By Senior year started Monday August thirteenth. The last day of the writing program was Wednesday August fifteenth, the same day the anthology submissions were due. I submitted my one-page memoir about the cast iron skillet from Goodwill. Marcus Wells handed me the acknowledgement letter at the end of class. He said, Kaylee, you have the strongest portfolio of anyone who came through this program this summer. The acceptance decisions for the anthology arrive August thirty-first.
And the recipe Saturday was strawberry cream cheese pound cake for a small senior-year-kickoff family dinner Mama hosted Sunday afternoon. Mr. Briggs and Linda came over. Aunt Tammy. Mrs. Henderson. The first dinner Mama has hosted that was not a holiday. The reason was, in Mama’s words at the table, my baby is starting senior year and I want to mark it.
The recipe is from Averie Cooks. A dense buttery pound cake with cream cheese folded into the batter and fresh diced strawberries scattered through. Baked in a Bundt pan from Mrs. Henderson, glazed with a thin powdered sugar glaze.
The math: two sticks of butter, a brick of cream cheese, three cups of sugar, six eggs, three cups of flour, vanilla, salt, a pint of strawberries on sale at Aldi $1.99. Total: about $9.40 for a Bundt that fed eight people with leftovers.
The technique is the cream-the-butter-and-cream-cheese-together step. They cream into a smooth fluffy base before the eggs and flour go in. The strawberries get folded in last, dusted with a tablespoon of flour first so they do not sink.
Mr. Briggs gave a small toast at the table to the rising senior who is about to begin a year that is going to take her places. Mama held my hand. The summer is closing. The senior year is starting.
The recipe is below. The trick is the flour-coated strawberries — tossing the diced strawberries in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in keeps them suspended in the batter instead of sinking.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and pan. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan (or a 10-inch bundt pan). Set aside.
- Coat the strawberries. Toss the diced strawberries with 2 tablespoons of the measured flour in a small bowl until evenly coated. This keeps them from sinking to the bottom during baking. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and cream cheese. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. The cream cheese is what makes this pound cake exceptionally moist and tender.
- Add sugar and eggs. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar until pale and well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until a smooth batter forms—do not overmix.
- Fold in strawberries. Gently fold the flour-coated strawberries into the batter using a rubber spatula, distributing them evenly throughout.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 70–80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is deep golden brown. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes.
- Cool before slicing. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 43g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 140mg