It was one of those days that I had spent a majority of my day eating literally everything in sight. I don’t use the word ‘literally’ lightly. I was home, testing recipes and shooting and eating everything that crossed my gaze or found its way into my hands.
My cat, Tron is fine. His fur makes him distinctly inedible.
It was on this day, Eat Day April 2017, that a friend invited me over for a swimming party. Essentially someone invited me over to their house to be in my underwear around both them and strangers. Great. Cool. Perfect. You know what? There’s no finer way to end Eat Day April 2017 than with a pool party because a pool party means that someone might order a pizza and… PIZZA! I’ll be there. Just let me dig out my one-piece.
With a swimming suit in my purse, I wrapped up a hearty, uneaten wedge of this Olive Oil Strawberry Pound Cake as an offering at the pool party. I managed to not eat it in the car. But I did… and I’ll tell you this because it’s true… I was the one that ordered the pizza, and I never did put that swimsuit on.
It was a very fine day. Marked, notably, by this pound cake.
These lovely strawberry gems sat on my kitchen counter, watching me walk by, eating what can only be considered an ALARMING amount of string cheese, wondering when they were going to be made into something sweet.
These are them… just moment before they gave up the ghost.
Let’s start the batter before this all goes off the rails.
We’ve got strawberries. There’s pizza in our future. Let’s get down to it.
Eggs are whisked with granulated sugar until the mixture is pale and thick. The pale and thick part is important. This will aerate the eggs and dissolve the sugar.
Olive oil! Good, grassy tasting, bright and green olive oil!
Can you taste it in the cake? Heck yes! It’s fantastic!
Whisk in sour cream or yogurt until smooth and exciting.
These strawberries are optimally ripe and already delicious.
When I bake strawberries into pastry I like to remove some of the moisture out of the strawberries and the best way to do that is to give the strawberries a quick roast.
Roasted. Intensely strawberry. Ready for batter and more oven time.
The dry ingredients!
Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt are whisked together and added to the wet ingredients.
Strawberries are gently folded into the batter.
It’s thick and drippy spoonable.
Parchment is a best friend. It makes lifting baked loaves like this an easy dream.
Golden brown and that split down the center means we’re doing it right.
Served warm and strawberry studded. This cake is light in olive oil taste vibes, but it’s present. The crumb is moist and the cake borders just ever so playfully on the sense side. It’s wonderful, and would also make a lovely home for other summer berries. I’m thinking blueberry will be up next in my kitchen.
And about that Eat Day… no shame in the game.
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Olive Oil Pound Cake with Roasted Strawberries
Ingredients
- 3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup sour cream or full fat yogurt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Line with parchment paper so that two flaps of paper hang over the sides. Grease the parchment paper too, then set the pan aside.
- Place strawberries in a single layer across a rimmed parchment lined baking pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes until the strawberries are softened and some of the moisture has cooked out of them. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until the eggs are thick and pale in color. Add the sour cream and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once to wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Add the roasted strawberries and fold to combine.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Fold in the pan if you find the all the strawberries are towards the bottom of the loaf pan. Place in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool to just warm. Slice into thick slices and sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.
42 Responses
Very eyecatching and tasty cake
Do you think its possible to bake these as muffins instead?
I just made this and the strawberries ended up at the bottom. Why is that, I followered your directions exactly. Although, the taste is really delicious.
This recipe was a huge success at our holiday potluck. Thanks!
Now that I have made this cake a few times (vwith great success) I am tempted to play around with it and even try a savoury version with olives and something salty – sun dried tomato or a couple of anchovies drained well and chopped…I would bring the sugar right down, á la savoury muffins but what would you suggest I replace it with so proportions and consistency work properly?
Could you freeze this already baked (I’m guessing in slices), then let it thaw to serve? Would love to try this for a large gathering, but need to do as much in advance as possible!
Yes, absolutely!
This looks amazing! We are doing a challenge for the month of June where we only eat from the farmers market or things we’ve grown in our own gardens. I unfortunately can’t find vanilla at the farmers market so this one will have to wait but it’s numero uno on my list for July baking!
Wow, amazing pics. Specially the strawberry one!
It’s in the oven right now and it smells Devine! Can’t wait to slice and eat! Thanks Joy!
I made this last night and all the strawberries went to the bottom! it tasted great, just didn’t look like yours. Any tips on keeping the strawberries from sinking?
If it makes you feel better, I’ve been having an eat month. May has just been a no-holds-barred eat month. I was kind of feeling bad about it, but then I decided……meh! Making this strawberry pound cake as soon as humanly possible. Thanks Joy!!
Hi Joy
What brand of Olive Oil did you use in this recipe.
I would like to eat about three slices of this right now. Adding to the meal prep list!
I’m making this now and it smells incredible. The top of my pound cake is darkening though (about halfway through the timer), so I’m covering it with tinfoil and reducing the heat slightly. Not sure if anyone else has had that problem? Can’t wait to try it though.
Also — I used frozen berries too, so I roasted them longer and then let them sit in a colander for a while before adding them to the cake.
I made this cake last night and my son loved it. So did I. Thanks.
I now know what will become of the first strawberries from my CSA this year! This looks amazing.
Thank you so much, this post was timely! My birthday was Saturday, better known as Derby day here in Louisville. I made this as my “birthday cake”, and my it was probably the best sweet bread I’ve ever had. Hubby licked the batter bowl (three raw eggs…I know..we live on the edge..) and was in love. Thank you for making my 32nd one to remember. And happy Derby! If you come to Louisville we owe you a great bourbon, or whatever you fancy. Cheers!
Happy Birthday! Happy Derby! And girl… I live on the edge too!
This recipe came just in time! I had a pint of strawberries going to waste in my fridge … used them this morning with amazing results! The pound cake was super moist and delicious. I was concerned about the amount of olive oil, but it’s a very subtle taste. This recipe is definitely a keeper for summer brunches!
What a great recipe! I made it using Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour and it was awesome! Thanks, Joy!
can you recommend a non-dairy substitution for the sour cream/yogurt?
I would say that coconut yogurt would be a great idea!
Eat Day is such a real thing. But I love that this beautiful cake came out of it! And that there isn’t a ton of sugar in this cake. My favorite way for cakes to be!
Looks wonderful! And I bet it indeed will be perfect with blueberries as well!
omg yum!!
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Where is the baking tin from? It’s gorgeous!
It’s a pan from Target a few months back!
Any thoughts on roasting frozen berries? We get awesome berries year round here in Kona but the $$$$ is hard to swallow so we use the Costco frozen ones…
Can I use cream fraiche in place of the sour cream?
This looks wonderful! I love roasting strawberries but never thought to put them in bread. Will be trying this for sure!
mmm, this sounds so good! i shyed away from roasting strawberries for so long (i was like, how could roasted ones be anything better than the fresh ones?!), but no longer! and that pan is both cute and classyyy with that gold edge, and is giving me put together cottage vibes.
Joy! you make me laugh… perfect recipe for right now, strawberries galore!
I love everything about this, from Eat Day to the photos of strawberries that make me starry-eyed for summer. The day is looking up already.
your eat day sounds all too familiar haha this cake looks so good though and i can’t wait to try it!
This looks wonderful! I love roasting strawberries but never tried them in bread. I’ll be making this recipe soon for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Yum!!!
Now that’s a Pound cake I could learn to bake and eat, right after I finish baking my Focaccia bread.
Perfection! I cannot wait to try this!
Ah, Joy. If only we could all approach our personal Eat Days with such acceptance! (And end them so deliciously.) This cake looks smashing, as in: I want to make it and then smash it into my face. And your loaf pan is fancy as eff, too. In summary: snaps to everything in this post.
This looks so good! It would be a perfect summer treat. I will have to try it sometime. I’ve never heard of roasting strawberries
Can this recipe be used in a baked doughnut pan? I made your “Brown Butter Banana Bread Doughnuts” last night and they were amazing! I’m looking for another way to use the in-season strawberries and this bread looks delicious.