A basic pound cake recipe with strawberry jam swirled through the batter. This glazed Strawberry Swirl Cake is perfect for brunch or a dessert.

We all love strawberry cakes and cupcakes, but working with strawberries can be difficult at times. Fresh fruit can add a lot of moisture to a cake, throwing off the balance of other ingredients.

You know you can use strawberry jello in a cake for the ultimate strawberry cake, but you can also use strawberry jam to add a burst of flavor. Remember our strawberry jam frosting? It’s melt-in-your-mouth good. And today we’re adding strawberry jam to traditional pound cake.

What is a loaf cake?

A loaf cake is any cake baked in a loaf pan. Traditionally they have a pound cake like texture. They are more of a heavy cake rather than a lighter cake.

What is the best type of loaf pan? We love this Wilton Cake pan for a low cost option. One step up is this aluminized steel loaf pan.

How to Make a Strawberry Swirl in Cake

Here’s the key to an easy strawberry swirl. Mix up the batter of the cake. Then remove ½ cup of the cake batter. To that half cup, add ⅓ cup strawberry jam. Mix the two together, then swirl with the plain white batter. It’s really that easy!

How to Make Strawberry Loaf Cake

You’ll need two bowls to make this cake. The reason for this is so that you don’t overmix the batter. Over-mixing the batter can cause the cake to be dry and tough.

Make the cake.

Prepare. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with shortening, then dust with flour. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
Mix Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Mix Wet Ingredients. Using an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat well.
Combine. Add the dry flour mixture a little at a time and stir just until incorporated. Do not overmix.

cake batter and strawberry jam in a mixing bowl

Swirl. Remove ½ a cup of the cake batter and put it into a small bowl with the strawberry jelly. Stir gently to combine. Spoon about ⅔ of the plain batter into the prepared loaf pan. Add the strawberry cake batter on top of the plain batter in the loaf pan and swirl with a knife.
Spread the remaining plain batter on top and swirl with the knife again.

Bake. Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the loaf loosely with aluminum foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Cool. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Glaze.

Powdered sugar is one of the easiest frostings to make. There are many variations out there, some with butter, some with cream, but all with different flavorings. This one is super easy because it is just two ingredients: powdered sugar and lemon juice. Mix the two together and you are good to go! If it is a touch to sweet, add a pinch of sea salt to the mix.

Strawberry Swirl Cake

4.70 from 13 votes

A basic pound cake recipe with strawberry jam swirled through the batter. This glazed Strawberry Swirl Cake is perfect for brunch or a dessert.

Servings 10

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

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Ingredients

For the cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
½ cup full-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract

For the swirl:

1/3 cup strawberry jelly

For the icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with shortening, then dust with flour. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition.
Add the sour cream, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat well.
Add the dry flour mixture a little at a time and stir just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
Remove ½ a cup of the cake batter and put it into a small bowl with the strawberry jelly. Stir gently to combine.
Spoon about ⅔ of the plain batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Add the strawberry cake batter on top of the plain batter in the loaf pan and swirl with a knife.
Spread the remaining plain batter on top and swirl with the knife again.
Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the loaf loosely with aluminum foil and bake an additional 30 minutes.
The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing:

In a medium bowl stir 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into 2 cups of powdered sugar.
Add more powdered sugar or lemon juice to adjust the consistency of the icing. It should be quite thick but thin enough that you can drizzle it off of a spoon.
Place wax or parchment paper under the cake on the wire rack and spoon the icing over the top of loaf.
Let dry for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 glazed 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

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 502

Keyword easy strawberry cake, loaf cake

How to Store Glazed Pound Cake

To freeze the cake: It’s best to freeze a pound cake before you glaze it so that you can wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. If the cake is already glazed, store it in an airtight container that won’t touch the top of the cake.

Store the cake at room temperature. The glaze on the cake will act as a barrier, keeping the cake fresh. But you’ll want to cover the cake by placing it in a plastic storage container to keep it the freshest. This cake will be ok at room temperature for about 3-4 days.