Roasted Strawberry Pound Cake
 
MAKES 1 (18-CUP) CAKE
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
  • 3½ cups sugar, divided
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
  • 2½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 4 to 5 drops pink gel food coloring (optional)
  • Roasted Strawberry Glaze (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. In a 13x9-inch baking dish, stir together strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt until well combined.
  3. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until berries are very fork-tender and have released ample juices and juices are thick, 40 to 50 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer strawberries and juices to a large fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Reserve any juice that drains into bowl for Roasted Strawberry Glaze. Let strawberries cool to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and remaining 3¼ cups sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
  5. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and remaining 2¼ teaspoons salt. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, food coloring (if using), and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold in roasted strawberries.
  6. Spray an 18-cup tube pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Forcefully tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter several times to settle batter and release as many air bubbles as possible.
  7. Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean and an instant-read thermometer inserted near center registers 205°, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes, rotating pan after 40 minutes of baking and loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet. Let cool completely.
  8. Spoon Roasted Strawberry Glaze onto cooled cake. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/roasted-strawberry-pound-cake/