Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake

A simple vanilla cake that is moist and sweet with baked strawberries inside, keeps well for several days, and can be frozen! It's a no-fuss recipe for when you want a little extra in your regular pound cake. The berries get soft and jammy and add a wonderful flavor.

As a lover of pound cakes in general (lemon pound cake and chocolate chip pound cake just to name a few) I wanted to add a fresh strawberry cake recipe to this category because, you know, berries and cake are always a good idea, especially when strawberry season hits and my sweet tooth craves them.

About the recipe

• Flavor. I wanted to keep the pound cake as a separate part, so I decided to add fresh strawberries to the batter and top it with a strawberry glaze. The result? Simple and amazing flavors! A moist cake with a tender crumb and wonderful pops of fresh strawberries. Truly delicious.
• Easy to make. Pound cakes are great, solid cakes that can be eaten alone or topped with fruit or creams for a more rounded dessert.
• Keeps well. It can be made ahead and kept wrapped (I use plastic wrap) in the fridge for a week, and frozen (with or without the sweet glaze).

Ingredients

For the cake:

They are simple and easily available.

• Strawberries: use fresh ones, the sweeter the better.
• Cream cheese: it adds moisture and texture to the cake. See Notes in the recipe card for substitutions.
• Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted. Use the best brand you can afford.
• Sugar: we use white granulated sugar. You can use light brown sugar which will add a caramel undertone and a beige color to the crumb.
• Flour: all-purpose flour or cake flour, both work well.
• Salt: it brings out the rest of the flavors. I like to use kosher salt.
• Baking powder: make sure it's fresh and active. It will help the cake rise during baking.
• Orange and vanilla: they are the flavorings of this cake and pair great with strawberries. Any pure vanilla extract or paste works very well. You can also use pure orange extract if you don't have fresh orange zest.

For the strawberry glaze:

• Strawberry puree: this is made by simply processing fresh sliced strawberries. I use a mini food processor, the one that comes with the hand mixer because the amount of strawberries you'll use is small.
• Powdered sugar: this is a non-negotiable ingredient that can't be substituted.

Easy steps

This is a simple butter cake that uses the creaming method where you beat the softened butter with the sugar until light and airy. Using a hand-held electric mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) is highly recommended to beat it properly and achieve the right consistency.

Strawberry cake

Creaming. Pound cakes are dense and need proper beating for best results. One of the key parts is creaming butter and sugar well, in a large bowl at medium speed for several minutes, before adding the room temperature eggs (image 1). You should have a smooth batter before adding the flavorings (image 2).

Dry ingredients: also called the flour mixture, they include flour, salt, and baking powder, and are added alternating with the cream cheese. At this point (after the dry ingredients are added) you should beat only until well mixed and no dry spots remain. If using a stand mixer do so at a low speed. Don't be tempted to beat too much as it will produce a tougher cake the more you beat.

Strawberries. Chopped or sliced strawberries are added at the end with a spatula. We don't want to break them up too much, we want to gently incorporate them.

The pan. This is a loaf cake and I like to first butter or spray the pan and then add a strip of parchment paper that covers the bottom and the two short sides (images below). This will make it easier to remove this delicious pound cake after it's baked and transfer it to the cooling rack.

As you can see below the batter is thick, so smooth it out as evenly as you can before baking so it rises as evenly as possible.

Sweet glaze

A simple powdered sugar glaze never fails. And this one with fresh, processed strawberries is gorgeous and delicious! By adding more or less strawberry puree you can adjust the consistency (thinner or thicker) of your glaze.

Drizzle the glaze on a completely cooled down cake (or cold if you kept it in the refrigerator) and let it drip down the sides. Let the glaze dry out before cutting.

Frequently asked questions

My top tips

• Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, the equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Strawberries: chop them into bite sizes, not too large. Fresh strawberries work best, so I recommend you make this cake seasonally.
• Make ahead: you can keep the cake in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a month, well wrapped (I wrap it first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil). If you store leftovers with glaze, they will lose some of their shine, but they will still taste good. So, if you want to make it ahead before serving, I recommend you store the pound cake plain and ice the cake an hour or so before serving it. You can use another type of airtight container or wrapper, just make sure it's well covered to prevent freezer burn.
• Flavorings: you can use lime or lemon zest instead of orange. They pair very well with strawberries.
• No cream cheese? You can use regular sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of the cream cheese, same amount. The crumb will be a tad less dense and a smidge tangier. They both add great moisture and tenderness.
• Bundt cake: you can easily double this recipe and bake it in a bundt pan or tube pan.
• Desserts: you can use this cake for the Strawberry Cream Trifle or go the fancier route and cover it with whipped cream and whole strawberries, similar to the Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes. I know a friend that serves it thickly sliced with a lot of sliced strawberries on top and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, similar to a shortcake.

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