This gorgeous rose scented bundt cake is dotted with fresh strawberries and covered with a simple lemon glaze. Serve with tea or a glass of bubbly!
This weekend, while out on a family walk, I came across the most gorgeous punnets of strawberries at a local grocer. They were so perfectly formed, so gorgeously vibrant, that I lost my head and bought the entire tray. When I arrived home I realised this was lunacy – strawberries don’t last that long and I had to find ways to use them FAST. I made a massive batch of strawberry jam, feasted on a few, made some strawberry Moscow mules, and still had plenty left! You see how I was simply forced to bake a cake right? 😉
It has been ages since I baked a bundt cake, so I decided to adapt a favourite Martha Stewart recipe to include some of my strawberry bounty. And since I also happened to have lots of fresh roses about and so I added a little rose water in as well. If rose water is not to your taste, you can leave it out or replace with lemon extract. The cake itself is very simple to make. Just please make sure you properly grease your bundt tin with vegetable shortening – not butter – as even the best quality tin has a tendency to hold on to parts of your cake. Serve with a cup of tea or a glass of bubbly.
- 230g | 2 sticks | 1 cup soft unsalted butter
- 200g | 7oz | granulated sugar
- 150g | 10½ oz | 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp rose water (less if it is very strong - I used Steenbergs)
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 400g | 14oz | 2½ cups self-raising flour (or see notes)
- 250g | 1 cup sour cream
- 250 | 8oz fresh (small) strawberries halved + 1 tbsp flour
- For the glaze
- 250g | 8oz icing sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- water to thin glaze
- To decorate
- fresh strawberries
- freeze-dried strawberry powder (optional)
- vegetable shortening + flour for the tin
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and place a rack near the bottom shelf.
- Carefully grease a 12-cup bundt tin with vegetable shortening and dust with flour shaking out any excess. Make sure every spot is covered otherwise your cake will stick.
- Whisk the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy using a stand mixer. This will take up to 5 minutes - make sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well between each addition.
- Mix in the rose water, vanilla and lemon zest.
- Add the flour in three batches, alternating with two batches of the sour cream. Mix on low speed with each addition until just combined.
- Toss the strawberries with the flour and carefully fold into the batter.
- Pour into the prepared tin and level.
- Bake for 75 minutes or until the cake is sprigy to the touch, coming away from the sides of the tin and a cake tester comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully turn out onto a cooling rack.
- Once the cake is completely cool, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice and enough water until you have a thick, just pourable, glaze.
- Pour the glaze over the cake (make sure you have a tray underneath to catch any drips) and decorate with fresh strawberries and a dusting of freeze-dried strawberry powder.
Replace the strawberries with fresh blueberries if you prefer but leave out the rose water.
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Beautiful Lucy. I just love the strawberry season xx
This is so gorgeous. Rose scented cake, I would just indulge in it. Lovely pictures too.
This looks so fresh and awesome for an afternoon tea! Your presentation is flawless, love it.
Thanks Linda – it did turn out pretty 🙂
I adore bundt cakes and this one looks absolutely stunning! It’s interesting that you use vegetable shortening to grease your tin – I might have to try that. Otherwise, I religiously spray my bundt tins with non-stick baking spray AND I also flour the tin. I am always so relieved when my cakes slip out easily of their bundt tins!
I find it works better than butter. But leaving the cake in the tin for too long after it cools can also have an adverse effect!
The strawberry season has started here too. Will make this cake once we go strawberry picking with the kids. Love the pictures!
Thanks Natalia – I ended up making so many strawberry recipes from that one impulse buy!
That is one pretty bundt cake lucy. I love it! Can’t wait for strawberry season to start properly here in Scotland.
This looks gorgeous Lucy! I always look at your food in awe and wonder at how you make it look so stunning. One of these days I will attempt one of your recipes and see if I can recreate one successfully!
Well that cake was rather photogenic! But thank you you are making me blush 🙂