Happy First Day of Spring! Oh how I love this season. Days are longer, the leaves are coming back, flowers are in bloom, and of course the temperatures are perfect – not too cold and not too hot. I can open my windows to freshen the house and hear the birds chirping outside. It’s also the height of Strawberry Season! Strawberry Festivals are happening all over the South and produce stock at the markets is abundant.
To celebrate this glorious season, today I’m sharing from Gumbo Love my ‘Classic Southern Pound Cake With Strawberries’. If you make it, let me know how it goes. What are your favorite Springtime rituals in the kitchen and life?
Please share in the comments!
Wishing you a sweet and sunshine-filled first day of the season!
All my Gumbo Love,
LuLu
Classic Southern Pound Cake With Strawberries
Serves 12 to 16
1 ½ cups (three sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for the pan
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (or use almond or any other flavored extract)
Fresh whipped cream (recipe follows) for garnish
Fresh Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or flavored liqueur
3 tablespoons sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan (a tube pan is preferred but if you use a Bundt pan instead, you’ll need to make sure to leave 1 inch of space at the top of the pan, so you may end up with a small amount of leftover batter).
2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the sliced strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the cake.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the remaining 3 cups of sugar, ½ cup at a time, and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for one hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely. Serve each piece with a spoonful of the chilled strawberries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Fresh Whipped Cream
1. Place a medium metal bowl in the freezer to chill.
2. When ready to prepare the whipped cream, placed the cream and a vanilla in the chilled bowl. With an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed gradually adding the sugar. The cream will begin to thicken.
3. Whip the cream until it begins to form stiff peaks. Be careful not to over whip or the cream will separate.
