This pound cake is supremely moist and tender with indulgent 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 five days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serves 12.

Recipe by Amy’s Healthy Baking.

INGREDIENTS

for the cake:

2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly; see Notes!)
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 get the desired consistency)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9×5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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:

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. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured correctly (see below!).

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 distinct wheat-y flavor.

Remember to measure the flour correctly, using the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale. Too much flour will make your cake dry, instead of moist and tender.

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 much denser.

If you 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!).

Coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol in the cake.

Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

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.

Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in a dense or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

Regular powdered sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol in the drizzle, but start with 1 teaspoon of milk instead because regular powdered sugar is much less absorbent.