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!
Michelle, Could I use two loaf pans in place of the Bundt pan?
Would this recipe be successful halved and baked in a 6-cup bundt pan with a timing alteration?
Hi Barbara, Yes, I don’t see why not!
I am making a volcano cake for my son’s birthday. He wants a strawberry cake. Do you think this would pair well with a chocolate ganache over the top?
i have did this cake and it was sooooo delicious
Hello, I made this recipe to the T but I found it not to be as moist as the other cake recipes i have tried. It was still good, but i would like for it to be a little more moist. Any suggestions? I followed the recipe as written, and i used a lighter banking pan but i reduced the temperature by 25 degrees because my nordic pan tends to make my cakes darker . Also, my strawberries were darker than the pics in the recipe when it came out. I baked the cake on 325 degrees and for about 1 hour and 15 mins. Please advise.
Hmmm maybe try baking for less time, as your pan may conduct heat differently? I’ve always found this to be wonderfully moist.
This recipe is so good! I substituted white sugar with palm sugar instead as I ran out of white sugar and the cake turned out great as well. I like how dense but moist and soft the cake was.
Oh, and some information for the others who have some questions….the mark of a good pound cake is cracking on the top of the cake. This cake does crack on the top and it will appear to be too much for the standard 10 cup bundt pan, but it will sink slightly when cooled. I do recommend that you invert this directly onto your serving dish when the time comes to turn it out, or the sliding from the cooling rack to the plate will affect the cracked bottom of the cake. (you’ll lose some). Also, I didn’t use fruit, but added lemon zest and lemon juice along with some vanilla and finished it with a lemon glaze. So good. It will now be my go to cake.
This cake was amazing! I made this for my sister’s July 4th party this weekend and accidentally took all of the remainder home. I received a phone call almost immediately asking for the cake…it was referred to as the crack form of cake! Someone came by to pick up the rest.
Boy this recipe looks delicious, could somebody tell me approximately how many cups this makes?
Thanks!
Your mom said it was one of the tolfive BEST things you ever made her you mean!
Wow! Finally a strawberry cake with flavor! It’s almost impossible to achieve. You nailed it and the crumb was moiste and dense :) Thank you!!
Hi I made the strawberry swirl cream cheese pound cake today and it was delicious and tender and moist for the most part. My only problem was the very top layer (really the bottom after its flipped out of the bundt pan) got dry and crunchy, which I don’t like. It did take longer for my cake to cook, closer to 2 hours until a skewer came out mostly dry. I would like to make this cake again but is there any way I can avoid getting that dry layer, which I end up having to pick off and throw away? I was wondering if tenting it with foil might do the trick?
Hi Heather, The longer bake time is probably what caused it to be dry, although I love picking off the crust on the bottom and sneaking bites :) Tenting with foil halfway through baking should help!
Hi Michelle, I was wondering if i could leave out the cornstarch double it then puree the strawberries and add them to the batter so the whole cake will taste like strawberry? Do you think i would have to omit 1 or 2 eggs?
Hi Stefanie, Oooh, that’s a tough question to answer, as I would probably need some trial and error with the actual recipe to nail it down. If you give it a try, let me know what ended up working!
7 out of 5 stars. That’s right, this pound cake is unbelievable. Directions were very clear, no problems and the finished product looked just like the pictures. You will be heralded as a pastry chef when you make this delectable cake for your guests. I’ve been making the pound cake in TJOC bible for over a dozen years. This pound cake rocks its socks off. Thanks BEB for this wonderfully tender taste treat and my new favorite pound cake.
I made this for my friend’s bday. It was a real hit! Thanks for the great recipes!