This unique cake is somewhat of a twist on strawberry shortcake. With a buttermilk pound cake base, soft whipped cream, juicy strawberries and fir tip sugar, this strawberry fir tip cake is definitely memorable!
What makes this cake special
I love this cake for three very important reasons:
- The flavor. This cake is similar to the well-loved classic strawberry shortcake, and yet has a super special flavor that you’ve probably never experienced before! It has a nice balance of fresh and rich, and isn’t overly sweet. The hero flavors in this cake are perfectly ripe strawberries and citrusy fir tips.
- The texture. The buttermilk pound cake layer is tender, moist, and buttery. It’s more dense than a typical shortcake.
- It’s easy to make. One simple layer of cake, macerated berries, and three-ingredient whipped cream is all you need to make the perfect late spring dessert!
Making the fir tip sugar
Before you start to make this cake, you’ll need to make fir tip sugar. This infused sugar is what will give the cake its special flavor. Don’t worry, it’s really easy! You can follow my instructions on my Fir Tip Sugar recipe page. There, I go over collecting fir tips and how to prepare them for use in desserts.
Strawberry fir tip cake tips
This cake is a breeze to make! Here are my top tips to ensure it’s the best cake it can be:
Let the berries macerate. For the best flavor, macerate the strawberries for at least 30 minutes. Slice the berries up and toss them with fir tip sugar, salt, and fresh lemon juice. Then let this mixture sit until it becomes saucy and creates a thick red syrup. Not only will this create the best flavor and texture for the berry topping, it will also give you a delicious syrup that you can use to brush on your cake.
Whip the cream to your preference. I LOVE a super-soft, barely sweetened whipped cream. I believe it’s one of the greatest foods of all time. However, if you like your whipped cream to be thicker, stiffer, or sweeter, feel free to make it how you like it. Because this is a rustic cake, it really doesn’t matter too much how you make your whipped cream.
Let the cake cool completely. Before you add whipped cream and the fir tip-macerated strawberries, make sure your cake is completely cool. If it’s warm at all, the whipped cream will melt, and you don’t want that.
Use the strawberry fir tip syrup! That beautiful, flavor-rich syrup made by macerating the berries is gold! Strain some of the syrup from the strawberries and brush it on the top of the cake before you add the whipped cream.
Pipe a border of whipped cream around the edge. I highly recommend you create a whipped cream border around the edge of the cake. This will help to hold the juicy berries in, preventing them from sliding off the edge of the cake.
Variations & substitutions
For the fir tips: Don’t want to go out foraging but still want to make this cake? No problem! If you don’t have access to fir tips for this recipe, I recommend making a citrus sugar (or even try lilac sugar!) instead of the fir tip sugar.
Simply blend a teaspoon or two of citrus zest with the sugar when macerating the strawberries. You could use lemon, lime, grapefruit, or even a combination of citrus. You could also add a bit extra citrus zest to the buttermilk pound cake batter if not using fir tips in the cake.
Alternatively, try finely minced fresh basil in place of the fir tips.
For the buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, there’s two easy buttermilk substitutions you could try. Either replace it with whole milk mixed with lemon juice or watered-down yogurt or sour cream.
To make the ¾ cup buttermilk you need for this recipe, use ¾ cup whole milk + two teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar. Or, you could whisk together ½ cup whole milk yogurt with ¼ cup water to replace the buttermilk.
For the berries: This cake would also be wonderful with fresh raspberries or blackberries! For the best flavor, use fresh berries that are in season. Frozen berries will not work in this recipe.
Serving & storing strawberry fir tip cake
For the best possible flavor and texture, serve the strawberry fir tip cake within a few hours of assembling it. As time goes on, it will continue to absorb the juice from the strawberries, becoming more moist and soft.
Although this cake is best eaten the same day, it will keep for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator. It’s excellent served cold!
Buttermilk Pound Cake with Strawberries & Fir Tips
Equipment
- 8-inch round cake pan
Ingredients
Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fir tip sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 ounces unsalted butter, soft
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs, beaten
Strawberry Fir Tip Topping
- 2 pints fresh strawberries
- 1/4 cup fir tip sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 3 tablespoons sugar or vanilla sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the buttermilk cake:
- Butter an 8 inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, fir tip sugar, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add soft butter and lemon zest, mixing until butter breaks down into small pieces.
- Add eggs and buttermilk. Mix on medium until well combined and fluffy, 1-3 minutes.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake until cake springs back when touched, about 25-35 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then invert from pan and remove parchment paper.
For the strawberry fir tip topping:
- Slice the strawberries.
- Toss berries with fir tip sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Allow to macerate for at least 30 minutes. They'll become saucy and create a thick syrup.
For the vanilla whipped cream:
- Whip cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks start to form.
- Add sugar and vanilla extract; whip cream a little bit more until soft to medium peaks form.
To assemble the cake:
- Place cake on a large plate. Use a serrated knife to flatten top of cake, if necessary.
- Drain some of the syrup out of the strawberry mixture. Use a pastry brush to brush syrup generously onto top of cake.
- Pipe or spread whipped cream on top of cake. Top with macerated strawberries. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
