Strawberry Jam Spice Cake
A spice cake with a secret ingredient…strawberry jam! This Strawberry Jam Spice Cake is an old fashioned favorite loaded with coconut and pecans.
I was paging through one of my mom’s old cookbooks and found several recipes with her notes beside them. When I see a “yum” or a description of what the cake texture is like, I find myself drawn to make them.
My mom described this Strawberry Jam Spice Cake as “moist & heavy”. Which normally wouldn’t be good to describe a cake, right? But many bundt cakes are dense yet moist, and this one is no exception.

Why you’ll love this cake:
- one bowl prep
- mixes up in about 10 minutes
- perfectly spiced for great flavor
- pretty bundt cake presentation
- great with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream
What is the best jam to use in cakes?
Use a high quality fruit jam in this cake for the best flavor. We like Smucker’s Simply Fruit brand for the perfect amount of strawberry flavor.

How to Make Strawberry Jam Spice Cake
It’s important when you are making bundt cakes to grease and flour the 10″ bundt cake pan well so that it removes easily. Better yet, use our cake release mixture for perfect results, every time!
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer to mix this cake easily.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the sugar and shortening on medium speed until it is well combined. Note: You can use butter instead of shortening, but it will slightly change the texture of the cake.
- Add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and strawberry preserves. Mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Mix for two minutes on low speed.
- Fold in the coconut and walnuts.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan about 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you let it cool too long in the pan, it may not come out cleanly.

Recipe Variations:
- Add a ½ cup of mini chocolate chips if you like chocolate with your spice cake.
- For Christmas, add some candied fruit along with the walnuts for a delicious fruit cake.
- Top the cake with a powdered sugar glaze.
Strawberry Jam Spice Cake
A spice cake with a secret ingredient…strawberry jam! This Strawberry Jam Spice Cake is an old fashioned favorite loaded with coconut and pecans.
Servings 12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup strawberry preserves
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Grease with shortening and flour a 10” bundt cake pan. Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the sugar and shortening on medium speed until it is well combined.
- Add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and strawberry preserves. Mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Mix for two minutes on low speed.
- Fold in the coconut and walnuts.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the cake and turn onto a cake plate to cool completely.
- Once cool, dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream, a sprinkling of cinnamon and fresh strawberries.
Notes
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg
Recipe Source Pillsbury Bake-Off Cake Cookbook
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a tube pan instead of a bundt cake pan?
Yes. Grease the bottom only of the tube pan. And don’t turn it upside down to cool.
Do you have to use buttermilk?
This recipe works best if you use buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can sour milk by adding 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to a measuring cup, then fill the rest of the way with milk. Allow the mixture to sit until it starts to curdle (3-5 minutes).
Can you use self-rising flour?
Yes, just leave out the salt and baking soda.
Does this have a lot of strawberry flavor?
No. The strawberry flavor is very light. It tastes more like a spice cake.