Strawberry Pound Cake

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Tender strawberry pound cake is a sweet and summery dessert for any occasion. It’s topped with an easy glaze for more fruit flavor!

When I look back, I’m sure this strawberry pound cake will be the recipe of the season for me!

We tested and tweaked this recipe so many times because we wanted it to be just right: not simply a strawberry cake that looked like a pound cake, but a traditional pound cake studded with strawberries.

Traditional pound cakes do not have powdered leavening and get their lift instead from whipping in the eggs. This is what produces the perfect balance of dense and airy textures in a richly moist cake!

If you’ve never made a pound cake like this before, I encourage you to give this one a go while strawberries are in season and full of flavor. 

Ingredients for strawberry pound cake

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• Fresh strawberries
• Granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar
• Cake flour
• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Lemon juice (and lemon zest if you want to add it)
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

I don’t recommend swapping the fresh strawberries for frozen in this recipe. The frozen fruit will be too wet in the batter and cause the cake to be gummy.

How to make this recipe

Preheat your oven to 325°F and make sure there is a rack in the center position. Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan with butter or baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a bowl, stir the strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Set this aside; the berries will macerate and juices will pool at the bottom.

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups cake flour and salt in another bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using a large bowl and an electric hand mixer), beat the butter on medium for 3-5 minutes, until it fluffy. 

Keep the mixer running and gradually add the granulated sugar, then continue mixing for 2-3 minutes to fully incorporate the sugar into the butter. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time. Make sure to fully mix them in before adding the next egg. Pause and scrape the bowl after the second egg, then continue with the remaining eggs. Mix in the vanilla and optional lemon zest, scrape the bowl again at the end.

Turn the mixer to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing just until the batter is combined. Don’t be tempted to over-mix the batter, or it will lose its air.

Drain the macerated strawberries, saving the collected juices to use for the glaze. (There should be about 1 tablespoon of juice.) Gently pat the strawberries with a paper towel to dry, then toss in a bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Fold the strawberries into the cake batter.

Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan and spread it evenly into the corners, then add the remaining batter and spread again.

Bake for 70-75 minutes, until the top is golden brown. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should be clean of batter. Note that the cake may not rise much over the edge of the pan.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cake is cooled, make the glaze: Whisk together the strawberry juice, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Add more sugar for a thicker glaze or more lemon juice to thin it. Drizzle or brush the glaze over the top, then let it rest until set before serving.

Recipe tips

Don’t skip macerating the strawberries. It helps draw out some of the juices that would otherwise release during baking, causing a gummy texture.

Beating the butter before adding the sugar adds more aeration. It can be tempting to just do the butter and sugar together to save time, but our testing showed breaking apart this step made a difference!

Do not dump all of the flour in at once. Add it in 3 increments, mixing on low speed to ensure the flour is fully blended into the batter without losing the aeration.

An 8×4-inch loaf pan will give you the best classic pound cake shape. You can also use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, but your loaf will likely be flatter without a center bump.

Don’t want to use the glaze? Feel free to skip it! This cake is delicious without it, or you can spoon on some rhubarb sauce when serving slices for added tart flavor.

Storage tips

Pound cake keeps very well at room temperature. Store it in a cake keeper or well wrapped for up to 5 days. 

You can also freeze the cake, either whole or sliced. Make sure it is completely cooled first. Wrap it well in cling wrap, then in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

I really love this strawberry pound cake recipe. It’s a superb upgrade on plain poundcake!

Strawberry Pound Cake

This traditional-style pound cake is studded with strawberries for summer flair.

Author : Megan Myers

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings 10

Calories 427 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the strawberries

• 1 cup strawberries, chopped
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cake flour

For the cake

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour, (6 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, (10 ounces)
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional

For the glaze

• 1 tablespoon reserved strawberry juice
• 1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar, (4 ounces), plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F and place an oven rack in the center position. Spray a 8×4-inch loaf pan with baking spray (or use butter) and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, toss the chopped strawberries with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Set aside to macerate while you prepare the batter.
  1 cup strawberries, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Whisk 1 1/2 cups of flour together with the salt and set aside.
  1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until fluffy. While the mixer is running, gradually add the sugar. Continue to mix for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing them to incorporate completely before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after the second egg is incorporated.
  1 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, 4 large eggs
• Add the vanilla (and lemon zest if using), then scrape down the sides of the bowl again. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 batches and mix until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix.
  2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Drain the macerated strawberries, reserving the collected juices for the glaze. You should get approximately 1 tablespoon of strawberry liquid. Pat berries with a paper towel, then toss in a bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons cake flour. Gently fold the strawberries into the batter.
  2 tablespoons cake flour
• Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the corners of the pan. Add the remaining batter and spread it again.
• Bake for 70-75 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out free of batter. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then remove from pan onto a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
• Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, whisk together the reserved strawberry juices, confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth and thick. Whisk in additional sugar or lemon juice until the desired texture is reached. Brush or drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled cake and let set for 10 minutes before serving.
  1 tablespoon reserved strawberry juice, 1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Nutrition

Calories: 427 kcalCarbohydrates: 56 gProtein: 5 gFat: 21 gSaturated Fat: 12 gCholesterol: 123 mgSodium: 148 mgPotassium: 80 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 41 gIron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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