Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Pound Cake

Serve this Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Pound Cake all summer long; add some blueberries for a Fourth of July bash!

I’m not sure there is a dessert so perfectly summer as Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Pound Cake. Fresh berries and gently sweetened cream sit atop a luscious old fashioned pound cake, this one lightly flavored with lemon; so perfect with the berries and whipped cream.

There is the quick and dirty shortcake; the little round ready made cakes for spur of the moment shortcake. The just as easy and also ready made; the store bought Angel Food Cake.

Homemade biscuits or  biscuits from the recipe on the side of the Bisquick box. I’ve done them all but I’ve never done any that satisfy quite like this Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Pound Cake.

Pound cake; such a utilitarian sound but a cake with results that can only be called perfection. Presumably a pound of butter, a pound of flour, a pound of sugar and a pound of eggs; I’ve seen various recipes that stick with that moniker but stray far from the concept. Not this one. Nope, this is the real deal. With lemon.

Now, of course blueberries aren’t the standard but what better way to bring a festive holiday touch to this quintessential summer dessert than to dress it up with some blue for the celebration of America’s birthday.

I admit, I can’t take credit for this cake recipe; nope. While I’ve made any number of pound cakes over the years, this is a recipe from Sam Sifton, the Founding Editor of NYT (New York Times) Cooking that provided me with this version.

That touch of lemon is so perfect; enhancing both the cake and the toppings. It is a cake that is perfect on it’s own, when it’s finished with both strawberries and blueberries mingled with slightly sweetened cream, it’s downright magical.

Mr. Sifton recommends making the cake and then cutting it into cubes but I preferred the look of simply making thin slices that could be layered.

He also assumes that strawberries and sugar together will create the juices that accompany the berries and while he’s right (and I mean he is THE Sam Sifton!), I’ll stick with my tried and true version which emulsifies some of the berries with sugar and water to create a sauce of sorts…it means MORE for everyone!

The cake is easy and so are the toppings but the taste is flat out divine. Pound cake is rich and dense and the perfect foil for the lightened cream and the fresh berries. If you’re like me, you’ll never again glance at those round disks labeled as shortcake. You’ll know the real deal once you try it and once you do, it’s the ONLY deal.

Have a safe and thoroughly fun 4th of July…hope you enjoy lots of barbecue, festive cocktails, and this delicious dessert!

On a personal note?

I have had major lung issues…a bout with pneumonia did a number on my lungs a while ago and I’m still on supplemental oxygen; except for brief moments I most likely won’t be getting off of it entirely. So life changed considerably. I was SO lucky to already have an adjustable bed; it became my BIG recliner and I often worked from there with a new laptop purchased just for this reason.

I can work in my office…but only for short periods of time, so I missed the laptop, a lot. I use a Remote Desktop Connection from my laptop to the computer in my office so all of the work is done in one place on my larger office computer which has a stand alone hard drive for my 20 years worth of photos. Glad it wasn’t that one that crashed.

And then I did the dreaded…a dribble on the laptop. I honestly thought that coffee cup was empty! Luckily I had purchased extended warranty insurance through Costco when I bought my laptop and they did cover repair for spills…whoo hoo!

So I’m sharing this mostly for this reason…if you also use Costco for your computers I learned a valuable lesson. My warranty had gone past Costco’s two year warranty and was now covered by Allstate (but really a company called SquareSpace). They were awful! Online chat is really virtual assistance, and despite indicating a 2-3 day turnaround, my laptop wasn’t even packaged to ship after being gone for 3 weeks.

So yesterday I called Costco’s Concierge Services. I spoke to two different people, got an email last night asking for my serial number, and low and behold, they lit a fire under someone…it was shipped yesterday with overnight delivery and I got it a little bit ago.

The physical labor of this job can be a lot; you should see me scoot around in a drafting chair in my kitchen and studio…but having a laptop to work on is priceless. Seriously, don’t be me…but if you are ever in a fix and have to go the same route for repair…remember to use Costco to get that third party moving!

PIN ‘Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Poundcake’

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Pound Cake

Barb

The perfect summer dessert combining a luscious lemon pound cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Add some blueberries for a festive July 4th dessert!

5 from 50 or more votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Cakes, Cupcakes & Cheesecake

Cuisine American

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 814 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound softened butter 4 sticks, cubed
• 1 pound granulated sugar 2 cups
• 8 large eggs
• 1 pound all-purpose flour 4 cups
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 lemons juiced and zested
• 1 quart strawberries rinsed and slice
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 cup sweetened whipped cream

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
• In a bowl or a standing mixer, beat the butter until it is creamed, then add the sugar, beating until it is well mixed.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl until well mixed and add then incorporate them into the mixture in the mixing bowl.
• Add the salt. Add the flour, a little bit at a time, and then the vanilla, the lemon zest and juice, mixing to incorporate.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for approximately 1 1/4 hours, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Turn the cake out and allow to cool on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar.
• Set aside 1/2 cup of strawberries. Combine remaining sliced strawberries with sugar in a bowl and allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes; add blueberries.
• Gently warm the 1/2 cup of sliced berries with a Tablespoon of sugar and 2 Tablespoons of water. Once softened, remove from heat and blend to a smooth consistency. Add more water if necessary to make the consistency of a thick sauce. Let cool. Add to the bowl of sugared berries.
• Slice cake into thin slices; use 2 per serving and layer with whipped cream and berries.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Pound Cake

Serving Size

 

1 Serving

Amount per Serving

Calories

814

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

43

g

66

%

Cholesterol

 

251

mg

84

%

Sodium

 

468

mg

20

%

Carbohydrates

 

100

g

33

%

Protein

 

11

g

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Calories

814

Keyword 4th of July, avgolemono, dessert, pound cake, shortcake, strawberry, whipped cream

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!