Strawberry Pound Cake
This effortless recipe for strawberry pound cake delivers refreshing summer flavors in a dense, moist dessert. Quick and easy sweetness is sure to be a winner at any family dinner! And the sweet glaze creates the perfect finish that will satisfy any sweet tooth.
Wow, what a way to welcome spring! And if you’re reading this in the dead of winter, don’t despair because you can replace the fresh strawberries with frozen ones. My family loves this fresh, yummy dessert to cap our summer BBQ. And don’t tell anyone, but this strawberry pound cake recipe makes a tasty breakfast.
I say a huge slice of this taste of heaven with a cup of coffee, and you are good to go! And it freezes well, too. Just wrap individual slices up good and tight, and you have the perfect offering for any unexpected guests. So, celebrate summer (winter, fall, and spring) and enjoy your time with your family.
Why Make Pound Cake With Strawberries
First, pound cake is a classic Southern comfort food. And the strawberries make almost any dessert better. Put the two together, and you have comfort food on steroids. It makes a good day better and turns the worst day into a good one. Plus, it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.
How to Make Strawberry Pound Cake
- Puree your strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Photos 1-2)
- Simmer the puree in a medium saucepan until it concentrates (it should reduce by half). Then, reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the puree for the glaze. Let it cool completely while you make the cake batter. (Photos 3-4)
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and looking white, 5-7 minutes. (Photo 5)
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. (Photo 6)
- Mix the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the batter. Then mix in the sour cream, optional diced strawberries, and the extracts. (Photos 7-8)
- Fold in the pureed strawberries and red food coloring until completely incorporated (be careful not to overmix). Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl. (Photo 9)
- Pour batter into a greased cake pan. Tap pans on the work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles. (Photo 10)
- Bake at 300°F (150°C) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes or more. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool before glazing.
- Whisk the reserved pureed strawberries, lemon and strawberry extract, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Adjust the consistency with more powdered sugar or milk if needed. (Photos 9-10)
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, and optionally dust it with powdered sugar. Enjoy! (Photos 11-12)
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Feel free to leave out the red food coloring if preferred, or reduce it for a lighter pink, like I did the second time around.
- Cherries, peaches, mangos, you name it, make a great pound cake. Puree the same amount for the glaze. Fresh or frozen fruit works; simply substitute with the same amount as the strawberries and proceed with the recipe as usual.
- Divide the batter between two greased and floured 9″ round cake pans and bake. They’ll bake faster than if you use a bundt pan, so start checking about 15 minutes sooner. Cream cheese frosting between the layers and on top is truly decadent.
- Take a classic Valentine’s Day splurge over the top. Add mini chocolate chips to the batter at the same time as the strawberry puree. And then frost it with a decadent chocolate frosting.
- This pound cake recipe makes the best strawberry shortcake. Instead of glazing it, top the slices with the strawberry puree and homemade whipped cream.
Make-Ahead and Leftover Instructions
This strawberry pound cake freezes well for up to six months, refrigerates well for a week, and lasts for a day or two at room temperature.
Wrap it up good and tight with plastic wrap, then wrap it up again with aluminum foil and freeze. Now, you have the perfect comfort food to offer unexpected guests.
When your sweet tooth is calling, or on the day company arrives, allow it to thaw and come to room temperature, add the glaze, and enjoy.
FAQs
The original recipes used a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a dozen eggs. We’ve recently complicated the recipes, but it’s all good.
Both are fabulous. A pound cake is denser and typically has more fat. So, for a lighter version, go for a simple vanilla cake batter and add strawberries.
Again, both are absolutely fantastic. A shortcake is crumbly and has a lot of butter, while a pound cake is dense and moist. But hey, why can’t you make a strawberry shortcake with pound cake?
A century ago, shortening was any fat that was solid at room temperature. So, it was usually tallow, lard, or butter. And that’s where it got its name, shortcake.
What to Pair With Strawberry Pound Cake
I’m a simple girl. A cup of coffee with my pound cake, and I’m a happy camper. But the richness of the incredible cake is highly complemented by homemade whipped cream, a lovely lemon curd, or a scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice cream.
If you want a special holiday dinner, this strawberry pound cake is the perfect finish for deep-fried turkey, green bean casserole, garlic mashed potatoes, and butter biscuits.
More Delectable Pound Cake Recipes to Try
- Southern Pound Cake
- Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Buttermilk Pound Cake
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in April 2021 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Strawberry Pound Cake
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 2½ cups (450g) fresh strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped (see notes)
- 12 ounces (340g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- ¾ cup (185g) sour cream
- ½ cup (90g) diced strawberries (optional, but more flavorful)
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) strawberry extract (or vanilla extract)
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- ½-1 teaspoon (2-5ml) red food coloring (2-3 teaspoons (10-15ml) will make it redder if desired)
Strawberry Glaze
- 2-3 tablespoons (14-30g) reserved strawberry puree
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon extract or strawberry extract
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Strawberry Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease a tube pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the coarsely chopped strawberries to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat and simmer until the moisture evaporates from the strawberries. It should reduce by half. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of strawberry puree for making the glaze. Let it cool completely while you make the cake batter.
- Cream the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixer until it's fluffy and starts to look white, 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the batter.
- Follow with sour cream, diced strawberries, strawberry extract, and vanilla extract. Stir well until everything is fully combined without overmixing.
- Fold in the pureed strawberries and red food coloring into the cake batter until completely mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Tap pans on the work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.
- Bake at 300°F (150°C) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes or more.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool before glazing.
Strawberry Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add the remaining pureed strawberries, lemon or strawberry extract, and powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth, and adjust glaze consistency with more powdered sugar or milk.
- Pour glaze over the cooled cake and serve. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- A pound of strawberries should be 2½ cups. How much a cup is depends on how coarsely they’re chopped and how big they are, which means going by weight is more accurate.
- No bundt cake pan? No worries! Just divide the cake batter between two well-greased loaf pans. And don’t get me started on what awesome cupcakes they’ll make for your kid’s party.
- Let all the ingredients come to room temperature for about 30 minutes for better results.
- Save money on a powdered sugar hack. Grind granulated sugar in a blender until it becomes a powder.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. Please keep in mind that it is a rough estimate rather than a guarantee, and it can vary significantly based on the ingredients used.
Another great recipe Emma! Continue your good work. I just love your recipes.
Thank you so much for your kind words
Is the amount of sugar correct? 1 ¾? My pound cakes are usually matching the flour amount. Thanks
Yes it is .If you’re concerned it might be less sweet, you could experiment by slightly increasing the sugar. Happy Baking !!
Great recipe! The only things I did differently was add 1 tsp. Baking power in addition to the baking soda. I also added 1 tsp Almond ext. To the batter I chopped up an extra pint of strawberries and put some in the batter and some in the middle of the cake. (Hint: pour a tsp of the glaze in the hole first so the strawberries stay in place) I also surrounded the cake with chocolate covered strawberries for presentation.
Awesome!! Thanks for sharing.
My family loved the recipe. I will keep it in my repertoire. next time I will bake it 55 minutes instead of 50. Also I used Swans Down so I didn’t add baking soda and powder. It took forever for my puree to cook down to no water. I had to turn it on high and take the top off. But don’t walk away! this will burn fast if you don’t watch it.
Hi, Mrs. R. Thank you for the feedback :)!
Hi there! Making this right now but wondering if I take the cake out of the Bundt pan and let cool on wire rack or let the cake cool while in the pan on the rack?
Most people agree that you can leave a bundt cake in the pan overnight. I’ve not tried it, but I don’t see why not. I would use a non-stick pan.
have you tried this in a 9×13 pan? If so, what temperature adjustments should I make?
You can definitely make this in a 9×13 pan. Make sure to leave at least a ½-inch space above to the top of the pan so it doesn’t spill over while baking, increase the temperature to 325℉/162℃, and reduce bake time (I’d start checking for doneness at around 50 minutes). Let me know how it goes.
Approximately how much reduced strawberry puree is needed for the recipe? I got a bunch of strawberries, far more than is needed because I intend to make this cake numerous times and I just wanted to have the strawberry reduction on hand so I am making a lot.
Great idea! It should be about 1¼ cup reduced puree per recipe.
I have a question…why add baking soda to your recipe? This is the first recipe I have seen with it. I am just curious. I am going to try it today…
Baking soda and powder are a personal choice. While the original recipe did not have leavening, some of us find pound cake more fool-proof to give it a little help.
This cake is so good! It’s the best pound cake I’ve ever made.
Yayy!!! Sounds good to hear about your expericne. There are more amazing cake recipes we have on the blog, try those as well I am sure you would love them also. Stay tunned!!!
Could I use cream cheese instead of sour cream?
Yes, cream cheese is a good replacement for sour cream so you’ll need to loosen it up a little before using it. For every 1 cup of sour cream, use 6 ounces of cream cheese thinned with a tablespoon or two of milk, buttermilk, or water. Hope it’s clear now. Thank you
This looks wonderful. I need a very dense cake for an upright lamb cake. It can’t fall apart! Do you think this would work?
That’s a good question It depends on how large the lamb is and the support it has. Most of the lamb cakes I’ve seen are sitting upright with the legs curled underneath. That would work.
That’s exactly what I’m going at this moment. Did you try it? Hope it works for us! This cake sounds delicious!!
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes.
I can’t find strawberry extract anywhere, so I’m going to try using strawberry flavouring (which I believe it just made without alcohol).
I will let you know how it turns out!
Does this recipe require lemon zest? It’s mentioned early on but I don’t see it in the ingredients.
Hi Annette, this does not require lemon zest but you may add 1-2tbsp (step 7 instructions) if you want to add more lemon flavor to your pound cake 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Imma, Do you think this will make a gooood cake roll? Even using the glaze in the center?
Still think you a little love,
Pat
Hi Pat! I haven’t tried this a roll but it does sound good.. hmm. Maybe we can try?