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Vanilla-Macerated Dragonfruit Shortcake #RecipeTesting #FreakyFruitsFriday #MelissasProduce #Sponsored

 This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Melissa's Produce.
I received complimentary product for the purpose of review and recipe development,
but all opinions are honest and they are my own. This page may contain affiliate links.

You can read in my recipe post - Passionfruit-Vanilla Panna Cotta - how Melissa's Produce ended up sending a selection of their 'Freaky Fruits' to me and some of my Festive Foodies pals. And, because there was just too much goodness to fit into a two-day event, I am sharing some bonus recipes as I recipe test for October's #FreakyFruitsFriday.


Dragonfruit
Dragonfruit grows on a vining cactus and has a vibrantly colored rind that houses a juicy flesh flecked with tiny, edible black seeds. The fruit is similar in texture to a cantaloupe or a kiwi; its flavor runs the gamut from sweet to tart to virtually non-existent. I prefer ones that are somewhere in between the first two. But, honestly, I haven't been able to figure out how to pick 'em. So, I usually just go for the color that I want on my plate.

The White Dragons are large with a creamy interior while the Red Dragons are also magenta on the outside, but a bright, deep pink on the inside. Note that the flavor is more intense when it's chilled. So, I usually slice or cube, then refrigerate before serving. In this case, I let the cubes macerate in a vanilla simple syrup before serving.

Vanilla-Macerated 
Dragonfruit Shortcake

I've used them before in Dragonfruit Salad and Dragonfruit Waffles. This time, the guys asked if I could use them like a strawberry and make dragonfruit shortcake. This recipe was born...

Ingredients
Vanilla-Macerated Dragonfruit (this can be done the day ahead)
  • 1 dragonfruit, peeled and cubed
  • 1 C organic granulated sugar
  • 1 C water
  • 1 t pure vanilla extract

Sour Cream Pound Cake
  • 1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened + some for buttering baking pan
  • 3 C organic granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 C flour
  • 1/4 t baking soda
  • 1 C organic sour cream
  • 1 t pure vanilla extract
  • unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

Procedure
Vanilla-Macerated Dragonfruit
Place the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat, over medium heat, swirling the pan until the sugar is dissolved completely. Once dissolved, add in the vanilla extract and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Place cubed dragonfruit in a bowl or container with a lid. Pour the cooled vanilla simple syrup over the fruit and let macerate for at least an hour or as much as overnight.

Sour Cream Pound Cake
Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until lightened and fluffy, Approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla extract. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and baking soda.

Beat on low and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until just moistened. Spoon batter into a buttered pan; I used a 10" square.

Bake for 75 minutes - or until the cake top is firm to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean. Run a butter knife along the edge and let the cake cool completely before slicing.


To Serve
Place slices of pound cake in individual bowls or on a serving platter. Top with unsweetened whipped cream and macerated dragonfruit. Serve immediately.

You may find Melissa's...
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*Disclosure: I received product for free from the sponsor for recipe development, however, I have received no additional compensation for my post. My opinion is 100% my own and 100% accurate.

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