Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake
During the summer when I was a kid, dessert on Sunday almost always meant angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream. It was one of my favorite treats; even better were the Sundays when a pound cake magically appeared on my grandma’s table, along with the standard strawberries and whipped cream. We never had pound cake often, so it was definitely a treat to be cherished when it graced the dinner table. I loved the dense texture of the cake, how rich and moist it always was, and I especially loved the crust. It was my favorite part! I’ve since come to love pound cake for the absolute ease with which it can be prepared and the versatility with which it can be served. It’s the perfect dessert to have stashed in the freezer for unexpected company. I adore cream cheese pound cakes because of the extra little “oomph” in flavor and since I love it paired with strawberries so much, I decided to put the strawberries in the cake!
Like all pound cakes, this one comes together pretty much effortlessly. A fabulously large amount of butter, sugar and eggs are creamed together before flour is added. Most pound cake recipes call for all-purpose flour, however I used cake flour, which creates more of a lighter, tender crumb than the all-purpose flour. It’s a subtle change, but I think it makes a huge difference in the texture of the pound cake.
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My mom declared this cake one of the top five things that I have made, ever. That’s pretty high praise, considering I make (and she samples) hundreds of recipes a year. She first tasted a piece of it at work with a cup of coffee; she promptly emailed me to tell me how much she loved it, using all capital letters. That’s enthusiasm! This is definitely a basic recipe worthy of being stashed away in a “tried and true” recipe box. Some day your grandchildren might reminisce about eating this cake at your house!
A quick parting note: If you prefer a plain cream cheese pound cake, you can use this exact recipe (the same baking time and temperature) and simply omit the strawberry swirl filling.
One year ago: Strawberry Cream Cheese Crumble Tart
Two years ago: Top 10 List: Favorite Cake Recipes
Three years ago: Toffee Pretzel Bark
Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Swirl:
- ⅔ cup (96 g) finely diced fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (62.5 ml) water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Pound Cake:
- 1½ cups (340.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) cake flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
Instructions
- Make the Strawberry Swirl: Combine the strawberries, sugar, water and cornstarch in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes very thick. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature before using.
- Make the Pound Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard-size Bundt pan.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar continue to beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each one is completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, reduce the speed to low, and gradually add the flour until it has all been combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Spoon about ⅔ of the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Top evenly with the strawberry filling, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge of the pan. Use a thin paring knife to gently swirl the strawberry filling with the cake batter just a few times – less is more. Spoon the remainder of the cake batter on top of the filling and gently spread to the edges of the pan, covering the filling.
- Bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Made it for Mother’s Day and it was a hit. I didn’t have cake flour so I used the 1 cup all purpose flour minus two tbsp + 2 tbsp cornstarch method. Also I found 3 cups of sugar quite a lot so used 2 cups instead. I made one mistake. I put too much batter into my Bundt pan so the cake had a wide “ring” around the bottom. LOL. Main thing: everybody loved the cake!!!!
looks stunning.
I made this the day you posted it – delicious!!! But, my strawberry swirl sunk to the bottom…. What can I do to keep it more in the middle?
Hi Ashley, So glad you enjoyed the cake! To keep the swirl more in the middle, add less batter before adding the swirl, that should keep it closer to the top, so if it drops at all it will still be in the middle.
Pound cake also brings back tons of great memories for me. I will for sure have to try cake flour the next time I make one.
Wow, just made this and it’s still cooling. But I did sneak a slice. I used cake flour and I really think that does make a difference. I did have to cook the strawberry filling at a little higher heat to thicken. I think I might double it next time to have a little more filling in the cake. Mine took about an hour to bake. It is moist, delicious. Love it!
I am always inspired by your recipes and photos, Michelle! When I saw this, I instantly thought, Lemon pound cake with raspberry or blueberry swirl would also me yummy! I attempted lemon/raspberry last night, but ran into a couple issues – cake got a little overdone and then wouldn’t come out of the pan. My oven is a little off, so it may have been higher than 325; also, perhaps I didn’t grease/flour the pan enough. I think I also added too much raspberry-sauce. I managed to save much of the cake – and will serve it cut or as a base for raspberry shortcake. Sorry for babbling, but how would you adjust the recipe to add a little lemon flavor to the cake?
Hi Jill, I’m sorry you had some problems. Temperamental ovens are definitely problematic! Also, if you’re using a dark non-stick pan, be sure to reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees, no matter what you’re baking. For lemon flavor – you could use lemon zest, lemon juice (that would probably be the most subtle) or lemon extract.
It’s in the oven right now. I needed a dessert for Mother’s Day but since we have a small family I expect to be serving the leftovers at a meeting on Monday.
This cake looks delicious. Thanks for the beautiful photographs!
I have just been trying out a lot of pound cake recipes, and I’m so glad to have another one to try! I especially like that you use fresh strawberries instead of jam. Thanks for you instuction about how long to mix the butter and sugar, I’m afraid that the lemon pound cakelets I made this week were too dense because I didn’t beat long enough. BTW, I first discovered your blog for your Penguin and Steeler cookies – my husband is a Pittsburgher and I lived there for 15 years before dragging him across PA to Phila.
What a beautiful cake! Because I have a crazy schedule tomorrow I’ll be making this tonite (Friday) for Sunday Mother’s Day Brunch. Plan to wrap it tight tonite, then dust with powdered sugar before serving and maybe have a little extra strawberry sauce on the side.
This cake looks delicious! My daughter and me have just been browsing the internet to find some Mother’s Day surprise for my wife and this doesn’t look too difficult to help her with. Thanks for the idea, we will definitely let you know whether it worked for an unskilled cook and his little daughter!
So did you say leave it in the freezer? As in, already baked pound cake? How long will it last? I love pound cake and make it regularly and would love to have one in the freezer for emergencies. How do you take it out of the freezer and get it ready for immediate consumption?
Hi Rachel, Yes, I would let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a large ziploc bag. To thaw the entire cake completely you’d need to let it sit out for some time, but you can slice the frozen cake and those slices should thaw in about an hour or so.
This looks wonderful! I may have to make it this weekend.
This looks absolutely gorgeous, such a perfect summery cake!
I was eyeing this yesterday and guess what? One of my labmates reads your blog too and she brought it in today, so good!
Knew this would be delicious,and it is….
After I baked your wonderful honey cake,best recipe I ever tried for this particular cake, your recipes remain among my faorites.
Thank you for another excellent recipe.This one too will be made over and over.
Debbie
The texture looks to die for! Sounds like such a yummy cake, cream cheese is my favourite :)
pound cake is one of those cakes that take me back to my childhood. and i absolutely love it! this is an awesome looking, very summery cake!!
Yum what a beautiful cake. I have never made a pound cake but this recipe is just so tempting I must try!
I can’t deny the stellar review of BEB’s mom!! This looks and sounds amazing…I think I might need to make it for my mom this weekend. Also I just found out today that it’s National Strawberry Month…even MORE reason to make this!
Just put this in the oven! I can not wait until its done! I made blueberry filling instead since I didn’t have any strawberries on hand.
Wow, what a gorgeous and flavorful looking pound cake! It looks scrumptious and perfect for summer entertaining!
This looks so wonderful – I may make it for myself for Mother’s Day! Thank you for all the great recipes.
Just as a recap – I did make this for myself on Mothers Day (I have no shame & I did share with the rest of the family!). It was so so so good – awesome with a cup of coffee or by itself. I will add this to my favorite recipes – thank you!
Looks divine. Do you cook at altitude? I’m always leery of trying cakes in my mile-high kitchen. What do you think?
Hi Susan, I do not cook/bake at altitude. You can certainly give it a try – I would just do a little research on how best to adjust the baking time and temperature given how high above sea level you are.
I live in Denver too. I just always follow the recipe as is. I really don’t think we have to do anything different. I never follow high altitude directions, I feel cakes, breads, cookies, etc. Come out dry if I do. I will try it tonight and let you know how it goes. :)
This actually reminds me of a cake my grandma used to make when we were little … I’m going to have to make this for her sometime! She never used strawberries inside the cake though (just always with it on the side) – but I love that swirl : )
It’s definitely strawberry season! Your cake looks so delicious with the fruit inside. :)
This cake looks wonderful and I love the strawberry swirl inside of it!
I love pound cake! This recipe sounds delish!
This just looks delicious. I will definitely be trying this soon for a get together, or just a cheer me up I need cake kinda day!
Thx for your swift reply! I see that you have the same calculation as me. Maybe i made the strawberrie swirl to liquid. I will try the recipe one more time but will reduce the amount of water with the strawberries and also a little less sugar because it’s a little bit to sweet for my European taste ;) . Keep up the good ‘cooking’ , you are always inspiring :) !
Hi Shanna, I’m an American in Europe and have to do these conversions all the time. Follow Michelle’s conversions for the butter and cream cheese, but you need to remeasure the sugar and flour using a European measuring cup. 3 cups of sugar or flour = 710 ml EACH (yes, ml of volume) in your European measuring cup. You cannot substitute a gram measurement for the American cups measurements because of the differing densities of the ingredients. The same formula applies anytime you see “cups” in a US recipe: Use 210 ml of volume for one cup. (The same would apply for oats, nuts, peanut butter, etc.) You can also use this conversion calculator: http://www.metric-conversions.org/volume/cups-to-milliliters.htm
All the best – hope it works!
P.S. Sorry, I made an error above. The 710 ml still equals 3 cups.
However, for future calculations, 1 cup = 237 ml (not the 210 ml I wrote above – math afficionados hopefully already noticed the calculation error). I need to get to bed and start dreaming about this cheesecake instead of calculating it to death!
Hi Betti, I’m just wondering how you can use the same cup measurement for both flour and sugar? They vary greatly in volume, as 1 cup of flour (depending on the type) is around 4 ounces, while 1 cup of granulated sugar is 7 ounces – a huge difference!
Hi Michelle, very valid question – thanks for asking! That’s exactly the point: The justification is that we are converting a volume measurement to a volume measurement, not a volume measurement to a weight measurement. Our American measuring cups measure volume, not weight, and the European measuring cups are the same. However, they measure in milliliters instead of ounces and cups. Therefore, the one cup measuring line on our American measuring cups equals the 237 ml measuring line on a European measuring cup.
That’s only in theory, however, because the European measurements are typically in 50 ml increments. Shanna will have to use her European measuring cup, estimate where 237 ml are, and take that times three.
Just for kicks, I just did an experiment in my kitchen. I have American measuring cups here, so I measured 1 cup of normal white sugar and 1 cup of white enriched flour and then weighed the results on my metric food scale. The results:
Sugar: 1 c = 210 g, 3 c = 630 g
Flour: 1 c = 142 g, 3 c = 426 g
Does that make any sense, or have I just confused the issue more?!?!
BTW, I discovered your blog last year and really enjoy it. I am learning a lot from you, and you have taken a vicarious seat at our table at several fun parties! You are helping me teach Germans that American food really can be good. Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing with us!
Hi Betti and Michele, yes now i am completely lost :-) . I just visited the recipe again because i want to try and work out what went wrong with the measurements. So if I understand it correct (and please bare with me i am blond ;-)), i should just take the gram measurements for the cream creese and butter BUT use my cups to weigh out the flour and sugar? Won’t i get the same as Betti and get 426 gr of flour and 630 gr of sugar? Or is that the correct weight? Grrrrr i am lost. It should be soooo much easier if everybody would use grams no ;-) ?!
Hi Shan, Unfortunately, I am not at all familiar with the ml measuring cup that Betti has referenced above. Since grams and ml aren’t routinely used here in the U.S., the best I can do is convert the ingredients to ounces using the King Arthur Flour chart that I linked to above, then convert that to grams.