Hey guys! I’ve got a twist on the classic pound cake for you today, and it’s got all the flavs of your childhood ice cream parties. This is a simple pound cake recipe with chocolate mixed into part, and powdered freeze-dried strawberries mixed into another part.
Pound cake has always been a tough one at high-altitude. With such a long bake time, it’s easy for the top to get a little too brown, so don’t be afraid to cover it gently with foil if it starts getting too brown- that’s okay! This is a pretty simple cake, so let’s get to it!
How to Make Neapolitan Pound Cake
We’re starting by making the basic pound cake batter. First, prep your loaf pan. I like to generously spray it with baking spray, and then sprinkle all the inside surfaces with a bit of coarse sugar. This helps create a sugary, thick crust that I think is perfect for pound cake.
We’re using a typical mixing method, so you want to start by stirring together your dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, and salt- and setting those aside. Then, in a large bowl, we’re beating together the butter and sugar until fluffy, and then adding the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time, along with the milk. Finally, beat in the dry mixture until just combined.
Divide the batter into three fairly equal bowls. In one, stir in 1/4 cup of powdered freeze dried strawberries, and a couple drops of red food coloring if desired. In another, stir in a paste made from cocoa powder and boiling water. It’ll all look something like this:
Then, we’re dolloping around each flavor throughout the cake pan until all the batter has been added, and looks like this:
And finally, give it a big swirl with a butter knife, and sprinkle the top with more coarse sugar. Off to the oven for a bake!
Tips & Troubleshooting Your Pound Cake
Pound cake can be a bit tricky, so here’s some important and helpful tips and frequently asked questions!
- Where can I get the freeze dried powdered strawberries? So I actually buy whole freeze dried strawberries and then blend them into a powder in a spice grinder or a small food processor. I find them in the snack section of my grocery store!
- My cake is taking forever to bake! This is a common high-altitude issue, but not to worry! If your cake takes a bit longer than expected, or if the top starts to brown too much, tent it with foil and finish baking until a cake tester comes out clean.
- This batter is really thick That’s common for pound cake recipes. So you’ll want two spoons to dollop in the batter as you layer it into the pan!
- Don’t over-mix! I know this is a common thing for cakes, but with this one since we are mixing in other add-ins to the batter, you want to beat together the base batter until it is just combined, and no further.
- I don’t have coarse sugar. That’s okay- you can switch to just regular granulated sugar here as well!
Hope you guys enjoy this recipe, it’s such a great combo of flavors!
Neapolitan Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberry powder
- 3 tbs. dark cocoa powder
- 3 tbs. boiling water
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar
Instructions
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Generous grease a loaf pan, and sprinkle all the inside edges with a little over half of the coarse sugar. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
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In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract, and the eggs one at a time, along with the milk. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until combined, taking care to not over-mix.
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Divide the batter evenly into three bowls. Stir in the freeze dried strawberry powder* into one bowl of batter. Stir together the cocoa powder and boiling water until it forms a paste, and stir that into a second bowl of batter. Leave the third batter plain/vanilla.
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Dollop each of the three flavors of batter to your prepared pan, layering in alternating dollops. Then, use a butter knife to gently swirl the batter, being sure to reach all the way to the bottom of your pan. Generously sprinkle the remaining coarse sugar over the top.
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Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. If the top of your loaf starts to get too brown, tent with foil and finish baking. Cool completely before slicing and serving!
Recipe Notes
*Make your freeze dried strawberry powder by blended freeze dried strawberries in a spice grinder or small food processor until they become a fine powder. Measure after blending.
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
A very nice recipe. The flavors were distinct from one another as were the colors.