Strawberry season is among us. We live close to a strawberry farm, which means every year I have an abundance of strawberries. I found myself trying to finish up strawberries left in the refrigerator that my family was no longer interested in. You know the ones; they lose their crisp and begin to get soft spots. I began hunting fresh strawberry recipes. In my hunt I discovered New York Times’ Strawberry Bundt Cake recipe, challenge accepted!

I chose this recipe over others due to it using fresh strawberries, and who doesn’t love a good bundt cake? Plus, it was unlike any recipe I’ve tried before, and I love a challenge. The first hurdle that was thrown to me was ingredient substitution. Of course, I was missing that ONE ingredient. And no, I was not going to the store to get it.

This delicious Strawberry Bundt Cake Recipe Review is perfect for spring. Find out how it turned out for me. www.bakingwithbullets.com

What I did Different

The one substitution I had to make was for whole-milk yogurt, that is not something I keep on hand. Instead, I keep non-fat greek yogurt, needless to say my substitution was quite obvious.

In addition to my ingredient substitution, I also changed my bakeware of choice. I opted to bake my one Strawberry Bundt Cake in 5 mini silicone bundt pans to make mini bundt cakes. Mini cakes are easy to freeze, they make excellent gifts, and obviously a delight to eat.

When preparing my bundt cake pans for my cake batter, I chose NOT to butter and flour my pans (that takes more patience than I have some days). Instead, I decided nonstick PAM spray would do just the trick, and it was a success. When removing the cakes from the pans I did not have one cake stick.

Considering I am now baking 5 small cakes compared to one big one, I also had to change the length of baking time. I was worried about overflow of cake batter in the oven since my pans are smaller. To solve this challenge I placed all 5 mini bundts on a rimmed cookie sheet before placing them in the oven, then baked to perfection in about 50 minutes.

What I Would Change

First, I would change the name of the recipe. I would call this recipe Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake. The taste of citrus comes out in the glaze and couples perfectly with the fluffy strawberry lemon cake. The first bite brought my senses back to summers as a child drinking a glass of pink lemonade.

In addition, I would permanently change my ingredient substitution. The texture and taste of the cakes were divine, I notice no notable differences using the non-fat greek yogurt instead of the whole-milk. Hey, and a girl that likes to bake needs to be cutting back calories wherever she can.

The final change I would strongly encourage if you want a successful cake(s). When changing size and/or materials of the baking pan there will be an adjustment in baking time. What I typically do is cut 20-10 minutes off the bake time for my initial check and I use the toothpick test (the cake is done when toothpick is inserted in the middle and comes out clean). You can always place your cake(s) back in the oven to cook longer, but you can’t un-cook a cake.

What I Liked

My eye was initially drawn to this recipe because of the fresh strawberries. I like the flavor and texture of baking with fresh strawberries, plus I was looking for a way to get rid of a few. The pairing of the lemon strawberry glaze with the moist strawberry bundt cake is divine. This dessert will be a hit at any spring or summer event.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this recipe is one I will look forward to making each summer to come. However, I will be more likely to substitute whole-milk yogurt for non-fat plain greek yogurt in future recipes. In addition I will also be saving this recipe in my recipe book under Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake. That name is much more intriguing, don’t you think?

Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake

Print Recipe

Prep Time:45

Cook Time:1 10

Ingredients

For The Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter softened, plus more for greasing pan
3 cups all purpose flour plus more for pan
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest zest from about 1 lemon
3 large eggs room temperature
1 1/4 cup whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 3/4 cups fresh strawberries hulled and chopped into 1/2 – inch pieces

For The Glaze

1/4 cup strawberries
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 – 3 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees. Carefully butter and flour a 16-cup Bundt pan, making sure to get in all of the cracks and crevices.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar until combined. Add lemon zest, and then cream the mixture until light and fluffy on medium-high speed, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. Add the yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla, and stir on medium speed to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary to incorporate all the ingredients. The mixture may curdle a bit, but don’t worry too much about it.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low until almost completely combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape and fold any excess flour into the batter, and scoop out roughly 1/2 cup/100 grams of batter. Drop tablespoons of batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, and smooth into the bottom of the pan. (This batter will prevent the strawberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan and sticking.) Add the chopped strawberries to the remaining batter in the bowl and gently fold in until the strawberries are evenly distributed. The batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter evenly into the pan, smooth the top and tap the pan firmly on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles. Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (a few small crumbs are O.K.), about 70 minutes. Cool the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cool, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash the reserved 1/4 cup/40 grams of strawberries. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. The glaze should be thick but just pourable. If it seems thin, add a bit more confectioners' sugar; if it is too thick to stir, add a bit more lemon juice. Pour the glaze evenly over the cake (you can glaze it over a rack if you prefer to let the excess glaze drip off), let it set for a few minutes and serve. Once the glaze has dried completely, refrigerate any leftover cake, loosely draped with plastic wrap.