Red, White and Blue Dessert Skewers

I can’t tell you how to celebrate the Fourth of July at home. I haven’t spent the holiday there in almost two decades. Ever since I married my husband, we have spent Independence Day off camping in the woods somewhere. While we’ll often head into the nearest town to check out their annual fireworks display, dinner is almost always campfire food. I’ve always enjoyed incorporating a few patriotic recipes into our menu, and this year, my kids are looking forward to these red, white and blue dessert skewers the most.

While you could certainly make these from the comfort of your home, they also lend themselves well to prepping out in the great outdoors. Simply thread cubes of store-bought pound cake with blue and red berries onto skewers, then grill until the cake pieces are lightly toasted on all sides. Drizzle with melted candy melts for an extra touch of whimsy, and enjoy.

For ease, I plan to tote all the ingredients to our campsite, precut and washed. I know my kids will be bouncing around like little firecrackers the moment dinner is done, so having things ready to skewer will help keep the festivities rolling.

Ingredients for Red, White and Blue Dessert Skewers

• Pound cake: While a homemade classic pound cake would be delightful for this recipe, we love the convenience of store-bought pound cake here. If your pound cake was sold frozen, thaw it completely before assembling the skewers.
• Blue-colored berries: A combination of blackberries and blueberries supplies the blue hue for these patriotic grilled kabobs. For easier skewering, choose the largest blueberries and blackberries you can find.
• Strawberries: Smaller strawberries, roughly the size of your pound cake pieces, will help give your skewers a balanced look and allow you to fit more ingredients on each skewer.
• Butter: In testing, I found that the grilled pound cake achieved better color and flavor when lightly brushed with butter on all sides before cooking.
• Candy melts: Candy melts are found in the baking aisle at most supermarkets. They’re a great way to add a little extra sweetness and pizzazz to the skewers before serving.

Directions

Step 1: Preheat the grill

Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill to medium heat.

Editor’s Tip: If you haven’t already, cut the pound cake into cubes (about 1-1/2-inch squares).

Step 2: Skewer the cake and berries

Next, add the pound cake, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in an alternating pattern until the skewers are full.

Step 3: Brush with butter

Lightly brush the pound cake on all sides with melted butter.

Step 4: Grill on all sides

Grill the skewers, turning occasionally, until the pound cake is lightly charred on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Arrange on a platter.

Step 5: Warm the candy melts

Next, in a glass measuring cup, warm the white candy melts in the microwave according to the package directions. Stir until smooth and then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small, round piping tip.

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t have a piping bag and tip, you can use a plastic zip-top sandwich bag with the corner snipped instead. You can also heat the candy melts over a double boiler if you prefer.

Step 6: Drizzle, set and serve

Drizzle the skewers with the candy melts in a zigzag pattern, then let them set until the candy hardens.

Red, White and Blue Dessert Skewer Variations

• Skip grilling: Grilling the skewers is completely optional. Once the fruit and cake are on the skewers, you can jump ahead and drizzle them with white candy melts, if desired.
• Infuse the pound cake with flavor: Before grilling, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of your favorite bottle of flavored coffee syrup (e.g., Torani or Monin) to the melted butter. Brush lightly on all sides of the pound cake. Vanilla, coconut, almond, brown sugar or caramel are a few that I highly recommend.
• Use other colors of candy melts: We opted for white candy melts, but you could use red or blue as well—or a combination of all three to decorate the finished skewers.
• Consider festive sprinkles: For an extra pop of Americana, immediately decorate the skewers with red, white and blue sprinkles before the candy melts set. Work quickly—and I speak from experience—because the candy melts set quite rapidly.
• Try other red and blue foods: Consider adding pitted cherries or firm raspberries to the fruit kabobs. If you’re using homemade pound cake, consider marbling a portion of the batter with red and/or blue food coloring for a patriotic swirl.
• Swap for the pound cake: Marshmallows or angel food cake would make a tasty alternative or addition to the pound cake. If you don’t want to grill the skewers, consider using Rice Krispies treats, mini cream puffs (from the freezer section) or soft-baked sugar cookies. If you’re feeling ambitious, you could also make red, white and blue-coated cake pops using red velvet or vanilla cake and add them to the skewers.

How to Store Red, White and Blue Dessert Skewers

Red, white and blue desert skewers can be left at room temperature for up to two hours (in a climate-controlled area); otherwise, they should be refrigerated and stored in an airtight food storage container or on a platter wrapped tightly in storage wrap. You can keep cold food fresh all day if you plan to take these to a Fourth of July gathering.

How long do the fruit skewers last?

Red, white and blue desert skewers are best enjoyed within a few hours of grilling. If left uncooked, the dessert skewers are best enjoyed within one day.

Red, White and Blue Dessert Skewer Tips

How do you eat red, white and blue dessert skewers?

Our favorite way to enjoy these skewers is to slide all the toppings off and into a bowl. Then, top with homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to turn this dessert with pound cake into an a la mode dessert—then dig in.

What can you serve alongside red, white and blue dessert skewers?

Pair these red, white and blue dessert skewers with other patriotic recipes your family enjoys. Red, white and blue summer salad or watermelon feta flag salad would make a great first course. As a main, try pork tenderloin with three-berry salsa, and finish with patriotic pops for another sweet treat.