Strawberry Pound Cake with Pink Glaze
A simple, moist, sweet vanilla cake with strawberry pieces, that 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 and the pink glaze adds another layer of sweetness.
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups fresh strawberries about 9 ounces whole
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature (see Notes for substitutions)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the glaze:
- 3-4 fresh strawberries or a few tablespoons of strawberry puree
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Butter or spray a 9x4 inch (10x24 cm) loaf pan, and, if you want, add a strip of parchment paper to cover the bottom and two shorter sides.
- Wash, dry and hull 2 cups fresh strawberries, and chop them into bite sizes.
For the cake:
- Beat 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, for 20 seconds in a large bowl with electric beaters or a stand mixer.
- Add 1 cup white granulated sugar gradually while you continue beating at medium speed, and then for 3 more minutes after adding all of it. The mixture will be light in color, fluffy, and the sugar will have partially dissolved.
- Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl regularly.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon orange zest and mix.
- Sift the dry ingredients (2 ¼ cups all-purpose or cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt) together in a bowl, or have them measured and sift them directly over the egg-sugar batter.
- Add them in 2 parts, alternating with ¼ cup cream cheese in 1 part. That means you start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix and integrate it well, but don't beat it much at this point. After adding the flour cake batter should be beaten *just* until fully incorporated, but no more.
- Add the fresh strawberry pieces and integrate them with a spatula. Just a few strokes, trying not to crush them much, or at all.
- Put the thick batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until it rises, the top cracks, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pound cakes are dense, so make sure it's fully baked. If the top is browning too quickly, but the middle is not done, cover it loosely with a piece of foil and continue to bake.
- Cool on a wire rack and remove carefully from the pan, removing the strip of paper.
- Drizzle the glaze over and let it dry before cutting. Serve with some extra fresh strawberries if you want.
For the glaze:
- Puree 3-4 fresh strawberries with an immersion blender or a fork if you have patience. It can be smooth or have small chunks if you like them. You should have 2-3 tablespoons.
- Mix half of the berry puree with 1 cup powdered sugar in a bowl and check the consistency. It should be like thick honey. Add more strawberry puree if needed to adjust.
Notes
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. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven to check that your oven is the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Strawberries: chop them into bite-sized pieces, not too large. Fresh strawberries work best, so I recommend you make this cake seasonally.
Strawberry puree for the glaze: a mini food processor and an immersion blender come in handy because we use a small amount of strawberries for this.
Make ahead: you can keep the cake in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a month, well wrapped. But if you store it after the glaze is applied, it will lose some of its shine and probably be a little mushy, but it will still taste good. So, if you want to make it ahead before serving and maintain a shiny glaze, I recommend you store the pound cake plain and ice it an hour or so before serving. I wrap it first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and freeze it for up to a month. You can use another type of airtight container or wrapper; just make sure no air is getting into it 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, the 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.
This is a versatile cake that you can use this cake for strawberry trifle, or go the fancier route and cover it with whipped cream and whole strawberries or berry sauce, similar to these popular strawberry cupcakes.
