Mother's Day Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake

My mother was an extraordinary woman!  She raised eight children and supported my father through his naval career with almost 50 years of marriage before a brain tumor took her from us.  I learned so much from her and know I owe everything I've achieved in my life is because of the self-esteem she instilled in me. 

My love of baking is to her credit too and when I got married, we baked together for family functions, including some weddings and my grandparent's 50th anniversary.  I chose to do the pound cake we made so many times, but added the twist of a strawberry swirl.  This recipe makes 18 cups of batter, which was advantageous when baking layers, but I found that even my largest 12-cup Bundt pan wouldn't have held it all.  So, I made six mini bundts and gave some to my movie buddy--Betty.

She not only taught me how to bake, but she showed me that being a mother was the greatest job I would ever have.  This poem I found, while sifting through items to prepare for a move, was one I wrote down when I was newly married.  I don't know who wrote it and nothing came up on google, but it is one that I hold dear to my heart.

I Remember

I remember when I could read an entire

chapter, some days even an entire book

at one sitting

without interruptions.

I remember when I could work

for hours at a time in my study,

the hours were dependent on me,

not on a nap.

I remember when I knew no one

with children

and had no idea what 2T meant.

And I remember when

no one called me Mommy

and when

no little arms wrapped themselves

around my neck,

no little kisses or hugs were mine.

And I prefer today.

One of my dearest friends, Marcia Powell, drew this for me after Kelly passed away 

Strawberry Swirl Pound Cake

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Cut into cubes to soften more quickly

2 3/4 cup sugar

10 large eggs

3 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. Almond extract

4 cups Queen Guinevere Cake Flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Strawberry Puree

2 cups strawberries, pureed in a processor

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

Prepare the berries and place in a small sauce pan.  Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and stir into the strawberries. Heat on medium, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.  Pour into a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill while you make up the cake.

 Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with a Flour/Oil baking spray generously.  Do the same to a mini bundt pan (or 6-cup muffin pan).

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly, scrapping down the sides as needed with a rubber spatula.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides as needed while adding the eggs.  Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat once more.

Sift the dry ingredients and add to the batter, one-third at a time.  After all the dry ingredients have been added, beat one minute more.

 I use a large scoop to measure my batter into the prepared Bundt pan.

Use an off-set spatula to spread, then add some of the strawberry puree, about 1/3 cup.  Cover with a little more batter, then more puree, ending in a little more batter to come up two-thirds of the way up in the pan. Use a knife to swirl the puree through the batter.

Use the remaining batter, divided equally among the mini bundt pan or cupcake pan, adding about a tablespoon of puree to it and swirling with a knife.

Bake the mini bundts about 23 to 35 minutes then remove from the oven and allow to cool about 5 - 7 minutes before inverting them onto a parchment lined rack.

Make a simple glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 T Light Karo syrup

1-2 T hot water

Pour over the mini bundts.

Bake the pound cake another 43 to 45 minutes more, or until a wooden skewer poked in the middle of the cake, comes out cleanly.

Remove from the oven and cool 7 to 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter.  Make up more glaze and pour over the cake.

We love the simplicity of pound cake and the addition of a strawberry swirl reminded me of the times my mother and I would go strawberry picking to make jam together.  

This is a hard day for me, but I'm filled with so many beautiful memories and I'm thankful I have friends to share them with.  I'm wishing you all a wonderful Mother's Day--Enjoy!

BTW: I did cut out the apron for May, but a Skype call with my grandson took precedent; it will be up tomorrow...promise, XOXO