Strawberry Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pound cake is easy to put together and bake, so it won’t get in the way of a busy schedule on a holiday weekend – or anytime. This is a classic pound cake that gets a ‘berry’ delicious upgrade anytime fresh strawberries are available or in season.

Prep: 15 min
Bake: 50 min
Yield: 2 (9x5-inch) loaves or 1 (10-inch) bundt
Ingredients
    Cake
  • 3 cups Swans Down® Cake Flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
    Frosting
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 (1.2-ounce) package freeze-dried strawberries
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons water
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and line 2 (9×5-inch) loaf pans.
  2. Make Cake: Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Toss the diced strawberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture and set aside.
  4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Add vanilla extract. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, continuing to mix on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down sides after each addition. Fold in strawberries.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake(s) cool completely.
  6. Make Frosting: Grind the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor to create a powder. Place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sift confectioners’ sugar and powdered strawberries into the cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  7. Frost the top(s) of the cake(s).
    KITCHEN NOTES
  • Tossing the fresh strawberries in flour helps to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the cakes during baking.
  • To store this cake, wrap the completely cooled, unfrosted cake in plastic wrap and then in foil; freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the fridge; make frosting and apply when cake is fully thawed and room temperature.
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View Comments

    • Hi Emma, You could use frozen or thawed strawberries in the cake recipe. We would recommend you drain them well as frozen strawberries tend to have much more liquid than fresh strawberries would. We would not recommend using them in the frosting. Happy baking.

  • Am I missing something? When do you fold the diced & floured strawberries into the batter? On a related note, would it work to add a similar quantity of diced and flour strawberries into the ever-popular 1-2-3-4 Pound Cake for a similar result?

    • Good catch Mary Sue! Thanks. You would fold in strawberries right before you pour it into the pan. And yes, you can do the same with the 1234 Pound Cake Recipe. Happy Baking!

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