This decadent Strawberry Pound Cake recipe reminds me of a slice of buttered toast with strawberry jam. It is the perfect summer dessert.
Make-ahead
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: How to keep stawberries from sinking
Worth It: It builds a freezer stash for stress-free meals later
Bonus: Simple swaps to match what’s in your pantry
A Family Favorite
Growing up my grandmother always had at least half a pound cake in the fridge with a thin layer of vanilla icing on top. It was thick, buttery and the perfect snack after school or work.
This strawberry pound cake reminds me of those days with my family. The simple even ratio of butter, flour, sugar and eggs results in a cake that is denser than most others, but not as sweet.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Fresh strawberries at their best – The diced strawberries add texture and flavor that is not present in a standard pound cake. They melt into the batter slightly as they are cooking creating a flavor that is reminiscent of a slice of buttered toast with strawberry jam.
- Spring favorite – this recipe tastes like Spring! It is fresh and bright without being too sweet. It’s the perfect spring treat.
- Twist on a classic recipe – pound cake is a classic recipe, and with the addition of strawberries, it’s a delicious update on this dessert staple.
Why is it called pound cake?
Pound cake gets its name from the simple ingredient ratio of one pound each of butter, sugar, flour and eggs. This strawberry cake is made in a loaf pan so I have reduced the ratio to be closer to a half pound of each.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe makes a rich, dense and buttery cake that is perfect when served with a cup of coffee of tea. The strawberries add a bright and sweet flavor to the cake.
Serve it on its own or with homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I like to buy some extra strawberries to chop and serve on top of the cake.
To serve with more Spring desserts, make these lemon blueberry scones and this mixed berry cobbler.
Love strawberry flavor? Try a batch of these soft and chewy strawberry cake mix cookies.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – since this is a baking recipe, you want to be sure to use unsalted butter
- Granulated Sugar – this recipe uses just enough sugar to sweeten the cake without making it too sweet
- Large eggs – allow your eggs to get to room temperature for the best results
- Sour cream – a sour cream pound cake is so moist and delicious. You could also use greek yogurt
- Milk – milk helps keep the cake from drying out and makes it creamy
- Vanilla extract – a little vanilla extract enhances all of the great flavors. You could also use almond extract, but it will create a strong almond flavor, so only do this if you love that almond taste.
- All purpose flour – to make this gluten free, you can substitute your favorite one to one gluten free flour
- Salt – a pinch of salt strengthens all of the amazing flavors in your cake
- Fresh strawberries – the hero of the show is your fresh strawberries! Get the best berries for you can find for this recipe.
Ingredient substitutions
This recipe is pretty straightforward and there aren’t a lot of possible substitutions, but you can use different types of fruits. During cherry season you could pit cherries and cut them into pieces.
Make a delicious orange or grapefruit pound cake by first zesting the citrus fruit and mixing that in with the batter. Then, serve each slice with some of the citrus fruit sections.
It is best to use fresh strawberries for this recipe. If you cannot find them fresh, use 1/2 cup of freeze dried strawberry slices.
If you do not have a loaf pan, you could also make this recipe in a bundt pan. With a bundt cake pan, just watch closely as it bakes because the baking time may change.
Make a simple strawberry glaze
If you want to add even more strawberry flavor to this strawberry cake recipe, make a strawberry glaze to pour on top. Blend fresh strawberries in a blender or food processor to make a simple strawberry puree. You could add a dash of strawberry extract if you would like to take it to the next level.
Take 3 tbsp of the puree, 1 tbsp of milk and mix it with 1 cup of powdered sugar. Pour the glaze over top of the fully cooled cake and serve. The puree will create a nice pink color without needing red food coloring.
You could also blend the puree with cream cheese for a frosting instead.
How to make strawberry pound cake
Step 1: Preheat oven and prepare loaf pan
To begin, preheat oven to 325F and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper or spray it with a nonstick spray. Be sure to use a larger loaf pan because 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans are too small for this recipe.
Step 2: Mix cake batter
Then, mix butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. This will create the tender crumb for your cake. Mix in eggs one at a time and then mix in the sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract.
Next, in a separate large mixing bowl combine all purpose flour, baking powder, and a half teaspoon salt. Mix dry flour mixture into wet ingredients.
Step 3: Fold in strawberries and bake
Finally, pour batter into the prepared pan. Pour diced strawberries on top and gently mix them into the top half of the batter with a spoon. This will prevent all of the strawberries from sinking to the bottom.
Bake at 325F for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling wire rack. Allow loaf to cool completely before slicing.
Storage, reheating and freezing
Allow the cake to cool completely. Then, tightly wrap in plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
I like to reheat this strawberry cake to have with coffee or tea. Reheat one slice at a time on a piece of foil in a toaster oven or on a skillet on the stove top in a bit of melted butter.
Can I freeze this strawberry pound cake? Yes! Just bake, cool completely and freeze it whole. It will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge or on the counter before cutting into slices.
Check out these other summer dessert recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Photos by Ella from Alpine Ella.
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Strawberry Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened at room temperature 1 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 and ½ cups diced strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. **8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans are too small for this recipe.
- Mix butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy with an electric hand mixer
- Mix in eggs one at a time and then mix in the sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl combine all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Pour diced strawberries on top and gently mix them into the top half of the batter with a spoon – this will prevent all of the strawberries from sinking to the bottom.
- Bake at 325F for 70 minutes. Allow loaf to cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Notes
- omit the strawberries for a standard pound cake recipe
- serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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