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This fresh strawberry loaf cake makes the best dessert for berry season! Flavored with pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste), the vanilla pound cake has the fluffiest texture and lightest crumb. Made with fresh strawberry puree, the naturally pink strawberry buttercream frosting adds the perfect finish to this easy loaf cake!
You’ll love this buttery vanilla loaf cake topped with swirls of fresh strawberry frosting for any occasion.
For even more indulgence, serve slices of cake with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries (or any mix of your favorite berries!).
Love loaf cakes? Find more inspiration in this round up of best loaf cake recipes!
Tips for the perfect loaf cake:
Room temperature ingredients – Bring butter, egg, buttermilk, and yogurt to room temperature before baking. Buttermilk and yogurt ensure a moist and tender crumb to this cake.
Vanilla – For a rich vanilla flavor, use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste in the cake. For the strawberry frosting, I recommend pure vanilla extract.
Bake – Bake this cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully lift cake from pan and cool completely before adding the strawberry frosting.
Fresh Strawberry Puree – I love sweet spring strawberries in the frosting. To make the strawberry puree, pulse 1/2 cup fresh strawberries in a food processor for 1 minute, or until pureed.
Fresh Strawberry Frosting – Use 3 tablespoons of fresh strawberry puree in the frosting (or use strawberry preserves or strawberry jam), beating with butter, salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar until combined.
Add heavy cream and beat the frosting on medium speed until light and airy. Use an offset spatula to swirl strawberry frosting over the cake. Chill for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
More easy strawberry recipes to try:
- Fresh Strawberry Sheet Cake
- Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Bars
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars
- Strawberry Cream Scones
Did you try this Fresh Strawberry Loaf Cake? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!
PrintFresh Strawberry Loaf Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf cake, 12 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Fresh strawberry loaf cake makes the best dessert for berry season! You’ll love this buttery vanilla loaf cake with swirls of fresh strawberry frosting.
Ingredients
Vanilla Loaf Cake
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
Fresh Strawberry Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp fresh strawberry puree
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, letting excess extend over sides of pan. Spray parchment paper lightly with nonstick spray.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Combine yogurt and buttermilk in a small bowl. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture, beating just to combine. Add yogurt mixture, then finish with remaining flour mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with an offset spatula; tap pan sharply to reduce air bubbles.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; carefully lift cake from pan and cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat butter and salt in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until combined. With the mixer on low speed, mix in vanilla. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in fresh strawberry puree on low speed until combined. Mix in heavy cream on low speed until combined, then beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until light and airy.
- Dollop frosting over cooled cake and swirl with an offset spatula. Chill cake for 20 minutes in the refrigerator before slicing. If desired, serve cake topped with fresh strawberries.
Notes
Frosting can also be made with strawberry preserves or jam instead of fresh strawberry puree.
Wonderful recipe! Loved the fresh strawberry frosting and the cake was delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Ana! So glad you tried this cake! 🙂
I never comment on recipes because I make so many allergen substitutions I feel like I’m ruining the recipe and not giving the creators enough credit. But this, this was outstanding. By far one of the best baked goods, if not the best, I’ve made from an online recipe. I used King Arthur’s gluten free mix, earth balance vegan bars, oat milk and apple cider vinegar for buttermilk & sheep’s yogurt. This wasn’t “good for gluten & dairy free”. This is just an absolutely wonderful recipe, thank you so much for your blog!
Hi Michaela, I’m so glad this recipe worked out so well for you! Thank you so much! 🙂
Would it work to add chopped strawberries to the cake batter, if they were tossed in a bit flour first? This looks amazing!
Hi Tamara! I tried this cake with strawberries in the batter (tossed in flour first) and they all sunk to the bottom. I also tried a jam swirl, and this particular cake is just too delicate. So I suggest making the recipe as written, and serving with plenty of fresh strawberries on the side. 🙂
Could you use strawberry yogurt instead of the plain yogurt in the cake, or would that be too much strawberry? Thank you!
Hi Janet! I prefer plain yogurt to really let the vanilla flavor of the cake shine through. Serving the cake with extra strawberries is delicious and highly recommended. 🙂
Can I sub sour cream for the yogurt
Hi Rose, yes! Happy baking! 🙂