This easy Strawberry Pound Cake is a moist vanilla cake packed with fresh strawberries and topped with strawberry glaze. It’s the perfect recipe for both breakfast and dessert!
This flavorful strawberry pound cake is filled with fresh flavor. It’s made with lemon zest, fresh tarragon, fresh strawberries and topped with strawberry cream cheese glaze.
Tarragon adds a refreshing spring and summer flavor. It’s so good with strawberries!
This delicious quick bread comes together in minutes just like my my Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake, Strawberry Basil Cake and Lemon Blackberry Cake!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Greek yogurt makes this loaf cake extra moist and delicious!
- It’s packed with fresh strawberries. They add gorgeous pops of color and juicy bits of sweet flavor. For another yummy recipe with fresh strawberries, try my strawberry filled vanilla cupcakes.
- It’s perfect for breakfast with coffee or for dessert.
- The fresh strawberries and tarragon make this for spring and summer. I love desserts with fresh herbs like my berry galette recipe.
- This cake is delicious as is. For extra flavor, top it with lemon icing or strawberry cream cheese glaze!
Ingredients
Here are some useful notes on some of the ingredients needed to make this strawberry lemon loaf.
- I use all purpose flour.
- Fresh strawberries. Use 1 cup of chopped strawberries for the cake and 2 tablespoons of chopped strawberries for the glaze. Check out my strawberry mousse for another yummy treat!
- Greek yogurt adds a tangy flavor and makes the cake moist. Use plain, full fat Greek yogurt. Make sure it is room temperature.
- Use 3 large eggs.
- You’ll need the zest of 1 lemon. To bring out the flavor of the lemon, rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingertips.
- Tarragon is an herb often used in savory dishes. It has an anise, licorice flavor and gives this cake it’s unique taste! Check out this article about Tarragon from Bon Appetit for more information.
- Cream cheese makes the icing a little extra rich. Use room temperature, full fat, brick style cream cheese. If it’s not room temperature, microwave it for 5-10 seconds.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make this cake with lemon icing or strawberry cream cheese glaze!
- This cake is also delicious without icing.
- Swap in fresh basil for the tarragon.
- Use full fat sour cream as a substitute for Greek yogurt. For another flavorful pound cake with sour cream, try my neapolitan pound cake.
- Top with whipped cream and more fresh strawberries for the ultimate summer treat!
Step by Step Instructions
Here are the directions on how to make and bake this lemon strawberry pound cake.
Step 1: (See photo 1 above). Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingertips. Add the butter and cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Step 2: (See photo 2 above). Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.
Step 3: (See photo 3 above). Mix in the Greek yogurt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients til just combined.
Step 4: (See photo 4 above). Stir in the chopped strawberries and chopped tarragon til just combined.
Step 5: (See photo 5 above). Pour batter into a buttered 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 55-65 minutes.
Step 6: (See photo 6 above). Make the lemon icing or strawberry glaze. (See recipe notes for lemon icing recipe). For the strawberry glaze, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and mashed strawberries in til creamy and combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar. Add milk as needed til glaze is consistency you like.
Expert Tips
Tip #1: Try to pick strawberries that are red all the way to the top. They tend to be most ripe and sweet.
Tip #2: Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingertips. This will bring out the essential oil of the lemon. If you don’t want to use your fingertips, use an electric mixer.
Tip #3: To make sure tarragon is fresh, wait to chop it just before starting the cake. Remove the leaves from the stem. Discard the stem and finely chop the leaves.
Tip #4: Place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the cake if it’s browning too quickly while baking.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend a 9×5 inch loaf pan. A standard 8.5×4.5 inch (1 pound) loaf pan should also work.
I haven’t tried this yet, but it should bake work in a muffin pan. Fill tin about 2/3 full. Keep in mind that muffins will take less time to bake. I would estimate they would take 15-22 minutes at 350 F.
This cake is delicious as is. You can also top it with lemon icing, a strawberry cream cheese glaze. You can also top it with your favorite whipped cream and extra strawberries!
Store this strawberry pound cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
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Strawberry Pound Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×5 inch loaf pan or a 8.5×4.5 inch (1 pound) loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt full fat, room temperature, or use sour cream
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, or use ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 lemon zested
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh strawberries washed, patted dry, tops removed, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh tarragon* measure first then finely chop, should equal 2½ to 3 teaspoons finely chopped
Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1 ounce cream cheese full fat, brick style, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh strawberries finely chopped or mashed
- ¾ cup powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon milk or lemon juice , use more or less as needed to achieve consistency you'd like
Instructions
Strawberry Pound Cake
- Spray sides and bottom of a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with baking spray. Line pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang of parchment paper on two sides. Spray parchment paper with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Wash and pat dry strawberries. Cut tops off and remove inner white core. Chop strawberries. Set aside. Wash and dry tarragon. Remove leaves from the stems. Discard stems. Finely chop tarragon. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, room temperature butter and lemon zest. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips to help lemon zest release essential oils. Beat the butter, lemon zest and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed til well combined. Add the eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl, toss to coat the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold the rest of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Avoid overmixing. Stir the strawberries and tarragon in until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes cout clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.
- Remove from oven and set pan on a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and allow to cool on rack completely.
Strawberry Glaze
- If cream cheese is not at room temperature, microwave it for 5-10 seconds until slightly softened. Finely chop or mash the strawberries.
- Beat the cream cheese and strawberries with an electric mixer until smooth and combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar. Add milk or lemon juice a little at a time until glaze is the consistency you like. Pour or spread over the cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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