses about 1/3 of an entire angel food cake, you can triple the recipe to yield 12 servings and use up the entire cake. Increase the orange-pomegranate topping accordingly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4 dessertsServing Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 126Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 19gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.