This strawberry pound cake is the perfect treat to celebrate strawberry season! It’s jam-packed with little bites of strawberries and topped with a sweet berry glaze for even more strawberry flavor.
With its moist, tender crumb and bursts of strawberry flavor in every bite, this cake is sure to become a favorite. Whether you’re looking for a breakfast treat, an afternoon snack, or a dessert to impress, this pound cake has got you covered. Top it off with a luscious strawberry glaze for an extra touch of indulgence!
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe
- Bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. This strawberry pound cake is packed with real, juicy strawberries, giving you a sweet and slightly tart flavor in every bite.
- Versatile. Serve it as a delightful dessert, a sweet breakfast treat, or a special afternoon snack. It’s perfect for any occasion!
- Pretty in pink. The pop of color from the strawberries and the glossy strawberry glaze make this pound cake as pretty as it is tasty. It’s sure to impress at gatherings and family dinners.
- Bake and share. This recipe makes two loaves, so you can keep one and share the other as a homemade gift or freeze for later.
What You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for the full recipe, including ingredient quantities and complete instructions.
- All-purpose flour – Measure by weight or use the spoon and sweep method. Learn more: How to Measure Flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Let this sit at room temperature to soften before mixing. Learn more: How to Soften Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs – Set these out along with the butter so they can come to room temperature for better mixing.
- Sour cream – This needs to come to room temperature, too. Full-fat sour cream works best. Greek yogurt is a good substitute if you don’t have sour cream.
- Vanilla extract – Try substituting half with almond extract for something a little different.
- Strawberries – You’ll need chopped strawberries for the cake as well as pureed strawberries for the glaze.
- Confectioners’ sugar – Also labeled as powdered sugar or 10X sugar.
- Milk – I prefer to use whole milk, but any kind you have on hand should work well enough.
How to Make Strawberry Pound Cake
- Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour two 9″ x 5″ loaf pans (or use a baking spray with flour).
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together 3 cups of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, and then mix in the eggs one at a time.
- Finish mixing the batter. Mix in the flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the strawberries. Toss the berries with 1/4 cup of flour, and then gently fold them into the batter.
- Bake. Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans, and bake for 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then remove them from the pans to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, pureed strawberries, and milk.
- Serve. Drizzle the glaze over the cake or individual slices when you’re ready to serve.
Tips for Success
- Temperature matters. Let your butter come almost to room temperature. (It should hold a thumbprint when pressed.) Your eggs and sour cream should be at room temperature for easier mixing and a smoother batter.
- Prep the strawberries before baking. The berries for the cake should be chopped into small pieces. Tossing them with flour will help to keep them from sinking, but the size of the pieces will be the biggest factor in preventing that. For the glaze, use a food processor or blender to puree hulled berries until smooth. Depending on the size of your berries, you’ll need 2 or 3 medium ones to make the needed amount of puree.
- Don’t over-mix. Too much mixing can lead to a dense batter that can be tough and dry. Be sure to mix the batter just until combined. There can still be a few small streaks of flour in the batter before adding the strawberries.
- Divide the batter evenly. This will ensure that your loaves bake evenly in the same amount of time. For accuracy, you can weigh your empty mixing bowl and then weigh again after mixing the batter. Divide the difference in half to determine how much batter to put in each pan. Alternatively, you can alternate scooping equal portions into each pan to try to approximate that accuracy.
- Go fresh or frozen. I prefer using fresh strawberries if possible, but you can use frozen if needed. For best results, first thaw them completely, drain any excess liquid, and pat them dry before folding them into the batter. Learn more: Fresh vs Frozen Fruits in Baking
- Adjust the glaze’s consistency. If you’d like your glaze a bit thicker, add more confectioners’ sugar. To thin it, add a little more strawberry puree or milk until you reach the desired consistency. This glaze is very forgiving!
Variations and Serving Suggestions
- Skip the glaze. For something a little simpler and less sweet, you can serve this cake just as it is or add a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar on top.
- Go over the top. On the opposite end of the indulgence spectrum, try topping slices of this strawberry pound cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a big dollop of whipped cream. Then drizzle the glaze on top for a decadent treat.
- Try other berries. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination of berries would all be delicious!
- Lemon twist. Substitute lemon juice for the vanilla extract and add a bit of lemon zest to the dry ingredients for a kick of citrus flavor.
- Make a Bundt cake. Instead of making two loaves, you can bake this batter in a 10-cup Bundt pan.
- Only want half? You can halve the recipe and bake in one loaf pan.
How to Store
Store your unglazed strawberry pound cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. If refrigerating, be extra sure the container is airtight so the cake won’t become dry.
Can This Pound Cake Be Frozen?
Yes! Wrap the unglazed cake in two layers of plastic wrap and either wrap again in aluminum foil or place in an airtight, freezer-safe container or resealable bag. I don’t recommend freezing the cake with the glaze, as the texture doesn’t hold up reliably. Properly stored, the cake should keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
More Strawberry Cakes You’ll Love
Get the Recipe:
Strawberry Pound Cake
Yield
16 to 20 servings
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
This rich, buttery strawberry pound cake is speckled with fresh strawberries. And the playful pink glaze takes it over the top!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 and 1/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (226g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (110g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons strawberry puree
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour (2) 9x5-inch loaf pans.
- Whisk together 3 cups (360g) of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Toss the chopped strawberries with 1/4 cup (30g) of flour to coat them. Gently fold the strawberries into the batter.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spreading evenly. Bake both pans together for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, and then transfer them from the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze:
- Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry puree, and milk until smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, slice and serve with a drizzle of strawberry glaze over the top.
Notes
*Use a food processor (a mini prep works great!) or a blender to puree hulled strawberries until smooth. You'll need 2 or 3 medium strawberries to make this amount of puree.
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