High Altitude Strawberry Bundt Cake
Moist and fluffy vanilla strawberry bundt cake flecked with freeze dried strawberries, drizzled with a sweet, pink strawberry icing.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 1 oz freeze dried strawberries (about 3/4 cup), chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp freeze dried strawberries, finely crushed
- 2 tsp meringue powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ - 3 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Thoroughly grease your bundt pan (see notes about bundt pan sizes) with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 7 minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally, until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each for about 30 seconds before adding the next, until the batter is smooth and well combined. Add the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium, and mix for 15 seconds.
- Add the chopped freeze dried strawberries to the batter and use a spatula to fold them in, scraping up the batter from the bottom of the bowl to ensure it's evenly mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool the cake in the pan for exactly 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack, remove the pan, and cool for 30 minutes before icing.
Icing
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, crushed freeze dried strawberries and meringue powder. Add the vanilla and milk, and stir until smooth and drizzly.
- Spoon the icing over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. The icing will set in about 30 minutes.
Notes
Notes on Bundt Pans:
I used the Nordic Ware Elegant Party Bundt Pan, which has a 10-cup capacity, but this is a smaller cake recipe that doesn't completely fill the pan. A 6-cup bundt pan such as the Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan will also work.
You may also bake the batter in a standard 9x5 loaf pan, but I have not tested the bake time for a loaf cake.
For a larger 12-cup bundt pan, you can double the cake recipe. I have not tested the bake time for a larger bundt cake, but it will likely take between 40-50 minutes.
Storing:
Store the leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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