This Strawberry Pound Cake recipe is made with fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup, and a strawberry glaze. That means lots of fruity flavor to go along with the rich, moist texture of a pound cake. I love to make this show-stopping cake for Easter, Valentine’s Day, or the spring and summer seasons.
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What’s in this Strawberry Pound Cake recipe?
Traditional pound cake calls for a pound each of the main ingredients, but I don’t use quite that much for this recipe. But don’t worry, it still comes out super rich and moist!
- Flour: Unbleached all-purpose flour is best for pound cake.
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll need granulated sugar to add sweetness to the cake batter, and to make the strawberry syrup.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter. Let it come to room temperature and soften before using.
- Eggs: Eggs add richness and structure to cake. These should be room temperature as well.
- Half and Half: This adds moisture into the batter, and since it has a thicker and creamier texture than milk alone, it is much richer. You can combine heavy cream and whole milk to make your own substitute.
- Extract: Vanilla extract and almond extract create the perfect flavor. You can use just vanilla if that’s all you have.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries should be finely chopped to mix into the batter. You will also need pureed strawberries for the syrup.
- Powdered Sugar: Use powdered sugar for the strawberry glaze.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds brightness and acidity to the glaze. Fresh juice is best, but you can use bottled juice as well.
Tip: Early summer is the best season for strawberries–they’ll be extra fresh, sweet, and flavorful! So I love making this dessert in the summer, but luckily strawberries are available year-round in many places.
Recipe Variations
This is one of my favorite recipes to make with strawberries, but if you don’t have (or don’t like) them, you can use another berry or fruit instead. Use blueberries or raspberries (or a mix). They’re easy to mix into the batter, and you can follow the same instructions to make the syrup and glaze with these berries instead.
Try making a lemon glaze or use lemon curd, and top with powdered sugar or whipped cream. Drizzle caramel sauce on top for an extra sweet treat. You could also replace the almond extract in the cake batter with lemon extract for a brighter flavor.
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How to Store Strawberry Glazed Pound Cake
Once your strawberry pound cake has fully cooled, transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep well for up to 5 days at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
How to Freeze Pound Cake with Strawberries
If you plan to freeze this cake, I recommend skipping the glaze until you’re ready to serve it. Let it cool completely, then wrap it in plastic wrap or foil, and place it in a freezer-safe container. It will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost before serving.
If you have already glazed the cake, you can still store leftovers. It may be easiest to store slices, but you can store the cake whole if you have the space and container for it.
5-Star Review
“I made this cake today. In my haste to deliver it, I forgot to snap a picture. It was beautiful and tasty. I did use shortening to grease my pan with and also floured the pan. PERFECT!! Thank you for the recipe. My son has already ordered one for his birthday!” – Cindy
Strawberry Pound Cake
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1½ cups unsalted butter 339 grams, room temperature (3 sticks)
- 3 cups granulated sugar 600 grams
- 5 large eggs 250 grams, room temperature
- 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour 408 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 1 cup half-and-half 227 grams, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams
- 1 teaspoon almond extract 4 grams
- 2½ cups finely chopped strawberries 418 grams
For the Strawberry Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- ⅔ cup water 151 grams
- 1 cup pureed strawberries 232 grams
For the Strawberry Glaze
- 3 tablespoons strawberry syrup 44 grams, reserved from above
- 2 cups powdered sugar 226 grams
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice 43 grams, from 1½ lemons
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Wooden Skewer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 10-cup Bundt cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes.1½ cups unsalted butter, 3 cups granulated sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time with the speed on medium. Scrape down the sides as needed.5 large eggs
- Switch the mixer to low and add in the flour in batches. Add in the salt. Make sure everything is well combined and smooth.3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add in the half-and-half and both extracts. Continue to mix.1 cup half-and-half, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Turn off the mixer and fold in the chopped strawberries.2½ cups finely chopped strawberries
- Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 80 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- During the last 20 minutes of baking, prepare the strawberry syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Allow to boil for 8 minutes. Add the pureed strawberries. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.1 cup granulated sugar, ⅔ cup water, 1 cup pureed strawberries
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Using a wooden skewer (like you would use for kebabs), poke holes in the bottom of the cake, about 1½ inches apart. Make the holes about ⅛-inch wide, wiggling the skewer slightly. Be sure not to poke all the way through the cake.
- Set aside 3 tablespoons of the strawberry syrup. Pour the remaining strawberry syrup over the bottom of the cake, still in the bundt pan. Use a spatula to press the syrup into the cake.
- Keep upside down and in the pan for 30 minutes as it cools.
- Turn over the cake to remove from the pan, continue to let cool for another hour.
- While the cake cools, make the strawberry glaze. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. If too thick, add more lemon juice. If too thin, add more powdered sugar.3 tablespoons strawberry syrup, 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Once the cake is cooled, drizzle the glaze over the cake and top with chopped fresh strawberries.
- Slice and serve.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Your ingredients should be at room temperature when you make the cake batter. This helps them to combine more easily so that you will have an even texture throughout the cake.
- When you poke the holes in the cake, make sure that you don’t make them all the way to the bottom of the tin.
- Let the cake cool fully before adding the glaze. If the cake is still warm it will slide off.
Nutrition Information
Yes. If you don’t have fresh strawberries on hand, substitute frozen. Be sure to fully thaw them first.
I used a 10-cup bundt cake pan for this pound cake. It works best for this recipe since we are poking holes in the bottom and filling it with strawberry syrup after baking.
Baking at 325F, this pound cake will take about 80 minutes (1 hour 20 minutes) to bake. To check that it’s done, stick a toothpick into the cake–it should come out clean without any liquid batter and few crumbs.
Let the cake cool in the pan, upside down, for 30 minutes. Place a flat surface (a large plate, cutting board, etc) on top of the pan, and flip it over. If you used cooking spray, it should slide out fairly easily as you lift the pan. Give it a little shake until it comes loose.
I made this cake today. In my haste to deliver it, I forgot to snap a picture. It was beautiful and tasty. I did use shortening to grease my pan with and also floured the pan. PERFECT!! Thank you for the recipe. My son has already ordered one for his birthday!
Sounds like a great experience!
I baked the cake and it came out.ojay (not too sweet which is awesome – to be honest, i decreased the sugar in the strawberry syrup) but was dense (again, even if used a paddle this time ☹). All in all it is a good recipe. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Eileen!
Thank you, turned out delicious!! I used wheat flour (that’s all I had) so the color is darker. Hit of the party, everyone loved it.
Thanks for sharing, Missy!!
I forgot to take a picture before because this cake was gone in 60 seconds! Very buttery rich delicious cake and oh so moist! Maybe next time I’ll skip the strawberry syrup step because the cake is amazing on it’s own and the glaze is to die for!
I am sorry this isn’t up to your taste, Camilla!
I made this recipe on Sunday for Easter dessert. What did I do wrong?! I could never get it to release from my well greased bundt cake pan. Half stayed in the pan and the other half basically fell apart. I didn’t want to scrap the whole cake, so I cut up the pieces and served it as a “trifle” with a bit of the leftover strawberry sauce. My family couldn’t get enough of it! It is the moistest and most delicious strawberry dessert I’ve ever eaten! Next time, I’d love to serve it as a bundt cake! Any suggestions as to what I did wrong are greatly appreciated.
Oh no! I am sorry this didn’t work out. Maybe try wiping the pan with oil this time if the spray didn’t work!