This tangy, moist strawberry cream cheese pound cake recipe is dense and delicious with a velvety texture. It is firm enough to use in stacked cakes like wedding cakes but easy enough to make anytime. A secret ingredient gives it its unique flavor and vibrant color.
My eldest daughter’s best friend got married a earlier this month and she had asked me to make the cake. I don’t make wedding cakes often and usually just for family and close friends. They are time intensive and I charge a crazy high amount for other people. Anyway, after discussing various flavor combos she decided on strawberry with ganache filling. I was cool with that.
I was cool with that until I realized that there is no strawberry pound cake recipe that I know of that would stand up to the rigors of wedding cake — being stacked, being transported and hour and a half, etc. I thought about it for days and just before I was about to tell her we had to go with a vanilla cream cheese poundcake I got an idea.
The Restless Chipotle Channel
Why not try strawberry Kool Aid?
I made a test cake, using my favorite pound cake recipe and adding the Kool Aid. It came out perfectly! The color was a little intense but very pretty but best of all, one of the people who tasted the test cake said, “I can tell you used fresh berries in this!”
It just doesn’t get better than that. The cake held up perfectly and tasted delicious.
So, this cake has nary a fresh strawberry in it but the flavor and texture are unbeatable. This has opened up an entire world of possibilities to me, which no-doubt you’ll be seeing on the blog in the weeks to come. Be careful not to over mix the batter or you’ll run the risk of the cake being tough. This is baked in a slow oven for a long time but the resulting cake will knock your socks off.
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A heavy bundt pan makes all the difference in cakes like this. It keeps the outside from browning to badly and helps it cook evenly. This classic Nordic Ware pan is awesome and it comes in a couple of different designs… Best of all, it will last forever!
- 1 cup of unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 ounces of cream cheese room temperature
- 3 cups of sugar
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 packets strawberry Kool Aid the kind you add sugar to.
- 3 cups of flour
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
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Preheat the oven to 325F.
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Grease a bundt pan thoroughly and then dust with flour.
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Pour out excess flour.
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Set aside.
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Beat the cream cheese and butter on the lowest speed of the mixer until well blended.
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Add the sugar and continue to beat until blended.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each in thoroughly before adding the next one.
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Add the Kool Aid mix, vanilla, and the sour cream and blend.
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Add the flour and salt.
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Mix just until blended and smooth.
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Spoon into bundt pan and smooth top.
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Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in halfway between the edge and the center comes out clean.
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Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
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Remove from pan and drizzle with a glaze or let cool and dust with confectioner's sugar.
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Cool completely before slicing.
If you liked this Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe you may also like…
Sweet Corn Pound Cake with Honey Whipped Cream
Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake Chef in Training
Caramel Pound Cake Southern Bite
This recipe is part of the Favorite Summer Potluck Recipes Roundup at Tidy Mom
I’ve been asked to make a 2-layer strawberry birthday cake that will hold a heavy topper. This recipe sounds perfect!
Could you help with the following questions?
1. Does this recipe yield enough batter to make two 9″ round cakes?
2. What temperature and baking time should be used?
Thank you so much for the recipe and for answering my questions!
1. I believe it does- although I haven’t measured. I think a bundt pan is equal to 2 layers.
2. I’d say 375F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for your quick response, Marye. The batter filled two 9″ round pans and the assembled cake was the height of a typical two-layer cake. I baked the cakes at 350 for 33 minutes (I was waiting to see if the cake edges would pull away from the sides – which they never did). In retrospect, I think 30 minutes would have been about right. Due to the density, the cake was easy to frost and decorate. Looking forward to tasting the cake!
I am so glad! Thanks for letting me know.
Getting ready to make this right now for a friend’s birthday. But…I noticed you didn’t list baking powder/soda? Is that correct? Thank you!
That is correct. 🙂
Rather than dusting the pan with flour, could you dust with an extra packet of strawberry koolaid so the cake wouldn’t have the white flour on the outside when removed from the pan?
It would make it too tangy for my tastes but I imagine you could? I’ve never had the problem of the flour sticking. Just don’t use much.
Can this recipe be increased to make a 12 in layer cake?
Probably – you can increase the serving sizes on the recipe card and that should help.
I used this recipe in my bakery for a wedding cake and it was a hit. It is so delicious . Thank you for posting this. I have one in my oven right now to decorate for a wedding shower.
Great! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi This recipe is awesome!!! The texture was so nice and the flavor. I would love to make just plain vanilla cupcakes without the red Kool-aid. Would that mess with the recipe?
That should be fine. 🙂
Trying this out for the first time and I’m going to top with fresh strawberries and a cream cheese glaze. Wish me luck!!!
Let me know what you think. 🙂
Hi! I DEFINITELY WILL BE trying this this weekend. I’ve been on a pound cake frenzy. I’m excited to make it!
What kind of flour to use
All purpose flour is perfect in this recipe. 🙂
Your cake looks delicious!! Could fresh or frozen strawberries be substituted for the koolaid?
Thank you, Kessa. No, actual fruit would throw off the proportions of the recipe.
The color of this is insane! Such a pretty surprise to cut into!
I plan on making this, but what glaze did you do because i don’t see one for it. Thanks
I just dusted it with Confectioner’s sugar. 🙂
This may be a silly question but, if I change out the koolaid flavors would it still bake about the same? I’ve got a party coming up and would love to have strawberry and a lemonade version of the same cake and then serve them side by side.
Believe me, I’ve had some silly questions and that’s not even in the top 10. Everything would stay exactly the same. Just change out the flavors. 🙂
Fantastic! Thank you so much for the quick reply I’m super excited to give this a go! I’m thinking puttin blue dye in the glaze so red white (yellow in this case I guess haha) and blue cakes 😀
Let me know what you think!
Hey can I subsitute the koolaid with strawberry gelatin
I’ve never tried so I’m not sure.
Hello, I want to make this, but I’m curious to know…why the sour cream?
It adds moistness and helps the cake have a tender crumb. 🙂
My husband and I just made this. It is delicious! We are taking it to my parents tomorrow. I bet no one will guess it’s koolaid and not fresh strawberries.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thank you! I am glad you liked it. How did your parents like it?
I noticed that it says you can make cupcakes with this recipe. Would love to try, could you tell me about how long I should cook them and at what temperature? Thanks!
I’d bake them at 375F and check for doneness after about 15 minutes. 🙂
My God child wants a birthday cake with one layer strawberry and the other blueberry! Strawberry frosting. Going to look for blueberry kool aid and half the flavoring in each. How long will it take to bake?
About an hour and forty minutes per cake including prep time.
Oh mercy this looks like just the ticket for spring!
Thank you!!
I love the color of this cake! I bet it is delicious!!
Thanks!
This must have been a fun one to make around Valentine’s Day!
Actually the first time I made it was for a wedding. 🙂
Love the color!
It really is vibrant, isn’t it?
Looks fantastic and inviting!
🙂 thank you! It is so good.
Not only does this look amazing, but seriously – the colour of the cake! BEAUTIFUL! I like that it’s not an overly sweet chocolate cake, and this would go beautifully with a cup of tea or coffee as a sweet treat!
Awww… thank you!
That color just POPS off the screen! I would totally go for a piece or three of that cake. I think you’re a genius for thinking of the Kool Aid to solve the problem.
Thanks! I still want to experiment with other Kool Aid flavors…
I do love anything strawberry! YUM!
Oh I do too… It just always tastes like spring!
What a great idea to twist strawberry and creme cheese for your poundcake..would like to try it.
🙂 let me know what you think!
I have made this twice ad it was a hit both times. Easy and good!
I’m glad! Thanks for telling me!
I want to use this recipe for a wedding cake but I need to know ahead of time how many cups of batter this recipe makes. Can you help me out?
Kayla I’ve never measured it exactly but I did just measure my bundt pan that I used to make this and it holds 10 cups so I’d guess that you could plan on at least 10 cups of batter per recipe. Hope this helps.
It does. Thank you so much.
Happy to help!
Hello, I’m looking forward to trying your recipe. It looks so delicious! However, i just wanted to ask….. Do you use all purpose or self rising flour? I am thinking self rising since baking powder or baking soda is not a ingredient but I just want to make sure. Thanks
All purpose. This cake doesn’t require leavening. 🙂
I’ve never made a Pound Cake, but this recipe looks yummy! I’d like to make Petit Fours for Valaentine’s Day using this recipe but I would rather bake in a loaf pan. How long would you suggest I cook in a loaf pan? Since there are all kinds of sizes of loaf pans, could you also suggest the size I’d need to use? I’d think I’d have too much waste in using a Bunt Pan. Thank you!
A loaf pan will probably take about an hour and I think you could divide this up between two 8″ wide loaf pans… I’ve never done it so I am not sure. 🙂
Thank You Marye!
🙂
This sounds absolutely fabulous. I was wondering though if I could make this into a cake version rather then bundt? And if so. What frosting would you suggest ? Thanks ! I have to make a bday cake this weekend and thought how lovely it would be to cut into it and see is beautiful red !
Somehow your comment got misplaced. I am so sorry! I hope your birthday cake was awesome! I’d use cream cheese or vanilla frosting.
MY WIFE AND I ARE MAKING THIS FOR THANKSGIVING!
🙂 let me know what you think.
Love your secret ingredient. Love the vibrancy of it. I think it would make cake to serve at my daughter’s tea party.
The color is so vibrant!! Beautiful cake!
Thank you Sabrina!
Did you ever tell the unsuspecting guest your secret ingredient? I’m dying to know her reaction!
I did not. 🙂
I have yet to use Kool Aid or Jell-O in my cakes, but I know what you mean about them standing up to the wedding cake “standards.” It looks so good and I love the colour!
Kacey – I didn’t like the jello because I thought it gave the cake a weird texture.
I love pound cake and that red color is just fantastic! Add kook-aid was a genius idea!
Thanks!
What a gorgeous color! I would love a big slice.
Thanks!
This looks awesome! I have made cupcakes with koolaid before and it totally works!
🙂 It does!
Good Afternoon,
I received your recipe via text message from one of my close friends who wants me to make her your recipe for the tangy strawberry cream cheese cake. In the past I have been very successful with making pound cakes such as lemon and the original. I want to ask if it is necessary to add in 1/8 salt? The reason being is that I noticed that the recipe calls for 1 cup of salted butter. I just want to make sure that the cake wouldn’t taste salted since this cake will be sold to her. is it possible to use unsalted butter and add in the salt? or just use the salted butter and omit the salt?
The recipe should say UNsalted butter..fixing it now.thanks.
I made this cake last night and while the taste is awesome, it didn]t rise at all. No baking powder or soda in recipe. I used AP flour. Thoughts?
It’s possible that the butter was too warm and melty if your kitchen was hot. Another possibility is that you over beat the batter. If neither of those seem to fit I’d try it again and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder in with the flour. It will guard against that happening even if you do beat it a little too much. The texture will be slightly different. Hope this helps. 🙂
Dear Marye, I love your bundt mold. What a fun and beautiful cake…I love that you used kool aid. I have some on hand, I will have to try this soon. xo, Catherine
You should Catherine! It’s very cool…. or kool. Whatever.
What a fun cake! And using Kool-Aid is brilliant. Would be great for a kid’s birthday party.
Susan, I think so. This has opened up a whole new world of flavor possibilities for me!
I love how BOLD the colors are in this cake! It’s like you can taste it just by looking at it 😀
Thanks Chrisy! It is pretty bold. The color is gorgeous!
This looks so delicious! I want it with the coffee I am having right now!
🙂 it really is! Thanks!
I’ve been asked to make a wedding cake a couple times too, but turned it down! It’s a bit scary and time consuming! This has a great color, sounds wonderful!
Thank you!
What an awesome idea for kool-aid! I’m not a fan of drinking it, but it would be awesome in a dessert!
Yep … it was so good!
Thanks for sharing this recipe; it looks delicious. Using the kool aid was quite a superb idea.
🙂 it was so good.