I spent part of this week moving furniture up and down stairs, installing bed frames, and dangling mattresses over balconies. Thankfully, I had a sweet treat waiting for me, which I made Thursday. My mood was a little down at the beginning of the week. But we had a sunny day and some snow melted. I can’t stop thinking of summer. So, I made a tropical-flavored strawberry lemon bundt cake with a new pan and a jar of strawberry jam from our neighbor. 

Strawberry Lemon Bundt Cake

I’ve been thinking so much about summer. It started with a dreamy video on Instagram of Maine in the summer. Each year I tell myself in the moment that I need to go out and explore more. Hit up more beaches and ice cream shops and really enjoy the sun going down at 8. But the grass is always greener. I usually dream of Christmas and cozy fires after snow in the summer. But to cheer myself up this week, I decided to make something tropical. I also realized I haven’t used lemon in a recipe in a while, which is one of my very favorite flavors. 

Specifically, I knew I wanted to make a cake. Nothing is more cozy and fun than whipping up a luscious cake batter in the stand mixer and smelling it bake away. Luckily, my mom gifted me a miniature bundt pan for Christmas. A really sturdy metal one. I’ve been so excited to use it, but I was waiting for the right recipe. After my green spinach crepes last week, I wanted to make something pink. Vibrant. Bright in both color and flavor. And I remembered that our neighbor gifted us homemade strawberry jam over the holidays. Made in the summer.

Dreaming of Summer

As I unscrewed the cap I noticed it was marked with a date from last June. I pictured a summery strawberry patch. Farmers markets. And the smell took me right back to June. I was so excited to utilize it. I thought about making Linzer cookies, which I still might do. But I realized I could make a bright pink glaze for my strawberry lemon bundt cake by mixing the jam with a little lemon juice and powdered sugar. I decided to infuse the cake batter with lemon zest and brown butter. 

I’m in a bit of a state of limbo right now waiting for a big project to launch in February. So I’ve been trying to cherish alone time, relaxation, and a lack of responsibilities. But as always, my brain loves having tasks to do. Creative projects. I cleaned a little at the beginning of the week, did laundry, and did some cooking for fun. I also ate the rest of my sourdough focaccia, mentioned in last week’s blog, which came out glorious. I’m going to make it again tomorrow after a couple small tweaks, and I can’t wait to eat it again. My mom is a big fan, too.

A Mini Bundt Cake Pan

So other than feeding my starter, created back in 2021, I’ve been thinking of the future. Anticipating change. And trying to rest. Thursday was a chance to revamp my mental health by reveling in baking. I also made sure to get a walk in to clear my head, and I had some great new TV to watch. When I started my strawberry lemon bundt cake batter, I dug the pan out of a high cabinet that I organized last week. It was nice to see all the pans I’ve collected. Angel food, madeleines, and loaf cakes. The bundt cake pan makes six cakes and is nice and sturdy. 

The key to getting bundt cakes out of the pan, due to the jagged edges that collect batter, is to generously butter then flour the inside. So, I slowed down, listened to some music, and spread softened butter into each cake mold with a paper towel, making sure to leave no nook behind. Then I carefully sifted flour on top of each mold, over the sink, and spent a few minutes rotating and tapping to evenly distribute the flour. Finally I held it flat over the sink and gave it a smack on the back to get rid of the excess. It was perfect.

Lemon Brown Butter Cake

I felt ready to attack the baking process. So I preheated my oven excitedly. I also hoisted my stand mixer onto the open counter to give myself more room. I gathered all my ingredients and took notes as I went. Creating new recipes without a guide is so fun. I know from many experiences of cake making how much oil and butter to use. How much flour to add, and how much sugar to incorporate for a just-sweet-enough flavor. It feels kind of spiritual sometimes, mixing and emulsifying things. Like alchemy. 

I started by making brown butter, which finds its way into almost all of my recipes. I infused lemon juice directly into the hot melted butter, too, to give it more lemon flavor. Some of the water evaporates while it’s browning, anyway. I also mixed some lemon sugar by zesting lemons into about 2/3 cup of white sugar and massaging it in with my fingertips. I sifted my flour with baking soda and powder and added a pinch of salt for flavor. Then I mixed my liquid ingredients. Sour cream, buttermilk, and vegetable oil.  

Whipping Eggs + Lemon Sugar

I start with eggs and sugar. Whipped together on high speed to incorporate air. I learned this a long time ago from my beloved banana bread, based on the recipe from Flour by Joanne Chang. I mixed my two eggs with the lemon sugar and let it whip away for a few minutes. When it was light and fluffy, I turned the mixer down and emulsified in the brown butter. I had a smooth, creamy, yellow batter. And all I had to do to finish was alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients until I had a cake batter. 

I also got a flour chute for my mixer on Christmas, which I’ve always wanted. So I easily poured my flour mixture in with no spillage, about 1/3 of it, then half of my liquid ingredients, another flour batch, the rest of the liquid, and my last flour batch. The mixture became super light, fluffy, and filled with air. Rich and moist from the vegetable oil, butter, sour cream, and buttermilk. Impossibly light but stiff enough to pipe. I thought about using a piping bag to fill each strawberry lemon bundt cake cleanly, but my spatula did the trick.

Strawberry Lemon Glaze

In all honesty, I shouldn’t have filled the molds all the way. But it was a happy accident. When they were baked, the house smelled heavenly (like brown butter lemon cake). I took the pan out of the oven and revealed muffin tops. Golden brown and caramelized on top. Thankfully, when they cooled down, all I had to do was take a flat knife and give it a slice to level them all. And I had delicious cake scraps to eat as a snack. After that was taken care of, I flipped my pan confidently onto my cutting board and they came out immediately.

To turn these into strawberry lemon bundt cakes, I made a strawberry lemon glaze. As I mentioned, I used a hefty spoonful of homemade strawberry jam from summer, which was thick from the pectin. I thinned it out with lemon juice, for flavor, too, and added a pinch of salt. And to make it into a glaze, I added powdered sugar until it was the consistency of royal icing. It was bright pink. Nice and summery, bright, and acidic in flavor, too. When the cakes cooled, I spooned glaze over each, which crowned my yellow cakes with magenta.

Strawberry Leaf Garnish

I improvised the garnish. But I knew I wanted to make something a little artsy. So I used strawberry leaves like basil, which I miss having in my kitchen. I also sliced some strawberries very thinly with a paring knife, which I draped on top. They came out beautiful. The color and flavor spoke for itself. I took some beautiful photos with the bright afternoon light and hurried to take a bite. It almost had the consistency of pudding because the cake is so incredibly moist. It jiggles a little on the plate but is perfectly cooked with a great crumb. 

The lemon flavor shines. From the zest in the cake batter to the lemon juice in the glaze. I even squeezed fresh lemons over the warm cakes when they came out of the oven. The strawberry flavor is beautiful, too, with a sweet and acidic tropical touch that reminded me of summer. This was exactly what I needed to feel a jolt of summer joy. Those gorgeous, long days filled with cold fruit, lounging in the sun, and walks by the ocean. I can’t wait for that time of the year again. But for now, I have these beautiful cakes to devour. 

The Perfect Summery Cake

This recipe is super customizable, too. I wanted to add some lime zest on top but I forgot to buy them. You could use blueberry jam in the summer, too, or concord grapes. I changed the vegetable oil to olive oil in the recipe to give it a rich flavor. I want to make a version with fresh basil, too. I’ll put lime and orange zest in the batter as well. For now I’ll be resting and preparing for spring. Hoping for more sunny days and tangy lemon desserts. 

Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s or art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. 

Print Pin

Strawberry Lemon Bundt Cakes

Tender, moist lemon cake topped with a summery strawberry glaze

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bundt cake, lemon, strawberry

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 2 lemons 4-5 tbsp
• 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 2/3 cup AP flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Cook brown butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until fully melted and browned. Remove from heat and add 2 tbsp lemon juice.
• In a small bowl, mix together white sugar and lemon zest, massaging zest into the sugar with your fingerprints until the whole mixture is yellow and fragrant.
• Add eggs and lemon sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment. Whip on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
• On low speed, slowly stream in the melted brown butter until emulsified.
• Combine buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and olive oil in a pyrex measuring cup or a bowl with a pouring spout.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Measure and sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.
• Turn off mixer and switch the beater attachment to the paddle attachment. Alternate adding your dry ingredients (1/3 at a time) with wet ingredients (1/2 at a time).
• Butter and flour a metal miniature bundt cake pan and pat out excess flour. Spoon batter evenly into bundt ban molds, filling 3/4 of the way.
• Bake for 40 – 50 minutes until cakes spring back when touched. Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes until warm.
• Place a large tray or cutting board over the pan and flip over carefully to de-mold the cakes. Let cool fully.
• To make glaze, mix your favorite strawberry preserves (or fruit puree of your choice) with 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Then add a pinch of salt and 1-2 cups powdered sugar until the glaze is nice and thick but still pourable.
• Cover cakes generously and top with strawberry slices and fresh herbs or flowers.

Notes

• You can use any fruit zest and juice in place of lemon if you prefer (grapefruit, orange, lime, etc.)
• If making your own fruit puree, simply place a bunch of grapes / blueberries / raspberries into a blender with a couple spoonfuls of water and blend until smooth, straining out the seeds.