Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake

I absolutely love strawberry season and I love pound cakes! I cannot believe it has taken me this long to share a strawberry pound cake recipe with you, but the wait is over! And I guarantee this cake will become on of your favorite desserts.

This tender cake is dense and moist, like a good pound cake should be. It's flavored with fresh strawberries cooked down into a puree and that gorgeous pink icing color comes from freeze-dried strawberry powder - so this cake is packed with strawberry flavor. Plus it's gluten free and dairy free, but you would never guess!

If you love strawberries as much as I do, then you should check out this collection of my favorite gluten free strawberry desserts.

Ingredient Notes

• Fresh Strawberries - In this pound cake, real strawberries are used for the flavor. Pureed strawberries are cooked down into a condensed sauce before being added to the cake batter.
• Gluten Free Flour Blend - I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour for most of my baking. You can use your favorite blend, but make sure it contains xanthan gum of a similar binder.
• Baking Powder - Even though traditional pound cake doesn't use leavening agent, I've added a small amount to this cake to help with the heaviness of gluten free flour.
• Salt - A tiny amount of salt will help to enhance the sweet flavor.
• Sugar - This cake just uses white sugar. I don't recommend using any brown sugar here since there is already a lot of moisture from the strawberries.
• Vegan Butter - I used Country Crock plant butter for my cake. You can use any kind of vegan stick butter. Avoid margarine. If you're not dairy free, use unsalted dairy butter in the same measure. Whichever butter you choose, make sure it is at room temperature before mixing.
• Oil - Although many people like an all butter pound cake, adding a small amount of oil helps the cake to handle more moisture, resulting in a really pleasing finished cake.
• Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract - Both are there to enhance the flavor of the cake.
• Eggs - Pound cakes need a lot of eggs. They provide the rich flavor as well as helping the cake rise. I don't recommend attempting this cake with egg replacements. Make sure to bring your eggs to room temperature before mixing the pound cake batter.
• Non-Dairy Milk - A little milk is added to up the moisture content of the cake. If you're not dairy free, use regular milk in the same measure.
• Red Food Coloring - I used a few drops of red gel food coloring to achieve the pink color in the photos. This is an optional addition if you're avoiding dyes.

For the icing you will need: powdered sugar, freeze dried strawberries, corn syrup and vegan cream or milk.

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

How to make a Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake

Before mixing the cake, the strawberries need to be cooked down into a thick puree similar to how I make my gluten free strawberry cake. One pound of strawberries will make about 1 ½ cups of puree before cooking. Simmer the puree over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes, until it is reduced to ⅔ cup. It will be a thick paste. Once cooked it needs to cool completely before being added to the cake batter.

Once the puree has cooled, prepare the cake batter. This recipe uses the creaming method for mixing.

• STEP 1: Combine the gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and stir well.
• STEP 2: Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• STEP 3: Add the oil, vanilla, almond extract and food coloring, if using. Mix for about 60 seconds more.

• STEP 4: Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing them in completely between additions.
• STEP 5: Combine the milk with the strawberry puree and stir well.
• STEP 6: Turn the mixer to low speed, add half of the dry ingredients followed by half of the strawberry mixture. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.

• STEP 7: Once the batter is mixed, spread it into a greased bundt pan.
• STEP 8: Bake for 75-80 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the internal temperature measures approximately 210F degrees.

How to Store Strawberry Pound Cake

Once the cake has cooled completely, store it in an airtight container like a cake keeper. It is a very moist cake, so it will be good for 3-4 days.

You can also freeze this cake. I'd recommend cutting it into individual slices and wrapping them with plastic wrap before placing them inside a freezer safe container. Store them for up to 3 months. Unwrap the cake before thawing, so the icing doesn't stick to the plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Can I bake this pound cake in a different pan?

Yes, this cake will work in a bundt pan, tube pan or in two 9x5 loaf pans. For loaf pans, adjust the cooking time to 55-60 minutes.

Other pound cake recipes to consider:

If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.