Strawberry Bundt Cake - A delightful fresh strawberry bundt cake scented with lemon and finished with a delicious strawberry cream cheese glaze! This cake is so moist and tender thanks to a fresh strawberry reduction, tangy buttermilk and Greek yogurt.
INGREDIENTS FOR STRAWBERRY BUNDT CAKE
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cake Flour - Using a combination of all-purpose flour with a little bit of cake flour yielded the best results. When I tested this cake with all cake flour, the texture was a little too fine for a bundt cake. Cake flour is finely milled soft wheat flour and is quite clumpy, so make sure to sift your cake flour before measuring.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda - We are doing a combination of baking powder and baking soda. A tiny bit of baking soda is used to help neutralize the acid found in the buttermilk and yogurt.
- Salt - Just a bit to round out all the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter - If you would like a richer cake, use a high fat butter such as Kerrygold or Tillamook. Make sure your butter is at room temperature. You should be able to make an indentation of your finger in the butter and it should also feel a little cold. If your finger sinks easily and feels greasy, then it's too soft. If you are unsure, you can insert a thermometer into your butter and it should be around 68ºF (20ºC).
- White Sugar - This cake isn't too sweet, which is one of the many reasons why I love this recipe. Please refrain from cutting the sugar, as the amount specified in the recipe, is essential in order to keep the cake moist. Sugar not only adds sweetness to baked goods, it also provides moisture.
- Oil - You can use any neutral oil such as avocado oil, canola, or grapeseed oil. Since this cake is essentially all butter, I like adding a little bit of oil to help keep it soft and moist, especially because the cake needs to be refrigerated.
- Eggs - Use room temperature eggs. To quickly bring your eggs to room temp, submerge your eggs in hot tap water for 15 minutes.
- Greek Yogurt - Greek yogurt is one of my favorite baking ingredients. Not only does it add structure to the cake, it also adds a ton of moisture. Make sure your Greek yogurt is at room temp. You can quickly bring it to temp by popping it in the microwave in 10 second bursts. Make sure to not heat it for too long as it can change the structure of it.
- Vanilla Paste or Extract
- Strawberry Extract - Strawberry extract is essential. Unfortunately, using fresh strawberries alone will not create a strawberry forward cake.
- Lemon Zest - We are using the zest of 1 large lemon. When testing this recipe over and over again, something was missing every time. On my last and final batch, I added lemon zest and that was IT! It created a lovely brightness and complimented the strawberry flavor so perfectly. Do not leave this ingredient out !
- Buttermilk - I love baking cakes with buttermilk because it tenderizes the cake. Again, make sure your buttermilk is at room temp. I used 2% buttermilk, but you can use any percentage (1% or full fat).
- Strawberries - We will be making a strawberry reduction by cooking the fresh strawberries down. The purpose is to cook out all the water and to concentrate the strawberry flavor.
HOW DO YOU MAKE STRAWBERRY BUNDT CAKE?
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand-held mixer, cream your butter and white sugar on medium speed for 4 minutes. Don't forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl occasionally.
2. Slowly add your oil and mix until creamy. About 1 to 2 minutes. See 2nd photo below.
3. On medium, mix each egg one at a time for 45 seconds, scraping the bowl after each addition.
4. Add greek yogurt, vanilla paste, strawberry extract and lemon zest and mix on medium until combined. About 1 to 2 minutes.
5. On low, alternate between mixing your dry ingredients and buttermilk/strawberry mixture just until combined. Start by adding a third of the dry ingredients, then half of the wet, the next third of the dry, the rest of the wet and finally, the rest of the dry. Remember to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Careful not to overmix.
6. Transfer batter to your prepared bundt pan and bake at 350ºF (176ºC) for 40 to 45 minutes. The cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out with very few crumbs or the internal temp is 200ºF (93ºC).
7. Prepare your glaze and drizzle on top of your cooled cake and enjoy!
TIPS FOR MAKING STRAWBERRY BUNDT CAKE
- Use room temperature ingredients - Make sure your butter, eggs, Greek yogurt, buttermilk and strawberry reduction are all at room temperature. Room temp ingredients emulsify better, thus creating a smooth batter.
- Measure ingredients correctly - You will hear this over and over again. Measuring by weight, rather than by volume, is the most accurate. Unfortunately, all measuring cups are not created the same. Additionally, there are specific measuring cups designed for liquid and for dry ingredients. To prevent any inaccuracies, I highly recommend purchasing an inexpensive kitchen scale. For your convenience, all of my recipes are measured in grams with the exception of teaspoons/tablespoons. If I have not convinced you to invest in a kitchen scale, when measuring your flour, fluff and aerate the flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and level off with the back of a butter knife.
- Sift your dry ingredients - Make sure to sift your all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. This will help create a lighter cake.
- Do not over mix - Over mixing the batter will cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, which leads to a dense cake. To prevent over mixing, we alternate between combining the dry and wet ingredients. Always mix on low and mix until just combined or when flour streaks are gone.
- Do not overbake - Overbaking will cause the cake to dry out. Oven temperatures vary and the size of your pan can all affect your bake time. My 10-cup bundt pan took exactly 40 minutes to cook each time. Start checking on your cake after 35 minutes. Gently move your pan and if the batter still jiggles, close the oven door and check on it again after 5 minutes. If it looks set, insert a toothpick and check for doneness. If you insert a toothpick or thermometer too early, it can cause your cake to collapse. Opening the door oven too often can also cause your cake to sink.
Did you try this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram @shortstackkitchen. This provides helpful feedback to myself and other readers. Thank you so much!
📖 Recipe
STRAWBERRY BUNDT CAKE
- Total Time: 2 hrs + 15 mins
- Yield: 1 Bundt Cake
Description
Strawberry Bundt Cake - A delightful fresh strawberry bundt cake, scented with lemon and finished with a fresh strawberry cream cheese glaze!
Ingredients
Strawberry Reduction
- 12 oz (430 g) Fresh Strawberries, cleaned and hulled
- 1 Tbsp (12 g) White Sugar
Strawberry Cake Batter
- 2 Cups (240 g) All-Purpose Flour, sifted
- ½ Cup (55 grams) Cake Flour, sifted
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 14 Tbsp (198 g or 1 ¾ sticks) Unsalted Butter, room temp
- 1 ½ Cup + 1 tablespoon (362 g) White Sugar
- ¼ Cup (52 g) Neutral Oil
- 3 Large Eggs, room temp
- ½ Cup (112 g) Greek Yogurt, room temp
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Paste or Extract
- 2 Tsp Strawberry Extract
- Zest of 1 Large Lemon
- ½ Cup (121 g) Buttermilk, room temp
- ½ Cup (140 g) Strawberry Reduction, cooled
- A few drops of Gel Food Coloring, optional
Strawberry Glaze
- 4 oz Cream Cheese, room temp
- ¼ Cup (40 g) Reserved Strawberry Purée
- 1 ½ to 2 Cups (170 g to 227 g) Confectioners' Sugar, sifted
Instructions
Strawberry Reduction
- Wash and hull your fresh strawberries.
- Transfer strawberries to the bowl of your food processor fitted with an 'S' blade, and purée until smooth.
- Reserve ¼ cup (40 g) of the purée and set in the fridge until we make the glaze. Add the rest of the purée into a saucepan and reduce on medium/low heat. Remember to stir frequently. We will need to reduce down to ½ cup (140 g). About 20 minutes.
- Transfer the reduction to a glass bowl and allow to cool down in the fridge for 10 minutes or if you have time, set on the counter and allow to come to room temp.
Strawberry Cake Batter
- Prepare a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan by generously buttering and flouring your pan or spraying with a baking spray such as Baker's Joy.
- Set your oven rack in the center and preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC).
- Sift all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a clean bowl a set aside.
- Combine room temp strawberry reduction, room temp buttermilk and food coloring (if using) and set aside. See note below
- Zest 1 whole large lemon and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand-held mixer, cream your butter and white sugar on medium speed for 4 minutes. Don't forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl occasionally.
- With the mixer on medium, slowly drizzle oil in and mix until creamy. Another 1 to 2 minutes.
- On medium, mix each egg one at a time for 45 seconds, scraping the bowl after each addition.
- Add greek yogurt, vanilla paste, strawberry extract and lemon zest and mix on medium until combined. About 1 to 2 minutes.
- On low, alternate between mixing your dry ingredients and buttermilk/strawberry mixture just until combined. Start by adding a third of the dry ingredients, then half of the wet, the next third of the dry, the rest of the wet and finally, the rest of the dry. Remember to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Careful not to overmix.
- Transfer batter to your prepared bundt pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. See note below. Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out with very few crumbs or the internal temp is 200ºF (97ºC)
- Allow to cool in the pan and on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully invert the cake on to the wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
Strawberry Glaze
- With a hand held mixer, cream room temp cream cheese until smooth.
- Add half of your reserved strawberry reduction and mix until combined.
- Add sifted confectioners' sugar, starting with 1 ½ cup (180 g) and mix until smooth. At this point, you can either add more powdered sugar or strawberry reduction depending on how thick or thin you would like your glaze.
- Top your cooled cake with glaze and dig in!
Notes
- The strawberry reduction can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure the reduction comes to room temp before combining with your room temp buttermilk.
- My 10-cup bundt pan finished after 40 minutes each time. Keep in mind that depending on the size of your pan and with oven temperatures varying, your bake time can vary as well. Start checking on your cake after 35 minutes.
- Store leftover cake in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Once stored in the fridge, for best results, cake should be left out at room temp before serving. It will be a bit dense if eaten right out of the fridge as this cake contains nearly all butter.
- Prep Time: 20 mins for reduction, 20 mins for batter, 5 mins for glaze
- Cook Time: 40 to 45 minutes
If you have made this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out for you! Please consider leaving a star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram @shortstackkitchen. Thank you so much!
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