Refreshing summer flavors are accented in a dense, rich, and moist Strawberry Pound Cake. This quick and easy dessert is sure to be a winner at any family dinner! And the sweet glaze creates the perfect finish that will satisfy any sweet tooth. 😉
Whoooee, what a way to welcome summer! Strawberry season is here, and it doesn’t last long, so take advantage of it now.
To cap off our summer BBQ, my family absolutely loves this fresh and yummy dessert. And don’t tell anyone, but for me, this pound cake makes a great breakfast.
Who says we have to decide between Pancakes or French Toast? I say a huge slice of this taste of heaven with a cup of coffee, and you are good to go!😉
And this one freezes well, too. Just wrap it up good and airtight, and you have the perfect offering for any unexpected guests.
So, celebrate summer and enjoy your time with family.
Recipe Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this cake recipe are things we already have on hand. The sour cream is what makes it so moist and drool-worthy. You better not skip on that.
So here is the list of ingredients you need for the best pound cake ever.
Pound Cake Ingredients:
- Strawberries – A summer fruit that is found abundantly in the spring and summer.
- Unsalted Butter – A super versatile ingredient that gives your whole dish a moist and flavorful sensation.
- Sugar – Common table sugar you can easily find in any grocery store.
- Eggs – The incredibly versatile ingredient that holds it all together.
- All-purpose Flour – This pantry must-have isn’t just for baking. it’s also great for many savory dishes.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Essential ingredients used instead of yeast as a leavening agent.
- Salt – A basic ingredient that intensifies all other flavors. It’s also used for preserving, brining, or simply as a light garnish.
- Lemon Zest – The lemon peel carefully removed before juicing the lemon. It provides an intense lemon flavor without adding sourness.
- Vanilla Extract (make your own using my RECIPE HERE) – An ingredient that adds a creaminess to the flavor of baked goods.
- Strawberry Extract (or you may replace it with Vanilla Extract) – adds flavor without having to add more bulk.
- Sour Cream – It provides flavor and moisture for a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Red Food Coloring – Adds visual appeal.
Strawberry Glaze Ingredients:
- Powdered Sugar – Added to frostings and glazes for a smooth texture that granulated sugar can’t.
- Strawberry Puree – Strawberries liquified in the blender or food processor.
- Lemon Extract – An ingredient that adds lemon flavor without added liquid or sourness.
Ingredient Substitutions
What to do if you’re missing an ingredient, or need to replace an ingredient for health reasons? Not a problem, you can check out this guide below.
- No fresh strawberries? No worries. You can use frozen strawberries. Just thaw them out beforehand and cook them down as the instructions say.
- Worried about sugar? Replace the granulated sugar with an equal amount of erythritol and 3/4 teaspoon of stevia.
- Sour cream can be replaced with Greek-style yogurt or ricotta.
- Are you gluten-free? Don’t sweat it. Replace the flour with your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour mix, and you’re ready to conquer the world.
- Can I use other fruits? You most certainly can! How does a cherry-pound cake, or a peach-pound cake, sound? Fresh fruit is always best, but if you only have frozen, no problem. Replace the strawberries with another fruit, make a puree, and cook it down the same way you would have with the strawberries
Making Ahead and Storage Instructions
Sometimes we just don’t have the time to do everything we’d like at the exact moment we’d like. This pound cake freezes well.
Don’t Glaze it Up – 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.😍
STORING: I can’t imagine having any leftovers, but you can store pound cake….
- at room temperature for a day or two in an airtight container
- tightly wrapped, it will last in the refrigerator for up to a week
- or freeze them up for up to six months
What Goes with This Baked Treat?
I’m a simple girl. A cup of coffee with my pound cake and I’m a happy camper. That said, the richness of the incredible cake is highly complimented by homemade whipped cream, a nice lemon curd, or a huge scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice cream.
Other Pound Cake Recipes
How to Make Strawberry Pound Cake
Make the Strawberry Puree
- Strawberry puree: Add the strawberries to a blender/food processor. Add strawberries to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. (Photos 1-2)
- Boil the puree: Pour into a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Photo 3)
- Simmer: As soon as it boils, reduce 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 batter for the cake. (Photo 4)
Creaming the Butter and Sugar
- Prep the oven: Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Grease a tube pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix butter and sugar: Cream together the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixer until it’s fluffy and starts to look white, about 5-7 minutes. (Photos 5-6)
- Gradually add the eggs: Stir in the eggs, a little at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. (Photos 7-8)
Finalizing the Batter
- Add the dry ingredients: Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the batter. (Photo 10)
- Follow with the sour cream. (Photo 10)
- Pour the extracts: Add the strawberry extract and vanilla extract. Stir well until everything is fully combined. (Photo 11)
- DO NOT over mix. Fold in the pureed strawberries and 2-3 teaspoons of food coloring into the cake batter until completely mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. (Photos 12)
Baking the Pound Cake
- Pour batter into a 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. (Photos 13-14)
Ready for the Glaze
- Make the glaze – In a medium bowl, add remaining pureed strawberries, lemon or strawberry extract, and powdered sugar, whisk together until smooth, adjust glaze consistency with more powdered sugar or milk. (Photos 15-16)
Final Touches
- Pour glaze over the cake – serve immediately or let it cool before slicing. Enjoy! (Photos 17-20)
Watch How to Make it
Strawberry Pound Cake
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 2½ cup (415 g) fresh strawberry, hulled and finely chopped
- 12 ounce (340 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg
- 3 cup (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
- ¾ cup (172 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) strawberry extract, or replace with vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoon (8-12 g) red food coloring
Strawberry Glaze
- 2-3 tablespoon (32- 48 g) reserved strawberry puree
- 1 tablespoon (4 g) lemon or strawberry extract
- 1 ½ cup (187 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Strawberry Pound Cake
- Add 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 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 batter for the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Grease a tube pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixer until it’s fluffy and starts to look white, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, a little at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the batter.
- Follow with sour cream, strawberry extract, and vanilla extract. Stir well until everything is fully combined. DO NOT over mix.
- Fold in the pureed strawberries and 2-3 teaspoons of food coloring into the cake batter until completely mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Pour batter into a 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 remaining pureed strawberries, lemon or strawberry extract, and powdered sugar, whisk together until smooth, adjust glaze consistency with more powdered sugar or milk.
- Pour glaze over cake and serve immediately or let it cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- 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.
- If you’d like to freeze it, don’t glaze it, wrap it up good and tight with plastic wrap, then wrap it up again with aluminum foil, and freeze. When your sweet tooth is calling, allow it to thaw and come to room temperature, add the glaze, and enjoy.
- This pound cake recipe makes the best strawberry shortcake. Instead of glazing it, top the slices with the strawberry puree with a little sugar and homemade whipped cream.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. Please keep in mind that it is a rough estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition Information:
Prit says
have you tried this in a 9×13 pan? If so, what temperature adjustments should I make?
Imma says
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.
Chriss says
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.
Imma says
Great idea! It should be about 1¼ cup reduced puree per recipe.
Cheryl Nelson says
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…
Imma says
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.
Dee says
This cake is so good! It’s the best pound cake I’ve ever made.
Amina says
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!!!
Mykala says
Could I use cream cheese instead of sour cream?
Imma says
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
Diane says
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?
Amina says
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.
Kyle says
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!
Annette says
Does this recipe require lemon zest? It’s mentioned early on but I don’t see it in the ingredients.
Immaculate Bites says
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!
Patricia A Cahill says
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
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Pat! I haven’t tried this a roll but it does sound good.. hmm. Maybe we can try?