This Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake puts a delicious Southern pound cake spin on classic strawberry shortcake! A rich and buttery sour cream pound cake is sliced in half and filled with juicy strawberries and a creamy whipped cream cheese filling.

Instead of serving strawberries and cream on top of individual slices, we're putting all that goodness right inside the pound cake.

The cake is flavored with vanilla and a touch of almond extract, while sour cream helps create a moist and tender crumb. Once the cake has completely cooled, it's sliced horizontally and layered with sweet strawberries and cream.

It's the perfect dessert for spring and summer gatherings, Mother's Day, Easter, birthdays, or anytime you're craving strawberries and pound cake.

Video Tutorial

Why You'll Love This Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake

It's a true pound cake. The base is a homemade sour cream pound cake made with butter, eggs, flour, sugar, and sour cream.
Fresh strawberries are the star. The strawberries are combined with granulated sugar and refrigerated, allowing them to become sweet and juicy before assembling the cake.
That filling! Cream cheese, whipped cream, and powdered sugar create a creamy layer that pairs beautifully with the strawberries.
It's different. Instead of simply spooning strawberries over individual slices, the entire Bundt cake is sliced and filled.
It's beautiful enough for a special occasion. This would be great for Mother's Day, Easter, spring gatherings, summer cookouts, birthdays, or anytime you want something a little different from a traditional pound cake.

Ingredients You'll Need

For the Pound Cake

All-purpose flour: Provides structure for the cake.

Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps create its texture.

Unsalted butter: Use room-temperature butter so it creams properly with the sugar.

Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature and add them one at a time.

Sour cream: Adds moisture, richness, and tenderness.

Baking powder: Provides additional lift to the pound cake

Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the other flavors.

Vanilla and almond extracts: Vanilla gives the cake its classic flavor, while almond extract pairs beautifully with the strawberries.

For the Strawberry Filling

Fresh strawberries: Fresh berries give this cake the best flavor and texture.

Granulated sugar: Combining the strawberries with sugar helps draw out their natural juices.

For the Cream Filling

Cream cheese: Creates a rich and creamy base.

Whipped topping: Lightens the cream cheese filling.

Powdered sugar: Sweetens the filling while keeping it smooth.

Recommended tools and equipment:

Bundt Pan (A 12 cup bundt pan is needed for this volume of recipe.)
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Silicone Spatula
Oven Thermometer
Cake Keeper
Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons

Image of Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake Easy - Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake Easy recipe - Whip It Like Butter

How to Assemble Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake

Once the cake has completely cooled, use a long serrated knife to carefully slice the Bundt cake in half horizontally.

Gently remove the top half and set it aside.

Spread a generous layer of the cream filling over the bottom half of the cake.

Add the sweetened strawberries over the filling, followed by another layer of the cream mixture.

Carefully place the top portion of the pound cake back over the filling.

Decorate the top with additional filling and fresh strawberries, if desired.

Then slice, serve, and enjoy!

Tips for the Best Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake

Use room-temperature ingredients. Room-temperature butter, eggs, and sour cream will incorporate more smoothly into your batter.

Cream the butter and sugar well. Cream for approximately five minutes or until light and fluffy.

Don't overmix the batter. Once your butter and sugar are creamed, mix at a low speed. Mix the ingredients only until they are combined.

Prepare your Bundt pan thoroughly. Make sure baking spray reaches all of the grooves of your bundt pan, including the center tube.

Cool the cake completely before cutting and filling it. This helps prevent the cake from breaking while you slice it and keeps the cream filling from becoming too warm.

Use a serrated knife. A long serrated knife makes it easier to cut the Bundt cake horizontally without tearing it.

Assemble close to serving time. The strawberries will continue releasing moisture, so the cake will have the best appearance and texture when freshly assembled.

Can I Use Frozen Strawberries?

You can, but fresh strawberries are my preference for this recipe.

Frozen strawberries become softer after thawing and can release quite a bit of liquid. If you use them, thaw and drain them well before adding them to the cake.

I recommend fresh strawberries for the best flavor and texture.

Can I Substitute the Sour Cream?

For the best results, I recommend sticking with sour cream for this particular recipe.

Sour cream contributes moisture, richness, and tenderness to the pound cake. Changing it can affect the consistency of the batter and the final texture of the cake.

Variations

Once you've mastered the original recipe, there are a few easy ways to change it up.

Mixed Berry: Add raspberries, blueberries, or a combination of berries along with the strawberries.

Strawberry-Lemon: Add a little lemon zest to the pound cake for a bright citrus flavor that pairs beautifully with strawberries.

Extra Strawberry: Drizzle strawberry sauce over individual slices when serving.

Individual Shortcakes: Instead of assembling the entire cake, leave the Bundt cake whole and serve individual slices with strawberries and cream.

How to Store Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake

Storage depends on whether you've assembled the cake.

Before Adding the Filling

The plain pound cake can be kept tightly covered at room temperature. You can also freeze the unassembled pound cake. Wrap the completely cooled cake well before freezing.

After Adding the Strawberries and Cream Filling

Once the pound cake has been assembled with the cream cheese filling and fresh strawberries, it should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For the best texture, you can allow individual slices to sit at room temperature briefly before serving.

Image of Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake recipe

4 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: shortcake, strawberry shortcake, strawberry shortcake pound cake

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 15

Total Time: 10

Servings: people

Calories: 689kcal

Author: Ashley Frederick

Ingredients

For the cake:
3 c all-purpose flour- sifted
3 c granulated sugar
6 whole eggs- room temperature
1 c (2 sticks) of unsalted butter- room temperature
1 c sour cream- room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
For the filling:
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz whipped topping
½ c powdered sugar
1 lb fresh strawberries
¼ c granulated sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the filling:
(Prepare before or while baking the cake)
Using a hand or stand mixture, mix the cream cheese, whipped topping, and powdered sugar.
Once blended, store in an airtight container and refrigerate. (If you enjoy filling on top of your cake as well once sliced, I recommend doubling the ingredients for this recipe.)
Rinse the strawberries, cut off the stem, and cut them into slices.
In a bowl, combine the granulated sugar and strawberries. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Steps to make the cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour the bundt pan or use Baker's Joy Cooking spray or similar.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for five minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
Then, add the eggs one at a time until combined after each addition.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, alternating with sour cream.
Once the ingredients are well blended pour evenly into greased 12 cup bundt pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. The cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting and assembling.
Steps to build the shortcake:
Cut the cake in half horizontally. Place the top portion to the side. Spread a generous amount of the filling on the cake layer.
Next, add the strawberries around the inside edge of the cake and place the desired amount of strawberries onto the remainder of the cake layer.
Then add another generous layer of filling on top of the strawberries. Place the top layer on the cake and decorate as desired.
Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

⇢ Use room temperature ingredients - Butter, eggs, and sour cream should be at room temperature so they blend smoothly without clumping. Set them out ahead of time.

⇢ Measure carefully – Baking is precise. Always measure each ingredient before adding it to the batter.

⇢ Cream butter and sugar well – Cream for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

⇢ Add eggs one at a time – Blend after each until no yellow remains before adding the next.

⇢ Don’t overmix – Once an ingredient is added, mix just until combined. Finish any streaks of flour by hand with a spoon.

⇢ Grease the bundt pan thoroughly – Use a baking spray with flour (like Baker’s Joy) or grease with oil and dust with flour for a clean release.

Nutrition

Frequently Asked Questions:

What makes this different from traditional strawberry shortcake?

Traditional strawberry shortcake is often made with biscuit-style shortcakes. This version puts a Southern twist on the dessert by using a homemade sour cream pound cake.

Why do you add sugar to the strawberries?

The sugar draws out some of the strawberries' natural juices, creating sweet, juicy berries that are perfect for layering inside the cake.

Can I make Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake ahead of time?

Yes, but I recommend baking the pound cake ahead of time and preparing your strawberries and filling. Assemble the cake closer to when you plan to serve it for the best texture and appearance.

Does Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake need to be refrigerated?

Once assembled, yes. The finished dessert contains a cream cheese filling and fresh strawberries, so it's important to keep it covered in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze Strawberry Shortcake Pound Cake?

I recommend freezing the plain pound cake before assembling it rather than freezing the finished strawberry shortcake. Wrap the completely cooled cake well before freezing.

How to Freeze a Pound Cake (Step-by-Step + Storage Tips)

More Recipes You'll Love

Looking for another Berry recipe?, try my Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake with Blueberry Compote!

Strawberry Pound Cake - Made with real strawberry puree and strawberry extract, this homemade pound cake is moist, buttery, and packed with fresh strawberry flavor.

Strawberry Crunch Pound Cake - This moist strawberry pound cake is topped with a sweet and buttery strawberry crunch topping made with Golden Oreos and strawberry gelatin, creating the perfect combination.

If you love peach cobbler, try my Peach Cobbler Pound Cake! This cake is made with diced peaches in the batter with a peach cobbler base and a delicious glaze.