Starbucks Copycat – Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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I defy you to saunter into Starbucks and not drool over the carb counter. I dare you. That’s a bet I’m not willing to make because I’m a sucker. S to the Ucker. Like the lemon loaf – so good, feels so right – kinda like that favorite pair of jeans you have that feel awesome, despite the fact that they’re totally mom-jean-esque CK’s you bought at Costco and you should be abhorently embarassed by them, but you wear them anyway…Uhh… Moving on. Well now they have their new Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake with cream cheese frosting slathered on top, thick as Henry Cavill’s Superman ‘do that I want to run my fingers through (yup, I just officially came off as creepy). If this pound cake had a butt-chin like Henry Cavill, I’d probably marry it.
*wipes frosting from face* A whole lot just happened here. Moving on.
I am in need of a Starbucks Anonymous group – because I have had a three slices in the last week and a half. It’s stupid. Ridiculously, fat pants be damned, kind of stupid. And then I went and made it myself – even worse!
Hello, I’m Megan. It’s been .38 days since my last Raspberry Swirl Loaf.
All together now — *Hi, Megan.*
What finally got my gumption up to make one of these one my own was Julie’s Copy Cat Lemon Loaf from eons ago. I’ve been pining over it for one year, three months and five days, and willing myself not to make it because I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! I wouldn’t be able to stop. I made two loaves of this – For Science! – since my first Raspberry loaf encounter at Starbucks and now it’s a legit sickness.
This is beyond easy – which makes it all the more dangerous to know how to make. And heck, go all Henry Ford on this and make an assembly line of Raspberry Loaves and you too can sell this for $2.95 a slice. Entreprenuership at it’s FINEST!!
Slap a Made with Love sticker on it and you could even bump it up to Three Fitty! Just helping you out here… Or not.


Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 loaf – 8 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
A quick, make your own Starbucks Copycat recipe
Ingredients
For Raspberry Pound Cake:
- 15 Tbsp Butter, softened
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2–1 tsp Raspberry Extract (Optional – adds flavor if raspberries aren’t ripe enough)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
- 1 1/2 cup Cake Flour
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 cup Raspberries
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/4 cup Butter, softened
- 1/4 Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
For Pound Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- With a mesh strainer over a small bowl, use a spatula to push and mash the raspberries through the strainer. The seeds and pith will be left behind and the raspberry juice will be in the bowl. Set aside the raspberry juice and discard the seeds. Or, you can mascerate the berries in a small saucepan and bring them to a simmer, following the same instructions to press them through the strainer or sieve to remove the seeds and pith. If you follow the second method, allow the raspberry juice to cool before mixing it into the milk and eggs otherwise it may curdle the eggs.
- In bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and raspberry extract (not the juice prepared above), vanilla and almond extract. (*note* Raspberry extract is optional if raspberries are not available or very ripe – just adds touch of flavor). Set aside.
- Sift together flour, sugar and baking powder into the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit mixer with paddle attachment, and turn on low.
- Add in softened butter and mix on low until the flour/butter mixture has combined. It doesn’t have to be completely smooth, but just make sure majority of flour and butter has been mixed together.
- Slowly pour in eggs/milk mixture into the stand mixer in a steady stream. Continue to beat on low or medium-low until thoroughly mixed.
- Remove stand mixer bowl from mixer and pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the batter into a separate bowl. Into the batter, stir in the raspberry juice you prepared earlier through the strainer or sieve.
- Alternate pouring the batters into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the batters with a spoon between each addition.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let rest in loaf pan for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack, then turn out of pan and allow to complete cooling.
For Frosting:
- With a mixer, beat together softened butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Slowly add in powdered sugar and combine until smooth.
- Spread over the top of the cooled pound cake. Let rest, slice and serve.
Notes
Adapted from Julie Wampler’s (Table for Two Blog) Lemon Pound Cake
Great recipe! I loooove this cake at Starbucks. Can’t wait to try it at home 🙂
haha!! i love that you wrote “Julie Wampler” …it’s still so weird to see it that way. i gotta legally change it before september cause i booked plane tix under “julie chiou wampler” …ohhh how i LOVE their raspberry swirl pound cake. i tried to make it with the same base recipe but my raspberries turned black and it was a huge fail. love that you succeeded!! see you in two days my love! xoxo
I love this raspberry swirl pound cake!! I cant wait to try it!
This cake sounds dangerously good – love those swirls of pink!
Anytime I find a knock of Starbucks recipe it makes me happy! And this one looks so gorg!
The only problem with this cake is that it doesn’t also come with a barista to make me an iced latte.
ERMAGERD, I need this. Like, seriously, if I could just have a steady rotation of this pound cake going into my mouth, that would be fantastic.
Oh between you and Julie I’m loving these Starbucks copycat recipes! I work in a building where Starbucks is on the first floor and I’m a complete junkie. I should open a copycat booth and make a killing!
I’ve never had this at Starbucks before because I’m a total suckah for the lemon one… but if it’s anything like that, then I’m sure it’s nothing short of amazing!
I’m so lucky there isn’t a Starbucks for 60 miles…I’d be hoovering over this baby right with you. Do I dare make myself this treat? Bring on the fat pants!
The only bad thing about making this at home is that it would be way too easily available to me! Dangerous!!! But oh so worth it!
I’m pretty sure I wouldnt put this cake down. I would consume all of it.
Confession: I’ve never had Starbucks raspberry swirl loaf. Can we still be friends? As it turns out, I will never need to because now I have this awesome copycat recipe. 😉 I don’t like Starbucks coffee, so it’s amazing that I don’t even have to go there to get my hands on delicious treats. Thanks for saving me the trip!
This is fan-freaking-tastic! I’m thinking Starbucks need to hire you to develop recipes!!
I saw you posted this on IG and about died. It looks amazing! Pinning 🙂
This looks SO good! I always try to say no to the Starbucks version (and usually fail), so I can’t wait to try your recipe out.
I haven’t had this one @ starbucks, but I’ll certainly be trying it out at home. Looks ah-mazzzzzing!
I actually have been drooling over this cake at Starbucks recently but have yet to actually break down and pay for it. I’m so glad I can just make it myself now. It’s bound to be better. This looks amazing.
Megan, your Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake looks irresistibly moist and delicious! So glad to have stopped by at your blog. Pinning to group boards at Pinterest! 🙂 xo
I haven’t seen this loaf at starbucks yet but I am so glad I can make it at home. Cant resist cream cheese frosting.
You need to shove the rest of this loaf in your luggage for fbf! 😉
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Yes.
That is all.
Just YES.
carb counter. ha! Love it. I love raspberry swirl anything. It’s my favorite berry to bake with. This pound cake looks wonderful!
Oh my goodness! That is so good looking! I’ve got my fat pants on, so I’m ready to dive right in!!!
Oh, this looks gorgeous! I bet it tastes even better than the starbucks version 🙂 can’t wait to try this!
Raspberry extract?! Yum! I ordered some a long time ago but have never used it. Which is a pity. I’ll have to give this a shot! It’s so pretty and spring-y. Too bad it’s basically winter. Ah well. Raspberries are good any time! 🙂
I am making this right now. Back from store as I needed the raspberry extract. As I am humming along I see that the ingredients say baking powder but the directions say baking soda??????? HELP WITCH ONE IS IT??????????????:)
Oh sorry!!! It’s baking POWDER!! I hope it’s everything you hoped it’d be!! 🙂 report back and let me know how it turns out 🙂
I Googled the difference and went with POWDER!!!! looks like I did good! Came out of the oven a few min. ago and we didn’t even wait to make the cream cheese frosting…………it is so so darn good! I think because I know I made it it is just plain better for you than the Starbucks one therefor you NEED to eat more! That’s good because you will WANT to!!
Very Good
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I don’t go to Starbucks but I’m definitely trying this one out! It looks like it could melt in your mouth!
Made the cake just now and followed every instruction to a t’. Came out blue……Smells like ass!!!!! It does not have enough sugar. I would rather eat my dog’s shit.
Also, you might want to add the whole using baking powder instead of soda in the actual directions. Thanks for the late notice. Well, at least my dog likes it. This is my new to-go-to recipe for dog food.
1/4 cream cheese? 1/4 what? cup, oz. quart, 8 oz package? lol. Please clarify.
15 Tablespoons of butter? So thats 2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon.
I’m going to make a slight change since I can see from the directions it won’t be sweet enough for me. I’ll use raspberry preserves instead of fresh. Easier to find and less hassle to prepare.
This recipe looks great. I bake for the local Police and they love stuff like this. So do I because it’s easy. Thanks for posting!
So sorry – it’s 4 oz of cream cheese frosting! Thanks for checking with me. I’ll make the changes in the recipe. And a stick of butter is 8 tablespoons, so the 15 tablespoons will be just shy of two sticks. You can use 12 tablespoons and it is still pretty moist. Good luck!
Also, the cake is sweeter than you might think, especially with the frosting. just an FYI. 🙂 Megan
Thanks for the clarification about the cream cheese Megan and about the butter, lol I don’t know where my brain was that day. I actually went and checked a stick of butter and then came back and said 2 sticks plus one tab.? LOL! I can’t add 🙂
Could you use raspberry syrup I you do not have raspberries?
This is a delicious cake at Starbucks and I want to try it!!!
I’m sure raspberry syrup would be fine :). Maybe reduce the sugar in the batter just a bit so it’s not too sweet. Good luck!
I have been meaning to make Julie`s lemon poundcake! And this raspberry swirl one will now be added to my baking list!
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It looks like a lot of the people commenting are just ones that want to try this recipe but haven’t yet, so I’ll be one of the first to comment on the actual recipe! Not very hard labor, but a LOT of dirty dishes to do after so be prepared! I couldn’t find raspberry extract at any grocery store around so preorder it online if you are going to use it. I DO suggest using the extract for a little more punch to the cake because it definitely lacked flavor unfortunately with just the raspberries. I also used 3/4s cup of raspberries since I didn’t have the extract. Definitely buy the extract even if you have to order it online! One more thing, this cake was VERY thin. I’ve never had a thin pound cake before and thought that was very odd…… Double the recipe and cook it longer than what the instructions say. More like 53-56 minutes with the original recipe (not doubling it). Hoping the next time I try it out with the extract it will be a lot more flavorful!
I made this cake today and was very unhappy with it. I am an experienced baker, followed the instructions and ingredient list to the letter. The cake did not rise and t it ended up only about an inch and 1/2 tall. The consistency and taste were poor, Thanks anyway, I’ll stick to my own lemon Curd Pound cake.
Why would’nt crushed raspberries work in this ? Crushed added then swirled with a knife?….can you let me know if this would work?…thanks …carol
Hi Carol!! I recommend not using simply crushed raspberries in this recipe, because they have too much moisture content and that would effect the batter. I hope that helps. I know it seems like a pain step to take, but I highly recommend it.
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Starbucks raspberry swirl pound cake. In the pound cake section it is stated that you need 1/4 cream cheese. I just want to be sure that it is 1/4 cup of cream cheese before I try this delicious recipe. Thank you.
4 oz. cream cheese
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Well, the reason I rate is at three and really it shouldn’t even get a one is because in the recipe calls for 1/4 cream cheese, softened that goes in the icing for the raspberry swirl poundcake but the thing of it is,8 is that a 1/4 of a cup 1/4 of a pound or what because it also calls for a 1/4 of a cup of butter softened and I’m not gonna waste my time assuming that it means 1/4 of a cup because if it’s wrong, then I’ve wasted my time and my ingredients they’re going to give a recipe then it should be every detail not just in ingredient that could or couldn’t be a different amount. Maybe that makes me too much of a stickler, but I want to know every detail so that I put the right amount in and I’m not going to assume that it’s the same as the butter 1/4 of a cup to me if it’s meaning a quarter of a cup sounds like that would mean it had too much butter because I can’t believe it would be the exact same amount as the butter. I guess I’m just ranting because I wanted this recipe and I’m not going to even attempt it because I didn’t get the correct amounts
★★★
Lorry, thank you for your feedback. I will go back to the recipe and try to rewrite it to clarify the instructions and measurements. I appreciate your help in making sure that it is clear for all.
Part of your instructions do not make sense as you state in the direction to first whisk together milk, eggs & raspberry, vanilla and almond extract an d set aside. Then you state wish a mesh strainer over a small bowl, use a spatula to push and mash the raspberries through the strainer. The seeds and pith will be left behind. How can you do this if you included them with the milk, eggs, etc.. in the first part.
To me it makes more sense to push the raspberries through a strainer where you would wind up with a mash to add to the mixture. Please explain