Homemade Strawberry Italian Cream Pound Cake

Homemade Strawberry Italian Cream Pound Cake 🍓🍰

A rich, buttery Italian cream cake swirled with fresh strawberries and topped with a luscious cream cheese glaze—perfect for spring brunches or afternoon tea!

---

Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks / 226g) unsalted butter, softened

• 2½ cups (500g) granulated sugar

• 6 large eggs, room temperature

• 2¾ cups (345g) all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp almond extract (optional)

• 1½ cups (200g) fresh strawberries, diced + 1 tbsp flour (to prevent sinking)

Cream Cheese Glaze (Optional):

• 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp (30ml) heavy cream or milk

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

---

Instructions

1️⃣ Prep & Mix

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

2. Toss diced strawberries with 1 tbsp flour; set aside.

3. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2️⃣ Cream Butter & Sugar

1. Beat butter and sugar on high until light/fluffy (~5 mins).

2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.

3. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts.

3️⃣ Alternate Dry/Wet Ingredients

1. Add ⅓ of flour mix, then ½ buttermilk, repeating until just combined.

2. Gently fold in floured strawberries.

4️⃣ Bake

1. Pour batter into pan. Bake 60-75 mins (until a skewer comes out clean).

2. Cool in pan 15 mins, then invert onto a rack.

5️⃣ Glaze (Optional)

1. Whisk cream cheese, powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla until smooth.

2. Drizzle over cooled cake. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

---

🌟 Pro Tips

• No buttermilk? Use 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice (sit 5 mins).

• Extra moist: Brush warm cake with strawberry syrup (simmer ½ cup strawberries + 2 tbsp sugar).

• Storage: Keeps 3 days covered (glaze adds moisture!).

---

Why You’ll Love It

✅ Dense yet tender crumb (true pound cake texture!).
✅ Bursts of strawberry in every bite.
✅ Elegant enough for special occasions but easy enough for weekends.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream! 🍦

Want a lemon-blueberry version? Swap strawberries for 1 cup blueberries + 1 tbsp lemon zest! 🍋