This homemade strawberry pound cake is bursting with the sweet taste of fresh strawberries, and is sure to hit the spot. With its moist texture and luscious strawberry cream cheese glaze, this cake is a crowd-pleaser!
Looking for more strawberry treats? Try my strawberry cheesecake ice cream or strawberry poke cake with pudding frosting.
A PERFECT SPRING CAKE!
After a long winter, as soon as the snow is melted, I’m in the mood for all things springy. Strawberries just scream “spring” to me, so as soon as I see them in the stores, I stock up on them.
I love eating them straight from the refrigerator, but I’m also a big fan of baking with strawberries!
Not only does this cake it have a fresh berry flavor, the pink color just screams spring, doesn’t it?
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES:
- In addition to oil, it has a bit of yogurt, which makes it so moist! I’ve tried it with butter, and it wasn’t quite as moist. The yogurt also adds a nice tang that works well with the berries.
- Chunks of fresh strawberries make the cake pretty, but they also add great pops of strawberry flavor. I tried a recipe using strawberry puree instead, and we all prefered the pieces of berries in the cake.
- Both vanilla and almond extract. I have an obsession with almond extract. I love it in a variety of baked goods, but I’m especially fond of it when combined with berries.
- Cream cheese in the glaze – I tried using just strawberries and powdered sugar, but it was overly sweet. Adding butter, cream cheese, and a bit of salt takes the glaze to the next level! You’re probably going to need to sneak a spoonful. 😉
The biggest difference is simply the pan you use. Bundt cakes are always baked in a round, fluted pan with a hollow tube in the middle. They are shaped like a donut, but with pretty groves on the sides.
Pound cakes can be baked in a variety of pans. They are typically dense and moist instead of light and fluffy like a cake made from cake mix.
HOW TO MAKE POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES
- PREP – Let your butter and cream cheese soften on the counter for several hours. Spray a 9″ loaf pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- WET – Wash, hull, and dice the strawberries; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
- DRY – Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and stir lightly until barely combined. Gently fold in the diced strawberries.
- BAKE – Spread the batter into your prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Mine took 55 minutes.
- COOL – For easiest removal, let the cake cool in the pan for about ten minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely before adding the glaze.
- GLAZE – Mash the berries. Beat the cream cheese, butter, salt, vanilla, and half of the berries together. Add more berries as needed.
- SERVE -Slice and serve for a delicious treat that’s perfect for any occasion!
Storing leftover strawberry pound cake:
If your family doesn’t devour this cake in one sitting, the leftovers will last at room temperature for 2-3 days in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator and it will last even longer.
And of course if you are worried about the cream cheese, you can store it in the fridge. But I personally have never had a problem storing cream cheese frosting at room temperature.
FREEZING – You can also freeze the strawberry poundcake before you frost it. I recommend wrapping it in plastic wrap, then placing it in ziplock bag. But a couple layers of plastic wrap will also work. After being frozen, the cake is actually even more moist!
It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can make the glaze and freeze it as well, or just prepare it when you are ready to serve the cake. Let it thaw at room temperature, then glaze and serve.
VARIATIONS:
- As I mentioned earlier, if you can’t stand almond extract, you can substitute additional vanilla, or use lemon extract. But if you haven’t tried it with the almond, I highly recommend it!
- Instead of plain yogurt, sour cream and greek yogurt both work well. I think buttermilk or cream cheese would also be fine.
- If you don’t want a cream cheese glaze, you can make a simple strawberry glaze with just a cup of powdered sugar and a few mashed strawberries. It will be a pretty pink color, and will add even more sweetness to the cake.
- Love lemon? Add a couple tablespoons of lemon zest to the batter in place of the almond extract. Also add a bit of lemon zest to the glaze.
- If you want an extra pink cake, you can add some red food coloring to the batter.
MORE STRAWBERRY DESSERTS:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle
- Mini Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Donut (Baked)
- Strawberry Nutella Pizza
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cinnamon Rolls
- Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp
STRAWBERRY POUND CAKE RECIPE
Strawberry Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup diced strawberries 5 ounces
Glaze:
- 2 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 Tbsp butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp mashed strawberries or less
Instructions
- Let your cream cheese and butter soften to room temperature. Spray a 9" loaf pan with non stick cooking spray or Baker's Joy. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 325°.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, yogurt, eggs, and extracts.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and stir till just combined.
- Fold in the diced strawberries. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake at 325° for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Turn right side up, and let cool completely before adding glaze.
- For glaze: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and a tablespoon of the mashed strawberries. Beat until smooth, adding more berries as needed.
Notes
- You can also make this cake in an 8″ loaf pan, it will just be taller, and may take a bit longer to bake.
- Recipe inspired by Yellow Bliss Road.
Nutrition
This strawberry loaf cake makes about ten slices, but most people want seconds, so you may want to make an extra loaf if you are feeding a crowd!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Just enter your email and get it sent right to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!
This is heavenly!! We love anything with strawberries!! It’s soft & sweet & great for any occasion!
Glad your family loved it Kristyn! Strawberries are a favorite at our house too, so I’m glad they are finally in season! 🙂
Oh man….this was sooooo good! Going to make a double batch next time!
I probably should have done the same thing, this didn’t even last a day at my house!