Healthy Strawberry Pound Cake
This pound cake is supremely moist and tender with rich vanilla notes and lots of sweet, juicy strawberries. It’s a lovely dessert for spring and summer — or any time you’re craving cake! Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- 2 tbsp (30g) confectioners’ style erythritol
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (240mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 ½ cups (210g) whole fresh Red Blossom strawberries, diced
FOR THE DRIZZLE
- 3 tbsp (45g) confectioners’ style erythritol
- 2 ½ - 3 tsp nonfat milk (or adjusted to achieve the desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the erythritol. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in ½ cup of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the strawberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring the pound cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake has fully cooled and just before serving it, prepare the drizzle by stirring together the erythritol and milk in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a small zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle on top of the cooled cake.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cake and give it a crumbly texture, instead of yielding a really moist and tender texture.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a hand-held mixer or stand mixer to make the batter. This will result in a dense or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, although the cake will be slightly less tender and have a subtle wheat-y flavor.
EGG WHITES NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The cake requires 3 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the cake maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without all 3 egg whites, the cake will collapse while cooling and turn out denser.
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 3 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: For a sweeter pound cake, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ½ to 1 teaspoon.
Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)
However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) granulated sugar AND reduce the milk to ½ cup (120mL), but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to ½ cup (120mL) to keep the cake clean eating friendly, but it will be much darker in color. You may also substitute 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave AND omit the milk. The baking time may vary with any of these substitutions (especially with the maple syrup, honey, or agave option!).
ERYTHRITOL NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I buy my confectioners’ style erythritol online here. If you prefer not to use it in the cake, then substitute coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar instead. (You can also substitute granulated sucralose for a different no-calorie sweetener.)
If you prefer not to use erythritol in the drizzle, then substitute regular powdered sugar — but start with just 1 teaspoon of milk instead because regular powdered sugar is much less absorbent.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
STRAWBERRIES NOTE: Dice the strawberries so they’re no larger than the size of chocolate chips! This ensures your pound cake bakes evenly and you get a piece of fruit in every bite.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 ½ cups (180g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: This cake is best if eaten the same day it’s drizzled, but leftover cake may be stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic wrap (I love this one because it seals more tightly than other brands!) or inside of an airtight container. It should keep for at least four days, if not a week or longer.
When refrigerating leftover slices of already drizzled cake, the drizzle will turn brittle and crack if made with erythritol, or it will dissolve into the cake if made with powdered sugar. Neither will affect the flavor — only the appearance!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.