Loaded with fresh strawberries, this pound cake is moist, dense but not too dense, and easy to make with only 20 minutes of active prep!
Whether you’re looking for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea, a midday snack, or a dessert with homemade Whipped Cream, this strawberry pound cake is perfection. Loaded with fresh strawberries intertwined in a buttery vanilla pound cake, try to resist having a slice…or two!
Want a bake-free strawberry treat instead? Learn How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe
- Strawberry Pound Cake Ingredients
- Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Strawberry Pound Cake
- Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- What to Serve With Strawberry Pound Cake
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Other Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love!
- Easy Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe
- Extra moist cake
- Loaded with fresh strawberries
- Dense like pound cake should be, but not too dense
- Only 20 minutes of active prep
- A great cake to make ahead (like this amazing Blueberry Coffee Cake!)
Strawberry Pound Cake Ingredients
- Cake flour – I highly recommend cake flour for this recipe. I’ve tried regular all-purpose flour and the cake turned out extra dense. Cake flour produces a tender, moist crumb that’s still dense the way a pound cake should be, but not too dense.
- Fresh strawberries – you can’t beat fresh strawberries in a pound cake! I do not recommend using frozen strawberries; they can create a soggy cake.
- Granulated sugar – you’ll need plain white sugar for this cake.
- Unsalted butter – butter is a key ingredient in pound cake!
- Full-fat sour cream – I love the slight tang of sour cream that complements the strawberries perfectly.
- Large eggs – eggs are an important ingredient in pound cake, yielding that classically dense texture and tight crumb.
- Vanilla extract – vanilla extract adds delicious, subtle vanilla notes.
- Baking soda – a small amount of baking soda helps pound cake rise and not be too heavy.
- Salt – salt adds flavor.
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
- All-purpose flour: while you can use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour in this pound cake recipe, it will alter the texture of the cake quite a bit. Cake flour yields a much more tender, moist crumb. All-purpose flour creates a denser, heavier cake.
- Greek yogurt: you can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream if preferred.
- Almond extract or lemon extract: instead of vanilla extract, you can use almond extract or lemon extract.
How to Make Strawberry Pound Cake
Full instructions in the recipe card; this is just an outline!
- Prepare.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×5” pan.
- Beat.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Wet ingredients.
Add one egg at a time, on low speed, until incorporated. Then add sour cream on low speed until incorporated.
- Dry ingredients.
Add baking soda and mix on low speed. Then add flour, and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.
- Fold.
Use a spatula to fold in the strawberries.
- Bake.
Scoop batter into pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes. If top of cake is browning too quickly, lay a piece of foil across the top of the cake. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Cool.
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- Make ahead: you can make this pound cake 5-7 days in advance if kept in the refrigerator, bringing to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving. Of course, strawberry pound cake is best enjoyed within 1-2 days for optimal freshness.
- Storage: Since this pound cake includes fresh strawberries (perishable), you can keep it at room temperature, tightly covered after it cools, for only 1-2 days. After that, leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezing: This cake freezes well, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then stored in a freezer-safe bag for 3-4 months. Bring to room temp before serving.
What to Serve With Strawberry Pound Cake
While this cake is delicious on its own, here are my favorite toppings to add to the cake before serving:
- Fresh Vanilla Whipped Cream
- Toasted almonds
- Vanilla ice cream
- A spoonful of Mom’s Homemade Strawberry Preserves
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- A lemon glaze after the cake has cooled: ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice mixed together
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Pound cake is a dense, buttery cake made from flour, sugar, butter and eggs. This pound cake includes strawberries and a few modifications to complement the fresh strawberries even more!
I do not recommend using a different pan since I have not tested this recipe with a Bundt pan or a different-sized loaf pan that will change the bake time.
I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries in this recipe. Frozen strawberries have higher water content that can result in a soggy cake that doesn’t bake correctly.
The best way to invert your cake is to make sure the pan is greased well, run a knife along the outside of the pan to loosen the cake, and then place a wire rack on top of the slightly cooled cake. Quickly flip the pan upside down, releasing the cake on the rack. Gently flip the cake back over so the bottom of the cake is on the rack.
Other Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love!
- Best Fresh Strawberry Pie
- Healthy Strawberry Banana Smoothie (Secret Ingredient!)
- How to Make Mom’s Homemade Strawberry Preserves
- Strawberry Muffins
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Coconut Crumble Bars
Easy Strawberry Pound Cake
Equipment
- 9×5" loaf pan
- Stand mixer (or hand mixer as an alternative)
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature for 20 minutes
- 3 large eggs, room temperature for 20 minutes
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Grease a 9×5” pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla for 1 minute on medium speed. Do not over-beat.
- Add one egg at a time, on low speed, until incorporated. Then add sour cream on low speed until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add baking soda and mix on low speed. Then add flour, and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over-mix.
- Use a spatula to fold in the strawberries, being careful to not over-mix.
- Scoop batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes. If top of cake is browning too quickly, lay a piece of foil across the top of the cake. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs (not wet batter).
- Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Use a spoon to transfer the flour to the measuring cup. Avoid scooping the flour directly with the measuring cup as it can compress the flour, resulting in too much being packed into the cup.
- You’ll need 1 ½ packed cups of sliced, fresh strawberries. I don’t recommend frozen strawberries.
- Lemon glaze on top? Mix together ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Drizzle on top of the cooled cake.
- If you don’t have a wire rack, you can cool your cake on a plate.
- How to remove your cake from the pan: make sure the pan is greased well and run a knife along the outside of the pan to loosen the cake. Then place a wire rack on top of the slightly cooled cake. Quickly flip the pan upside down, releasing the cake on the rack. Gently flip the cake bake over so the bottom of the cake is on the rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
