This 4-ingredient oven-baked Memorial Day dessert is the kind of simple, cozy recipe busy families can actually pull off on a hectic holiday weekend. You literally take a solid, unthawed block of frozen pound cake, set it right into a glass baking dish, and pour just three more everyday ingredients over the top. As it bakes, the frozen cake softens, soaks up the sweet, buttery mixture, and turns into something halfway between a cobbler and a bread pudding. It feels special enough for a holiday table, but it’s so easy you’ll want to make it for every cookout and family get-together.
Serve this warm right out of the glass baking dish with scoops of vanilla ice cream or a big dollop of whipped cream. Fresh berries—strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries—make it feel especially festive for Memorial Day, and they help balance the sweetness. A drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce is lovely for chocolate lovers, and a pot of coffee or a pitcher of iced tea on the side turns it into a simple, celebratory dessert spread everyone can linger over.
4-Ingredient Baked Frozen Pound Cake DessertServings: 8
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) solid unthawed block of frozen pound cake, still in loaf form, wrapper removed
1 cup canned cherry pie filling (or other fruit pie filling)
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an oven-safe glass baking dish that will fit the full solid block of frozen pound cake (an 8x8-inch or similar size works well).
Unwrap the solid, unthawed block of frozen pound cake and place it lengthwise in the center of the glass baking dish. It should be one whole block, not sliced, so it can slowly soften and soak up the toppings as it bakes.
Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the top of the frozen pound cake, letting some of the filling fall down along the sides into the dish.
In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved and you have a thick, glossy mixture.
Pour the butter–brown sugar mixture slowly and evenly over the cherry-covered frozen pound cake, making sure to drizzle some along the sides so it runs down into the bottom of the dish.
Place the baking dish on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the pound cake is completely thawed and very soft, the edges are bubbling, and the top is golden and caramelized. The fruit and butter-sugar mixture should be thick and syrupy.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the dessert rest for at least 10–15 minutes. This helps the hot syrup settle and soak into the pound cake, and makes it easier (and safer) to serve.
Spoon the warm pound cake and sauce into bowls, making sure everyone gets some of the gooey fruit and caramelized edges. Serve as is, or top with ice cream or whipped cream.
Variations & Tips
You can easily swap the cherry pie filling for blueberry, strawberry, apple, or mixed berry pie filling—whatever your family likes best or what fits your holiday colors. For a red, white, and blue Memorial Day twist, use strawberry or cherry pie filling in the baking dish, then top each serving with fresh blueberries and whipped cream. If your crew prefers less sweetness, use only 1/3 cup brown sugar and add a pinch of salt to the butter. For a little crunch, sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts over the top before baking. Picky eaters who don’t like fruit can skip the pie filling and just bake the frozen pound cake with the butter and brown sugar; it will come out like a simple caramel pound cake. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract to the butter mixture for extra flavor. For food safety, always keep the pound cake frozen until you’re ready to assemble, and do not refreeze once it has thawed and baked. Make sure the dessert is heated all the way through and bubbling before serving, and let it cool a bit so no one burns their mouth on the hot syrup. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of baking, and reheat individual portions in the microwave until warm before serving.
