Strawberry Lemonade Pound Cake

This strawberry lemonade pound cake is the perfect combination of fruity flavors and a tender, moist texture. It’s loaded with sweet strawberry chunks and drizzled with a delicious lemonade icing! The loaf is perfect for dessert and even breakfast and snacking.

Easy strawberry lemonade cake recipe

I love strawberries, probably more than chocolate. Strawberry cobbler, strawberry ice cream, strawberry cheesecake, and strawberry banana pudding are all my weaknesses.

They are one of my favorite summer fruits, and this easy pound cake really puts them on show. It’s one of those tried-and-true recipes that you must have in your recipe collection.

So, what’s it like? The loaf is loaded with juicy strawberry bits and a sweet, buttery flavor. The addition of lemon juice and lemonade takes the taste to the next level.

Delicious flavor aside, the pound cake has a wonderful texture. It’s rich enough to be satisfying to bite into (like any good pound cake should be), but it’s also moist and tender.

If you’re wondering what to do with a bunch of lemons, lemon bars, lemon pie, and lemon shortbread are some of our other favorites.

Ingredients

Strawberry lemonade pound cake is one of my favorite any-time cakes because it’s so easy and so full of zesty, fruity flavors. To whip it up, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour – Be sure to spoon and level the flour for accurate results.
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup salted butter – Allow the butter to soften to room temperature.
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs – The eggs should be at room temperature as well.
• 1/3 cup lemonade – Use your favorite lemonade.
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice – Choose freshly squeezed lemon juice for a bright, zingy taste.
• 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 cup chopped strawberries – Find the ripest, juiciest strawberries you can find for the best taste.

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar – Sift the powdered sugar to remove lumps and create a smooth consistency.
• 3-4 tbsp lemonade
• 2 drops of pink food coloring (optional)

How to make strawberry lemonade cake

1. Combine dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups flour and the baking powder. Set aside.

2. Mix sugar and butter

 Place the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

3. Incorporate eggs

Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl between each addition.

4. Add lemon and lemonade

Using low speed, incorporate the lemonade, lemon juice, and lemon zest. The mixture may curdle – that’s okay.

5. Finish batter

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until everything is just combined and you can no longer see streaks of flour.

6. Prepare strawberries

Add the strawberries and the remaining 1/4 cup of flour to a medium mixing bowl. Stir gently until the strawberries are evenly dusted with flour. Gently fold the strawberries into the batter using a spatula or wooden spoon. Be careful not to overmix.

7. Bake

Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake the pound cake at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I like to loosely tent the loaf pan with a piece of tin foil after 45 minutes of baking so the top doesn’t brown too much.

8. Cool

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, use the parchment sling as handles and lift the loaf onto a wire rack to cool completely before adding the glaze.

9. Mix glaze

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemonade, and pink food coloring until smooth and pourable.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled pound cake. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Baker’s tips

Follow these easy tips and tricks to make sure this strawberry lemonade cake bakes up perfectly every time.

• Line the pan: Having a cake stick to the pan is never fun. Please do yourself a favor and line the pan with a piece of parchment paper. Let the parchment paper overhang on 2 sides by a couple of inches to make it easy to remove the pound cake once baked.
• Measure the flour correctly: Adding too much flour is the number one reason why pound cake turns out dense and dry. I recommend using a digital kitchen scale for accurate measurements.
• Dust the strawberries with flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. The batter is pretty thick, so the strawberries shouldn’t sink too much anyway, but flouring them will give you extra reassurance.
• Fold in the berries gently and be careful not to overmix the batter. Just 2 to 3 turns of the spatula are enough. Otherwise, the strawberries might get squished.
• Cool the cake completely before you drizzle on the glaze. If you pour the glaze over warm cake, it may slide right off the cake.
• Adjust the texture of the glaze to your liking: Feel free to adjust the consistency of the icing to your preferences. Use more liquid for a light, syrupy icing. Or add more powdered sugar for a thicker, sweeter glaze. Once the glaze has set, use a sharp, serrated knife to cut it into slices.

Storage instructions

Store your pound cake tightly covered at room temperature, and it will stay good for 2 to 3 days.

Refrigeration can dry out the cake, so keep it covered at room temperature. But if you don’t plan to eat the cake within 2 to 3 days, freeze it instead.

To freeze the cake, wrap the loaf in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing the cake before adding the glaze.

To thaw, let the cake sit out at room temperature.

More cake recipes

• Strawberry Spoon Cake
• Evaporated Milk Cake
• Bisquick Coffee Cake
• Condensed Milk Cake
• Buttermilk Coffee Cake
• Nectarine Cake
• Rhubarb Coffee Cake

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