This Strawberry Swirl Bundt Cake is the perfect summer cake. It’s simple, delicious, and full of bright lemon and fresh strawberry flavor. With a strawberry jam swirl and a vibrant strawberry glaze, it’s as delightful to look at as it is to eat.
Recipe features
- Tons of real strawberry flavor. We’ll make a simple strawberry jam to swirl into the cake batter as well as a lovely glaze, all made with fresh strawberries.
- Moist, lemony bundt cake. The cake batter is super moist, thanks to the buttermilk (don’t use a nonfat buttermilk). Lemon zest and juice are a bright complementary flavor to the strawberry.
- Easy to make. Outside of the strawberries, the cake is made with pantry staples and can be thrown together pretty quickly.
Strawberry swirl bundt cake tips
The strawberry swirl and strawberry glaze are what make this cake shine. Here are my best tips for perfecting those components.
Strawberry jam swirl. Make sure to cook the strawberry jam until it has thickened. This will help create a strong swirl through the cake, instead of the jam disappearing into the batter. Let the jam cool completely before swirling it with the cake batter.
Fresh strawberry glaze. To make the glaze, start by pureeing the strawberries. A food processor is the best way to do this. Strain the strawberry puree to remove the seeds. Then whisk it together with the powdered sugar and lemon juice, starting with about 3 tablespoons of strawberry puree.
Adjust the thickness of the glaze as needed – add more powdered sugar if it needs to be thicker, or more strawberry if it needs to be thinner. You want it to be pourable, but thick enough that it doesn’t just sink into the cake.
Make sure the strawberry swirl bundt cake is completely cool before glazing it! If the cake is warm at all, it will melt the glaze.
Creating the strawberry swirl
To make the strawberry swirl, start by pouring half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Use a small offset spatula or a spoon to level it out. Create a trough in the middle of the batter using the back of a spoon.
Next, pour about half of the strawberry swirl filling evenly into the trough. Using a butter knife, swirl the jam lightly into the cake batter.
Repeat this process with the remaining cake batter and jam.
How to remove a cake from a bundt pan (without sticking)
Bundt cakes are infamously challenging to unmold. It can be quite nerve wracking to invert the cake out of the pan, wondering if half of it is going to end up stuck in all the crevices. But I have a helpful trick for you!
Before you make your strawberry cake batter, butter or grease the bundt cake pan generously, rubbing soft butter or oil into all the little crevices. Then, put the greased pan in the freezer while you prepare the cake. Don’t take the bundt pan out until you’re ready to pour your cake batter into it!
When your cake batter and strawberry swirl are ready, remove the bundt pan from the freezer. Pour the cake batter in and swirl the strawberry jam throughout. Then pop it right into the oven. This freezing process solidifies the butter and helps your cake easily pull away from the sides of the bundt pan after it’s baked.
To unmold the cake after it’s baked:
- Allow the bundt cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before unmolding it
- Use a butter knife or small thin spatula to separate the cake from the sides of the pan, moving all the way around the cake
- Place a large plate on top of the bundt cake, then turn the whole thing over. Tap the bottom and sides of the pan until you feel the cake loosen. Then, remove the pan.
If you’re a blueberry lover, try my Blueberry Swirl Bundt Cake. It’s very similar to this cake, with a blueberry swirl and fresh blueberry glaze!
Strawberry Swirl Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 10-inch bundt pan
Ingredients
Strawberry Swirl
- 2 cups strawberries
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Lemon Bundt Cake
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Strawberry Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup strawberries
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the strawberry swirl filling:
- Place strawberries, sugar, salt, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool while making the cake batter.
For the lemon bundt cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan. Place greased cake pan in the freezer while you prepare the batter.
- Cream the butter until smooth and silky.
- In a small bowl, combine lemon zest and sugar. Stir for a few minutes, until lemon releases its natural oils. The sugar will become sticky and fragrant.
- Add lemon sugar to butter and beat until thoroughly mixed.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.
- Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) together in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk and lemon juice in a separate container.
- Add about 1/3 of flour mixture to butter mixture; blend. Add about 1/3 of buttermilk mixture and mix until nearly incorporated. Continue alternating dry ingredients and buttermilk until everything is just blended.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and use a small offset spatula or a spoon to even it out. Create a trough in the batter using the back of a spoon. Pour about half of the strawberry swirl filling evenly into trough. Using a butter knife, swirl the jam into the cake batter. Repeat this process with remaining batter and jam.
- Bake until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes.
- Allow cake to cool for about 20 minutes. While still just slightly warm, invert cake onto a cooling rack. Allow to finish cooling completely before glazing.
For the strawberry glaze:
- Purée the strawberries using a food processor or emulsion blender. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. You should end up with 3-4 tablespoons of strawberry juice.
- Stir together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of strawberry juice. You may need to add a little more juice or powdered sugar to achieve the desired thickness. It should be very thick but pourable.
- Drizzle the glaze onto cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
Did you try this recipe?
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