Toast Pound Cake Pieces To Give Fruit Salad A Sweet Crunch

Fruit salad may seem like a retro dessert option, but it promises plenty of natural sweetness without the heaviness, making it a refreshing option. The only downside? The many soft and tender fruit pieces can make it seem a bit one-note texturally speaking. There's got to be something you can add to this mix that brings a welcome note of crunch without breaking the sweet theme. Nuts are a quick and easy option, but there's something else that is even more exciting: cake croutons. 

Essentially cubed, toasted pound cake, cake croutons add the perfect element of texture to your fruit salad. Simple to make and a great use for leftover pound cake, you can whip up a batch of these toasted cake croutons in a matter of minutes. Plus it's a flexible base to add some flavorful flair, like a coating of cinnamon sugar or a nutty sear in browned butter.

Most pound cakes have fairly simple flavor profiles like vanilla or chocolate. For that reason, pretty much any pound cake will do the job, just make sure it isn't hiding any mix-ins that might burn in the oven or skillet, like chocolate chips or dried fruit.

To make your cake croutons, you can go in two different directions: skillet toasting or oven toasting. If using your skillet, you'll melt a few tablespoons of butter and toss a cup of cubed pound cake in. To add a flavorful boost, you can toss in some cinnamon sugar and let the cake pieces caramelize, or take the butter to the point of browning and let the cubes take on the nutty butter. If toasting in the oven, you'll toss your cake in some melted butter (add in cinnamon sugar here if using) and toast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for eight to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through so everything is evenly toasted.

From there you can add it to any fruit salad you'd like. It'll bring the crunch and, probably, steal the show.