Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake
Featuring a sauce made from fresh strawberries swirled into the cake, this Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake makes for a delicious summer dessert!
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I love pound cake. It’s truly one of my favorite desserts. Well, that and coffee cake. And chocolate cake. And a good cheesecake. Ah well, ok, so pound cake is one of a number of favorites! Either way, I always make a pound cake every year for Memorial Day weekend. Usually I go with my classic pound cake, and I serve it with freshly chopped strawberries and a spoonful of whipped cream. All together, it’s kinda like strawberry shortcake…but with pound cake instead. Yum!
Last year, as I was making that pound cake for the long holiday weekend, I got to thinking. Instead of piling diced strawberries on top of the cake, what would happen if I mixed those diced strawberries directly into the cake? The cake was already in the oven by the time I had that thought, so I decided to try it out next time.
Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake
Next time is here, and I present this Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake. This dessert features a delicious pound cake base, but with swirled strawberry sauce throughout. It’s delicious, and it’s perfect for summer gatherings in the backyard!
Instead of just tossing the diced strawberries directly into the cake batter, I decided to turn those berries into a sauce. Truthfully, I was a little concerned that the strawberries might release too much liquid which would then create trouble with the cake. I decided to blend the strawberries and then cook ’em down into a sauce of sorts. (This strawberry sauce would be tasty on top of vanilla ice cream – just FYI!)
Once the strawberry sauce was layered into the pan with the cake batter, the only remaining task was to swirl it in. Then that Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake was off to the oven…for about 2 hours! Yes, you read that correctly. 2 hours. I know this seems crazy, but the secret to a good pound cake is to bake it at a low temperature – 300°F or 325°F are most common.
So why do we bake pound cakes at a lower temperature than other cakes? Well, pound cakes are dense. They’re packed with eggs and butter. Baking pound cakes at lower temperatures allow them to fully bake from the inside out. That lower temperature also prevents the cake from drying out in the oven. You might be tempted to turn up the dial on the oven, but don’t do it. Your patience will be rewarded with a fantastic pound cake!
If you’re looking for a tasty dessert for summer parties or get-togethers with the neighbors, then put this Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake on the list. Not only does it look cool with the strawberry swirl, but it tastes great, too. Happy baking!
Did you bake this Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Swirl
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ~½ large lemon
- 1 Tbsp water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
For the Pound Cake
- 1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 7 large eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest ~1 large lemon
For the Glaze
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2½ Tbsp milk
Instructions
For the Strawberry Swirl
- Using a blender or mini-chopper, puree the strawberries until smooth. Transfer strawberries into a small saucepan; set pan aside.
- Using a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, lemon juice and water until smooth.
- Add cornstarch mixture and granulated sugar to the saucepan with the strawberries; stir until well combined.
- Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a boil, stirring often.
- Continue boiling for 1 minute, or until mixture has thickened noticeably. Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool completely.
For the Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes on medium speed).
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add salt and half of the flour to the bowl; mix until well combined.
- Add heavy whipping cream; mix until well combined.
- Add remaining flour, vanilla extract and lemon zest; mix until well combined.
- Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is well combined.
- Grease and flour a 12-15 cup Bundt pan (or generously spray with baking spray and then lightly dust with flour). Transfer ~⅓ of the batter into pan.
- Spoon ~½ of the strawberry mixture on top of the batter.
- Repeat process with another ⅓ of the batter and remaining strawberry mixture. Finish by layering the remaining ⅓ of batter on top. Using a table knife, gently swirl the layers.
- Bake for 80 minutes. Tent top of cake with foil and continue baking for 40-50 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire baking rack. Let cool completely before slicing.
For the Glaze
- Using a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk. Pour glaze on top of cooled cake, letting excess drip down sides of cake.
Looking for more tasty pound cake recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had strawberry swirl pound cake before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
This is a delicious cake that is great for summer when fresh strawberries are in season – definitely give it a try, Ramya. Enjoy!!
I hear ya- I am a sucker for anything that ends in “cake!” And speaking of such things, I just love your idea for the swirl of fresh strawberry sauce in this poundcake! I can just imagine how amazing this would be with more fresh strawberries and some dairy free whipped topping! Fantastic recipe!
Haha – I’m right there with ya in that boat, Shashi. “Cake” is my favorite food group! I thought about using strawberry jam to swirl into this cake, but then I realized – wait…it’s fresh strawberry season. We should use fresh strawberries! This cake turned out really well. 🙂
What a delicious and pretty strawberry pound cake! Save me a slice!
You’re gonna have to hurry if you want me to save you a slice, Michelle! 🙂
this really does look beautifully delicious David. It’s nearly strawberry season here in queensland so this would be perfect!
Definitely hang on to this recipe then, Sherry – it’s fun to use fresh berries to make the mixture to swirl into the cake! Happy baking!
If this strawberry swirl pound cake doesn’t screen summer dessert, I don’t know what does! What a delicious, dessert, David, and a great way to use those juicy summer strawberries that I’m so looking forward to. Perfect with a big scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream. 🙂
I hope strawberry season comes your way soon, Dawn! We’re in the middle of it down here, and I’m loving every minute of it. Happy baking!
I’ve never made a pound cake David, so I will start with yours, and I love including strawberries in cooked sweets. I’m really looking forward to our seasonal strawberries very soon. This does look like the perfect dessert. This is the perfect recipe for a nice bundt cake tin too.
Oh gosh! You’ve never made a pound cake before, Pauline? You’re in for a treat! I might recommend starting with a classic pound cake before experimenting with fun twists like this one. Just a thought! https://spicedblog.com/classic-pound-cake/
This cake looks and sounds absolutely lovely, and that was a smart move to cook down the strawberry filling (which sounds amazing on its own) that’s a perfect treat to celebrate summer!
You’re right, Ben – that strawberry filling is tasty on its own. I bet it could be used for a lot of things. Maybe a strawberry-swirled coffee cake next?? 🙂
I can imagine the delightful aroma of strawberries wafting through the kitchen as the cake bakes slowly to perfection, mmmmmmmmmm.
Thanks, Raymund – this cake does make the house smell quite good! 🙂