I owe this recipe to my mother, Grace Bell. When I was a child, she taught me how to make her caramel pound cake, and throughout the years I’ve adapted it numerous times to make it my own. This version is bright, sweet, and a little floral thanks to lots of lemon, elderflower liqueur, and roasted strawberries—a more delicious preparation of the out-of-season berries that are a Valentine’s Day staple. —Danielle Bell, recipe developer and cofounder of de Porres Dinner Series
What you’ll need
Stand Mixer
$400 $380 At Amazon
Electric Mixer
$50 At Amazon
Loaf Pan
$23 $21 At Amazon
8x8" Baking Dish
$23 $19 At Amazon
Ateco Bowl Scraper
$8 At Amazon
Small Saucepan
$160 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$17 At Bon Appétit Market
Recipe information
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Strawberries
Cake
Glaze and assembly
Preparation
Strawberries
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 250°. Place strawberries in an 8x8" baking dish and toss with sugar and St-Germain. Roast, stirring every hour or so, until juicy and tender, 2½–3 hours. Let cool.
Do Ahead: Strawberries can be roasted 1 week ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill. Reheat in a small saucepan if desired.
Cake
Step 2
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Butter and flour a 6-cup Bundt pan or 9x5" loaf pan. Whisk baking powder, salt, and 1½ cups flour in a medium bowl.
Step 3
Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, St-Germain, lemon zest, vanilla, and ¾ cup butter in a large bowl on medium-low speed until smooth and combined (use the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), about 2 minutes (the mixture will look broken and that’s okay). Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in dry ingredients, ¼ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed, until combined. Increase speed to medium and beat in cream until incorporated.
Step 4
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth surface. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, 40–45 minutes if using Bundt pan or 50–60 if using loaf pan. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 20 minutes.
Glaze and Assembly
Step 5
While the cake cools, cook butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling often, until butter foams, then browns (do not burn) and smells nutty, 6–8 minutes. Add sugar and cook, whisking constantly, until dissolved, about 1 minute. Whisk in lemon juice and salt; cook, swirling occasionally, until mixture is reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add St-Germain and vanilla and cook, swirling often, until glaze is syrupy, about 2 minutes.
Step 6
Turn out cake onto a plate (flip cake upright if using a loaf pan). Poke holes all over cake with tester; spoon glaze over warm cake. Cut cake into slices and serve topped with roasted strawberries and their juices.
