Strawberry Pound Cake

This delightful strawberry pound cake captures the essence of fresh strawberries, resulting in a moist and tender pound cake that perfectly embodies strawberry season. To elevate its sweetness, it’s finished with a beautiful pink strawberry glaze that adds a touch of extra flavor and charm.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• Strawberries
• Lemon (juice and zest)
• Unsalted butter (softened)
• Sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Large eggs (room temperature)
• Diamond crystal kosher salt (or equivalent)
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Sour cream (full fat)

For the Strawberry Icing:

• Powdered sugar
• Strawberry lemon juice
• Milk

For the White Icing:

• Powdered sugar
• Milk

How To Make Strawberry Pound Cake

Chop the butter into small pieces and place them in a bowl. Beat the butter to soften it. Add the sugar and lemon zest, then mix at medium speed until everything is well blended.

Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, as well as the beater, every 90 seconds. Do this at least three times to ensure everything is well mixed.Be patient—achieving the right texture for the butter and sugar mixture can take up to 7 minutes.

As the butter and sugar are creamed together, the sugar granules create small pockets in the butter, incorporating air into the mixture. These pockets trap air, which helps the strawberry pound cake rise during baking.

Next, add the eggs one at a time, allowing the butter to fully incorporate each egg for about 45-60 seconds before adding the next.

Before adding each egg, scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater. Do this again before you add the dry ingredients.

On the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients in two portions, with the sour cream in between. Let the first portion mix in, then scrape down the sides. Add the sour cream, mixing until it’s nearly blended. Finally, add the rest of the flour and mix until only a few streaks of flour remain.

Use a mesh strainer to separate the lemon juice from the minced strawberries. Gently lift and stir the berries to let the juice drain without pressing them through the mesh.Keep the small amount of strawberry lemon juice aside; it will be used in the icing!

Transfer the strawberries onto a paper towel and gently press them with another paper towel to remove any excess moisture.

Drying the strawberry pieces helps to avoid extra moisture in the cake, which can create large air pockets or make the batter gummy around the strawberries.

Gently fold in the strawberries by hand until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Stop mixing once everything is well combined.

Use a small offset spatula to spread the batter evenly into the corners and edges of an bundt pan, then smooth the top.

Pressing the batter into the pan helps remove any hidden air bubbles. Smooth the top to ensure even baking.

Bake at 350°F for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick or small knife inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs. The internal temperature should reach 209°F.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges without parchment and use the parchment to lift the cake onto the cooling rack to cool completely.

How To Make Strawberry Lemon Icing

1. Mix 2 teaspoons of the strawberry lemon juice into the powdered sugar, gradually incorporating more sugar from the sides. The mixture will be very thick and may get stuck in the whisk. Add the milk, ½ teaspoon at a time.
2. The icing should be thick and shiny, but not too runny. Drizzle the icing over the center of the cake, then use a small offset spatula to gently spread it to the edges.
3. To make the strawberry icing thicker, mix in 1 tablespoon of sifted powdered sugar. If you need to thin it, add ½ teaspoon of milk or strawberry juice at a time and whisk.
4. For a less sweet icing, substitute the milk with strawberry lemon juice. Follow the same steps as for the white icing drizzle. The icing will be pink and can be drizzled over the cake using a fork or piping bag instead of spreading it as a thicker frosting.

How To Store

You can keep this strawberry pound cake at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days. For longer storage, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

If you want to freeze the cake (without icing), it will last for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw it in the fridge, then add a plain icing or glaze since the strawberry juice won’t be available. Allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

More Pound Cakes

• Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake
• Coconut Pound Cake
• Vegan Pound Cake
• Lemon Pound Cake