Smoky Toasted Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°. Grease one 9 x 5 x 2 3⁄4-inch loaf pan with butter and dust with flour; set aside. Whisk 1 1⁄4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Separately, combine 3⁄4 cup sugar, 9 tbsp. butter, the cream cheese, and vanilla seeds in a large bowl; beat on medium-high speed with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add dry ingredients and vanilla extract; beat on low speed until just combined. Spread into even layer in loaf pan and bake until golden and cooked through, 50–55 minutes; let cool.

Make the lemon verbena syrup: Combine 1⁄4 cup sugar, the lemon verbena, and 1⁄4 cup water in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high; cook until sugar has dissolved, 2–3 minutes. Strain, discarding herbs, and cool.

To serve: Heat a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat a grill pan over medium-high.) Combine remaining sugar, strawberries, and beer in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet; cook until fruit is soft and liquid has reduced by 3⁄4, 20 minutes; keep warm. Wipe skillet clean and heat over grill; slice pound cake into 1-inch-thick slices and brush with lemon verbena syrup. Working in batches, heat remaining butter in skillet and cook pound cake, flipping once, until golden, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to plates and smear with goat butter; top with warm berries.