Strawberry lemon pound cake is an easy-to-make dense, moist, sweet loaf cake. And all that deliciousness is topped off with a lemony glaze. It’s easy to make with seasonal fruit and other pantry items.

Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake is a moist, tender quick bread infused with delicious lemon flavor and fresh strawberries. It’s so easy to make with pantry items you have on hand. This recipe is also sometimes called Strawberry Lemonade Pound Cake because of its sweet lemony taste.

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We are at the end of the strawberry season, and my kitchen is in full strawberry mode! I am making so many different strawberry recipes like Easy Strawberry Cobbler From A Box Mix, Scrumptious Strawberry Tart, and Healthy Breakfast Strawberry Shortbread.

Lemon and strawberries are a heavenly taste pairing because lemons have a bright, tangy, and acidic flavor, while strawberries are naturally sweet and slightly tart. When these two flavors are combined together, they create a pleasant contrast that can enhance the overall taste of a recipe.

I made this wonderful-smelling pound cake recently and served it to a few friends who came over for coffee. It was such a hit I knew I had to share it with you.

What Is Pound Cake

Traditionally, a pound cake is a cake made with one pound of butter (4 sticks), one pound of flour, one pound of eggs, and one pound of sugar. The recipe dates back to the 1700s in Britain when most people could not read or write, so this was an easy recipe to pass around by word of mouth. Mainly, pound cakes were made in bundt pans or loaf pans and were either dusted with confectioners’ sugar or glazed.

Pound cakes, like all cakes, are quick breads meaning they are leavened with something other than yeast. Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake gets its rise from baking soda and eggs.

Today, many pound cake recipes use oil for butter to make a moister cake. Greek yogurt, as well as plain yogurt, can also be added to a pound cake recipe for that delicious tang.

And this pound cake recipe is made with the addition of strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and as well as plain yogurt, giving it a little zing.

Why Make This Recipe

Pound cake is such a versatile cake that is easy to make with ingredients you most likely have in your pantry. You can serve it as a part of breakfast or brunch as well as a dessert or bedtime snack. This recipe is not a traditional pound cake, but its dense, moist crumb is like a pound cake.

This recipe does not use a stand mixer or any other small appliances. I love when I can mix a recipe by hand. And it uses common ingredients found in your refrigerator and pantry.

Strawberries are often at their peak right now, but they are readily available in grocery stores all year long. Using fresh, ripe strawberries in pound cake will enhance its taste and provide a burst of natural sweetness.

Ingredient Notes

Flour: Flour is the foundation of this cake. You can use wheat flour in this recipe by substituting 2/3 cup of wheat flour and 1/3 cup of white all-purpose flour.

Lemons: Use fresh lemons and stay away from the lemon extract. Fresh lemons will give you that bright, tangy flavor you want in your pound cake and glaze.

Plain or Greek Yogurt: Use either in this recipe. I like to use plain yogurt best because it will not fight the flavor and tang of the lemons.

Strawberries: Use just-picked strawberries for this recipe. Add one tablespoon of flour to the strawberries just before adding the strawberries to the batter. This will help keep them from sinking down to the bottom of the cake.

Eggs: Use room temperature large eggs. If your eggs are right out of the refrigerator, you can quickly get them to room temperature by putting them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 5 minutes.

Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract for the best hint of vanilla flavor.

Powdered Sugar: Use this sugar for the glaze.

How To Make This Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Spray the loaf pan with cooking spray. Add parchment slings if you have parchment paper. No need to dust the pan with flour.
Prepare the lemon sugar by mixing fresh lemon zest with sugar. I like a more lemony-flavored pound cake, so I used 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon zest.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, baking soda, and salt. And then add the lemon sugar. Use a whisk or fork to combine.
In a medium bowl, add the eggs and whisk. Add the yogurt, vanilla, lemon juice, and vegetable oil and whisk to combine.
Add the flour to diced strawberries and gently toss combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture until almost combined, and fold in the strawberries. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake.
When a toothpick is inserted in the center of the pound cake and comes out clean, it is done.
Cool on a wire rack.
The cooled cake can then be glazed.

Tips For Success

strawberry lemon pound cake cooking on a wire rack

Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake is such a straightforward, easy-to-make recipe. It will be a family favorite!

Make the lemon zest sugar first. I use a spoon to mash and mix the lemon zest into the sugar. You will be rewarded by the intense aroma of lemons. Continue mixing until the lemon is evenly distributed in the sugar.

I sprayed a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray and added strips of parchment paper to the pan to use as a sling to remove the pound cake from the pan. If you have parchment paper, this is such a helpful step!

Use vegetable oil in this recipe. Butter tends to make a cake dryer. The oil gives the pound cake lovely moist crumbs.

Make sure your baking powder is fresh. Baking powder loses its ability as a leavening agent over time. Using fresh baking powder ensures a nice rise.

Mix the batter with a spoon but don’t overmix! Add the diced strawberries when the batter is just mixed. Gently fold the flour covered strawberries into the batter.

Cool the pound cake completely and then glaze. I like the glaze to be more solid than drippy. This makes a very pretty, thick lemony icing.

Easy Variations And Substitutions

Not A Fan Of Lemons: Just leave out the lemon zest and the lemon juice in the pound cake and substitute milk for lemon juice in the cake and glaze. Strawberry pound cake is also delicious!

Substitutions For The Yogurt: You can substitute sour cream for yogurt.

Instead Of Using A Loaf Pan: Make strawberry lemon pound bundt cakes by using a bundt pan or mini bundt pans. Fill the bundt pans about a half inch above the rim of the pan. Just think how special and pretty the pound cake will look.

What To Use Instead Of Strawberries: This recipe is so easy to make and so versatile. Substitute other fresh fruit like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, if you don’t have strawberries on hand. Just think how delicious this pound cake would be if you used oranges, orange zest and cranberries!

Glaze Options

There are a few different options for glazing the pound cake.

Leave It Plain: Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake is delicious plain. Or dust it with confectioners’ sugar.

Make A Vanilla Glaze: Substitute milk or cream for the lemon juice.

Make a Strawberry Glaze: Mix 1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar with 2 tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberry powder and 2-3 tablespoons of hot water. The glaze should be like a thick pancake batter.

Make A Lemonade Glaze: Mix 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with 1 teaspoon of dry lemonade mix and 1 1/2 teaspoons to 2 teaspoons of water. The glaze should be like a thick pancake batter.

How To Store Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake

Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake stores at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days. Wrap it in plastic wrap, foil, or in an air-tight container.

How To Freeze The Cake

The pound cake freezes easily. Just don’t put the glaze on it if you want to freeze it. When it is completely cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. Put the cake in a plastic bag and freeze. It should be good for 3-4 months once frozen.

To eat the strawberry lemon pound cake, allow it to come to room temperature, and then it can be glazed.

5 from 1 vote