This summer-perfect strawberry pound cake is loaded with fresh strawberries and complemented by lemon glaze drizzled on top. It's rich, moist, and full of flavor. It is very easy to make and has been our favorite summer dessert for years.
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About the strawberry pound cake recipe
Today, I would love to share this amazing pound cake recipe with fresh strawberries. Even though I live in the US now and can get strawberries pretty much anytime, I still love baking with them when they’re fresh—just like we did back home.
For a cake like this, I would often use tvorog instead of ricotta, but ricotta works just fine, and it is easier to find in American grocery store.
So if you have too many strawberries this summer, this cake is a perfect way to use them.
Growing up in Eastern Europe, we cooked with whatever was growing in the garden, or whatever needed to be used up first. That’s why you’ll find cakes made with fresh apricots, apples, pears, rhubarb on my blog.
Ingredients
For best results, I always recommend weighing all the ingredients.
If you do not have a kitchen scale, I have also included measurements in cups in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour, King Arthur brand.
- Ricotta cheese: you will need full-fat ricotta cheese, at room temperature. If it has too much liquid, drain it before adding to the batter.
- Butter: you will need softened unsalted butter. Leave it at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes. You can cut it into small pieces to expedite the process.
- Eggs: eggs should be at room temperature. Plan ahead of time and take them out 30-60 minutes before you start baking. You can also place them in warm water for 5 minutes.
- Sugar: I used granulated cane sugar.
- Fresh strawberries: make sure to wash and dry them well before dicing.
- Vanilla extract: you can also use almond extract instead.
- Lemon juice: add some to diced strawberries, which will prevent them from getting dark after baking. And I also used lemon juice for the glaze.
- Baking powder: because we are making it with ricotta, baking powder will prevent the cake from getting overly dense.
- Salt: a pinch of salt to balance the taste.
- Powder sugar: you will need it only for making the glaze.
How to make strawberry pound cake
Take out all the refrigerated ingredients at least 30 minutes before you start baking.
Wash and dry the strawberries well, remove the stems. Dice fresh strawberries finely.
In a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and sugar. Using a handheld mixer, cream butter, sugar, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes.
Add ricotta cheese and beat it for another minute. While the mixer is on, start adding the eggs, one by one. Beat everything on high speed for about 2 minutes until one consistency.
In a second large bow, mix flour and baking powder. Sift dry ingredients into the bowl with wet ingredients.
Using a silicone spatula, mix the batter until all combined without any crumbs. Now, fold in diced strawberries into the batter.
Line the loaf pan with some parchment paper. Otherwise, grease it with some cooking spray.
Pour strawberry cake batter into the prepared pan and even it out with the spatula.
Bake in the preheated to 350°F oven for about 1 hour or until the cake looks golden brown and the toothpick or cake tester comes out clear.
Let the cake cool down on a wire rack for about 1 hour before glazing it.
Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar and lemon juice. Spread the glaze on top of the cake. Make sure it completely cools down.
Nataliia's recipe tips, storage instructions, and variations
- Room temperature ingredients: take all cold ingredients at least 30 minutes before you start baking.
- Kitchen scale: it is always better to use the scale to measure the ingredients.
- Storage: ricotta is a perishable ingredient, so this cake should be stored in the fridge (3-5 days) once it fully cools down for about one hour.
- Variations: you can bake it in a bundt cake pan. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use thawed frozen strawberries to make this cake. Thaw frozen strawberries first. Drain any liquid, dice them, and add to the cake batter.
Yes, you can freeze this strawberry pound cake for up to 2-3 months. If Cool it down completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or a container. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, and serve at room temperature. If you decide to freeze it, it is best to glaze it after thawing.
No, a bundt cake is the shape of the cake, baked in a bundt round cake pan. Pound cake is a type of cake that has a dense texture and it is usually made with equal parts of flour, eggs, butter, and sugar.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry pound cake (With Fresh Strawberries)
Equipment
- hand-help mixer
- 9.3"x5.3" Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 280 grams (2 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 150 grams (1 stick + 2 tbsp) softened butter
- 250 grams (1 cup) ricotta cheese full fat
- 1½ cups diced strawberries (7-10 whole)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoons salt
Lemon glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9.3"x5.3" Loaf Pan with parchment paper.
- Rinse, dry and dice fresh strawberries. Mix diced strawberries with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- In a large bowl, add 150 grams (1 stick + 2 tbsp) softened butter, 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract . Using a hand-held mixer, cream the ingredients on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes. Add there250 grams (1 cup) ricotta cheese and beat everything again with a mixer for 1 minute. Start adding 3 large eggs, one by one while keeping the mixer running.
- In a second large bowl, combine 280 grams (2 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Sift flour and baking powder into the bowl with wet ingredients. Combine the batter with silicone spatula until no dry flour spots remained.
- Fold in 1½ cups diced strawberries (7-10 whole) into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until the cake looks golden on top and the toothpick comes out clear.
- Let the pound cake cool down on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Spread lemon glaze on top (or simply dust it with powdered sugar). Slice it and serve!
Lemon glaze
- In a small bowl, add ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Whisk the ingredients well until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add more lemon juice as needed to reach the desired thickness.
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