Copycat Starbucks Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake is so easy to make from scratch and is topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. Raspberry and Lemon batters are swirled together to make a perfect summer treat!
Copycat Starbucks Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake is a great summer dessert. A simple pound cake with a raspberry swirl made completely from scratch. No need to use a cake mix for this pound cake! It’s so easy and fast to make and you probably have all the ingredients already in your pantry.
I got the idea for this cake from Starbucks. Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake is one of their summer menu treats! My homemade version saves you quite a few bucks and might taste even better than the original. Don’t get me wrong I love to go to Starbucks but every time I go there I spend way too much money. By making this pound cake at home you can have it whenever you want!
What is a pound cake?
The name says it all. Traditionally 1 pound of butter, flour, eggs, and sugar was used to make this cake. The texture of this raspberry pound cake is a bit lighter than an old fashioned pound cake. I love the flavor combo of this cake, raspberry, lemon, vanilla, and tangy cream cheese. The cream cheese frosting really is the icing on this cake! So delicious!
Tips and Tricks for making this Copycat Starbucks Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake
- I always make this cake from scratch because it is so easy and fast but nothing against taking a shortcut and using a package of cake mix. Make the batter according to package instructions then divide it and add lemon juice to one batter and raspberry jam to the other.
- I sometimes but not always add a few drops of food color to the raspberry jam batter. The color of the batter depends on the raspberry jam you are using and some are not as pink as others. You really don’t need to add food color to your cake it will be pretty without it but if you want the raspberry swirl to be really pink I recommend adding 2 or 3 drops of gel color. I linked to the brand I use above the recipe.
- Don’t swirl the batters too much together! You want a bit of a swirl but you also want the colors to be defined. Watch the video below to see how I do it!
- Pound Cakes are denser than other cakes because of the amount of butter and the little amount of baking powder so this cake takes 1 hour or more in the oven. Test with a skewer after about 55 minutes if your cake is done.
- Instead of seedless raspberry jam, you could also use the same amount of strawberry or cherry jelly or jam.
Looking for more Cake Recipes?
- Easy Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Easy Cherry Cake Recipe
- Homemade Strawberry Cake Recipe
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Easy Lemon Cream Pie Recipe
Tools used for making this Copycat Starbucks Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake
Loaf Pan: I can recommend all the baking pans from this brand! They’re super easy to clean and cakes bake evenly.
Seedless Raspberry Jam: This is my favorite jam! For this recipe, you should use a seedless jam or jelly.
Gel Food Color: I love these gel colors! They are tasteless and you only need a few drops to get really great results. Most of the time I don’t add food color to this cake but sometimes I want it to be extra pretty.
Stand Mixer: My most used kitchen appliance and it’s so pretty it can sit on the counter as decoration!
Want to try this Raspberry Bread Recipe?
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Copycat Starbucks Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup seedless raspberry fruit spread
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (or 180C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper to make lifting out the cake easier. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar together at medium speed until pale and fluffy about 4 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat well for about 30 seconds after adding each egg. Add salt, vanilla extract, and sour cream.
- In a small bowl combine flour and baking powder. With the stand mixer running on low add 1 cup of the flour mixture, beat for 30 seconds. Then add the second cup and beat for 30 seconds.
- Transfer 1/3 of the batter into another bowl. Add the raspberry jam and beat until combined. Add 2-3 drops of gel food color if desired.
- Add the lemon juice to the other dough and beat until combined.
- Add a layer of white batter to your loaf pan. Then alternate between pink and white dough. Use a knife to swirl the doughs together but don't overdo it or you will end up without a marble effect.
- Bake for 60-65 min or until a skewer inserted in center of the pound cake comes out clean with only a few crumbs attached. If your pound cake browns too quickly cover it with aluminum foil.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then lift it out of the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.
- To make the icing: Beat the cream cheese for about 20 seconds on medium speed until softened. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake and serve! Store leftovers in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
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Tara says
I made this darling pound cake for my mom’s birthday since our family isn’t into traditional birthday cake. This was so pretty that I couldn’t resist trying a piece before the party and it’s perfect! This will be my new go to dessert recipe. It’s not too sweet and it’s simple. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Peggy Mackness says
I want to print, but you don’t allow !!! WHY?
Julia Foerster says
Sorry, Peggy, I’m not sure why you had problems, you can easily print my recipes using the print button in the recipe card. The printer-friendly version opens in a new window. Hope this helps!
Sue says
Absolutely a wonderful recipe, I will pass it on to my daughters.
Olivia says
Hello! I made this recipe last night and the cake fell so that it’s a little flat and rubbery and greasy. I am an experienced baker and haven’t had this happen with pound cake before. Any ideas?!
Thank you!!
Julia Foerster says
This definitely doesn’t sound right. Are you sure you followed the recipe? The butter and sugar need to be really fluffy and airy. Is your baking powder fresh? This cake should definitely not be rubbery and greasy.
Laura Besler says
Can I use a bundt pan? Would I need to double the recipe if so?
Julia says
Sorry, I have never made this recipe in a bundt pan so I’m not sure.
Sarah says
Hi, this looks delicious. I need to do this dairy free so I’ll try it with plant based margerine instead. Can you please tell me if you can substitute the sour cream with something else? Thanks
Sundus Khan says
I tried this wonderful recipe yesterday. It turned out great. I also made a swirl on the frosting which looked amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
Josee Marchessault says
Hello, if I wanted to make this cake in a square pan would I use 8X8 pan?
Julia says
I have never made it in another pan so I’m not sure but I think an 8×8 pan would work. It will be flatter and the baking time might be shorter so keep an eye on it and check for doneness frequently. – Julia
Jan Drabek says
No video – where is it?
Julia says
Good question, let me fix that real quick! Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Myra says
Has anyone tried cutting the sugar back?
Sandy says
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!! Love love this recipe!
DD says
Excellent pound Cake! Love this recipe!
Anisa says
Could you use other flavour spread? Also, do you think a Nutella version would work out? Just curious, I have one child who would love a strawberry version and another who would love a chocolate version. Thank you x
Julia says
Yes, you can definitely use other spreads! I haven’t tried it with Nutella but I think it would work, too. – Julia
Amy says
This pound cake looks heavenly to me. Who needs a starbuck cake when you can make it at home right? Thanks for the recipe Julia!
Julia says
Thank you for your lovely comment, Amy! It’s super easy to make. No need to leave the house if you can have your Starbucks cake at home :-)
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I love things made completely by scratch and I agree….no need to add extra color! This pound cake looks super delicious to me!
Julia says
Thank you, Kathy!