This Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake has a buttery sponge. Flavoured with Strawberry puree and topped with a puree icing and slices of fresh strawberries. What could be more summery?
Blitz the fresh (cleaned and hulled) strawberries in a food processor. Place in a small pan over a medium heat and reduce to about half. This may take about 10 mins. Keep stirring. Leave to cool completely.
Take out 2 x tablespoons of puree for the topping. Leave to one side.
Preheat the oven to 170 deg Fan assisted. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin with baking parchment or a cake tin liner.
Using an electric mixer. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Adding a little flour in between to help prevent curdling. Mix until well combined.
Carefully fold in the flour. Followed by 75 g of the cooled strawberry puree and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Add a few drops of Strawberry coloured gel food colouring to your required shade. Mix until well combined.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 – 45 or until baked. Testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Leave in the tin to cool for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Strawberry Puree Icing Topping
Mix together the reserved 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree and icing sugar until you have a very thick spreadable consistency. Leave to one side to set a little.
Spread the topping over the cake and decorate with slices of fresh strawberries.
Serve with the remaining puree.
Notes
Using white flour and white caster sugar will help give a consistence strawberry colour throughout the cake.
Ensure the strawberry puree is completely cooled down before adding to the cake mix. If it’s too hot, it will melt the butter and totally alter the consistency of the cake batter.
Wait until the cake is cooled before decorating with the strawberry icing topping.
This cake is best kept in the fridge because of the fresh strawberry topping.