Glazed Strawberry Milk Pound Cake

This strawberry milk loaf cake has the softest, most tender crumb and a subtle berry sweetness! The batter comes together with actual strawberry milk — the kind you’d find at Korean or Japanese grocery stores, like Binggrae, which gives the cake a cute pale pink colour and a gentle strawberry flavour.

The texture here is what makes it. Creaming softened butter with sugar creates tiny air pockets that expand in the oven, so you get a cake that’s light and springy without being dry. The strawberry milk adds moisture and a hint of tang that keeps each slice from feeling too sweet, even with the glaze on top.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

• Soft, tender crumb – creaming the butter properly creates a light, springy texture that’s more delicate than your average quick cake.
• Subtle strawberry flavour with natural pink colour – the strawberry milk gives you a gentle berry sweetness and pale pink crumb without artificial flavouring or food dye.
• Simple ingredient list – everything comes from the grocery store, and if you’ve stocked up on strawberry milk from the Asian market, you’re halfway there.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter, softened
• Granulated sugar
• Large eggs
• Binggrae Strawberry milk
• Powdered sugar

Equipment

• 9×5 inch loaf pan
• Parchment paper or butter for greasing
• 2 mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
• Whisk
• Electric mixer (hand or stand)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Rubber spatula
• Cake tester or toothpick
• Cooling rack
• Small bowl for glaze

Tips for making strawberry milk loaf cake

• Use actual strawberry milk, not a substitute — Binggrae strawberry milk (sold at Korean and Japanese grocery stores, sometimes Walmart) has the best flavour and gives you that natural pink colour. Nesquik strawberry milk works in a pinch, but it’s sweeter and the colour leans more artificial. If you can’t find strawberry milk at all, use regular milk and stir in a tablespoon of strawberry jam, though the crumb won’t be as evenly pink.
• Soften your butter properly — It should be soft enough to dent with your finger but still hold its shape. If it’s too cold, it won’t cream properly and you’ll end up with a dense cake. If it’s melted or too warm, the batter won’t hold air and the texture suffers.
• Don’t overmix once the flour goes in — Mix just until you don’t see any streaks. Overworking the batter develops gluten, which makes the cake tough instead of tender.
• Check for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick — Insert it into the centre of the loaf. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If you see wet batter, give it another 5 minutes and check again.
• Let the cake cool completely before glazing — If it’s even slightly warm, the glaze will melt and soak into the cake instead of setting on top. Wait the full 30 minutes on the cooling rack.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use regular milk instead of strawberry milk? Yes, but you’ll lose the pink colour and subtle strawberry flavour that makes this cake what it is. If you go this route, stir a tablespoon of strawberry jam into the batter to get some of that berry flavour back, though the crumb won’t be as evenly tinted and the texture might be slightly denser.

How do I store strawberry milk loaf cake? Keep it covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. The glaze will stay set, but the cake itself is best within the first two days when the crumb is at its softest. If you need to store it longer, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a week — just let it come to room temperature before serving.

Can I freeze this cake? Yes. Wrap the unglazed cake tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours, then make the glaze fresh and drizzle it over the top.

Why did my cake turn out dense instead of fluffy? The most common culprit is under-creaming the butter and sugar, or using butter that wasn’t properly softened. You need those 2 to 3 minutes of creaming to build air into the batter. Overmixing after adding the flour can also make the cake tough, so mix just until the streaks disappear.

This strawberry milk cake is soft, faintly pink, and tastes like the strawberry milk you used to drink as a kid. The glaze sets just enough to stay put but still has a slight sheen. Slice it thick and serve it with coffee or tea.

Happy baking!

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