Strawberry Pound Cake

Strawberry Pound Cake is a riff on my favorite (and award winning) Vanilla Pound Cake and Strawberry Cupcakes.

 

The cake itself is a little lighter than most pound cakes, but with buttery flavor and in this case, pockets of caramelized strawberry goodness. Like little flavor bombs in a loaf cake; strawberry shortcake meets pound cake.

And in this case topped with muddled fresh strawberries for a glaze that is out of this world and adds just enough sweet for balance. And, instead of using a strawberry puree and/or strawberry extract, this cake uses fresh strawberries.

This Recipe for Strawberry Pound Cake is buttery and delicious!

Pound cakes, as a rule, are a little heavy. If you want a light, moist crumb, this isn’t your go-to cake. But when you need a comforting buttery dessert, they hit the spot. 

They got their name because the original ingredient list was simple. One pound of butter, one pound of sugar and one pound of flour with a few eggs. Hence, pound cake.

But with no leaveners or other flavors, this also meant they were heavy and needed to be accompanied by sauce or fresh fruit. Since, many variations of pound cake have emerged. My strawberry cake recipe being one of them.

What you’ll need for Strawberry Pound Cake

The ingredients for strawberry cake are pretty straightforward and simple… but with fresh strawberries!

• Unsalted Butter– Salt dries things out and brands can vary on salt content. Always bake with unsalted and then add salt as needed. Also, don’t skimp with cheap butter- it is the base for the is cake. Use a good grade A butter. 
• Sugar- This is a rich cake, but not an overwhelming sweet cake. While it seems like a lot of sugar, this is also a LARGE cake and needs to balance out unsweetened cocoa. 
• Eggs- Creates structure and stability in the finished product. 
• Vanilla extract– use a good quality vanilla extract, not the imitation stuff. I do prefer to balance the fresh flavors with vanilla, but if you really want to emphasize the strawberry goodness, use strawberry extract or for a fun twist, almond extract.
• All-Purpose Flour– Proteins that make up gluten and thus, structure and stability. 
• Baking Powder- Leavener to add fluff and neutralize acids.
• Salt– Salt is essential in baking to bring out natural flavors and provide acidity. 
• Milk– helps to keep things moist. Try to use a 2% or even full fat milk for the most impact.
• Strawberries– Fresh strawberries are best because they will melt and caramelizing during the baking process.
  Frozen strawberries tend to be a little more watery to start with. If you do use frozen, make sure they are thawed and as dry as possible. Add another 2 tablespoons of flour to the mix to counteract the water content.

Tips for using Strawberries in Pound Cake

Adding strawberries to this classic recipe also adds moisture. One of the things to keep in mind is that you want your strawberries to be as dry as possible.

After washing the strawberries, dry them thoroughly with a paper towel or even let them sit, uncovered in the fridge to dry. You’ll need about 20ish strawberries, depending on size.

Baking Pans

This is discussed below, but it is so important that it needs to be discussed twice. USE THE PAN SUGGESTED FOR THE RECIPE which is a standard loaf pan.

This recipe calls for 2 standard loaf pans and while the batter will fit into a bundt pan or tube pan, it throws off the baking times. You can give it a whirl, but chances are that it will burn the strawberries along the edges a little. The cake will need more time to bake than the actual strawberries due to the size.

Some foodie friends have used a bundt cake pan, but I have not personally tested this. Make sure to spray it really well with cooking spray or use vegetable shortening and flour to prevent sticking. Cook times should increase by about 15-20 minutes.

How to make this Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe

1. Preheat the oven and grease and lightly flour two 9×5-inch loaf pans.
2. In medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. This incorporates air into the mixture and will help with a tender crumb. Add the vanilla and eggs, beating on high speed for an additional 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with milk on low speed, beating just until smooth after each addition. Fold in chopped strawberries by hand. Do not overmix, this can result in a tough or dry cake.

5. Evenly divide the cake batter between both prepared pans.
6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes; remove from pan(s) to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
7. When the cakes are cooled, make the glaze by muddling the chopped strawberries.
8. Combine the strawberries with the powdered sugar and mix. Add the milk sparingly until it is a pourable consistency.
9. Place the cakes on a cooling rack with aluminum foil or parchment underneath to catch the drips. Spoon glaze over cakes and let excess drip below. Let glaze set and then transfer to serving tray.
10. For the cleanest cuts, use a serrated knife.

Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake Glaze

The simple cake glaze is just a mixture of 2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) with muddled strawberries and a touch of milk. Since the strawberries already have a lot of juice, you might not need much more liquid. This is where the intense strawberry flavor comes from.

Add sparingly. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually made the right amount of glaze. I almost always add too much liquid and then need to add more powdered sugar. Ha!

Mix together right before you are ready to ice, which should be after the cake is fully cooled. Then drizzle on top and allow to set or serve immediately.

I like to do this over a wire rack so the extra glaze drips off instead of pooling around the bottom of the cake. After it sets, transfer it to the serving dish.

Muddling Strawberries

You’ll need to muddle strawberries for the glaze. You can use an actual muddler if you have one lying around from making all those mojitos (you know who you are) or…

Use a pestle and mortar, mashed potato press or the back of a spoon in a plate. You do need to mash them somehow so they release juice, which will be the liquid to make powdered sugar into glaze. This creates a pale pink color without the use of red food coloring.

If you want to skip this step, just use powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk or simply dust with powdered sugar alone. Cream cheese frosting and whipped cream are other good options.

Serving Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze

To serve, cut with a serrated knife. Top with homemade whipped cream or serve alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream or strawberry ice cream.

Of course, you can also serve it with a variety of desserts and other pound cakes.

Pound Cake With Strawberries Storage

Like most baked items, good pound cake is best enjoyed within a day of baking. The good news is that the strawberry glaze helps to keep it moist. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap.

It can be frozen, but freeze just the cake and add the icing after it thaws.

How Do You Keep a Pound Cake Moist?

Like many baked goods, they are best enjoyed within a day or two of baking while still moist. From then, air starts to naturally dry the crumb.

To keep cakes moist, wrap well in plastic wrap or aluminum foil or keep in an airtight container in a dry, cool place. They can be kept in the refrigerator, but the colder air will likely dry out the crumb even faster.

Strawberry Pound Cake FAQs

More Cake Ideas…

Let them eat cake! Here are some of our other favorite cake recipes.

More delicious desserts…

  Welcome to the 4th Annual #SummerDessertWeek event hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife. We’re celebrating all things summer with a week-long event that is absolutely filled with some of the best summer dessert recipes! Follow the hashtag #SummerDessertWeek on social media to find recipes and make sure to check out the bottom of this post for even more summer desserts!   Check out the amazing #SummerDessertWeek recipes from our bloggers today! Ice Cream & Chilled Desserts:

• Caramelized Pineapple No-Churn Ice Cream from Love and Confections
• Chocolate Covered Frozen Strawberries from Our Sutton Place
• Coffee Panna Cotta from Pastry Chef Online
• Strawberry Margarita Popsicles from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Pineapple-Orange Sherbet Popsicles from Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Pops from Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Sweet Summertime Cakes and Cupcakes:

• Southern Pineapple Sunshine Cake from Big Bear’s Wife 
• Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Strawberry Pound Cake from Savory Experiments
• Blueberry Lemon Dump Cake from Sweet ReciPEAs
• Key Lime Sheet Cake from It’s Shanaka

No Bake Treats:

• Fruity Watermelon Pizza from Blogghetti

Baked Desserts:

• Chocolate Chess Pie from Back To My Southern Roots
• Bourbon Peach Empanadas from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Rhubarb Thumbprints from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Summer Treats:

• Easy Caramel Banana Sauce from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings