I stole this recipe for Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake from foodnetwork.com. This strawberry cake is actually very easy to make. It starts with white cake mix, strawberry gelatin and frozen strawberries. The frosting is made with more frozen strawberries, cream cheese and powdered sugar. I liked that since the strawberries are frozen, this pretty cake can be made at anytime of the year. You can have your cake and eat it too, no matter what anyone says.
November 26th is National Cake Day and you can celebrate by making this recipe for Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake (to see more Food Holidays see the National Food Holidays category or look at the Food Holiday Calendar).
“A party without a cake is just a meeting.” – Julia Child (see more quotes in the Quotes tab)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 2 (9 inch) round cake pans. In a small bowl mash a thawed 15 oz package frozen strawberries in syrup. (The recipe calls for the strawberries to be pureed, but I like the smaller chunks that are left when I use a potato masher.)
In a large bowl, combine 18.25 oz box white cake mix and 3 oz box strawberry flavored instant gelatin.
Add mashed strawberries, 4 eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil and ¼ cup water.
Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting: in a large bowl, beat ¼ cup softened butter and 8 oz package softened cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in ¼ cup mashed strawberry (from a 10 oz package of frozen strawberries in syrup) and ½ tsp strawberry extract (I use vanilla extract).
Gradually add 7 cups powdered sugar.
Beat frosting until smooth.
Spread frosting in between layers of completely cooled cake.
Finish spreading frosting on top and sides of cake.
Slice and serve or refrigerate until ready. You will have leftover frozen strawberries, and you can use them to make Strawberry Muffins.
Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 18.25 oz box white cake mix
- 3 oz box strawberry flavored instant gelatin
- 15 oz package frozen strawberries in syrup thawed and pureed
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 8 oz package cream cheese softened
- 10 oz package frozen strawberries in syrup thawed and pureed
- ½ tsp strawberry extract
- 7 cups confectioner’s sugar
- Freshly sliced strawberries for garnish optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 2 (9 inch) round cake pans.
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In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil and water; beat at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Frosting
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In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in ¼ cup of the strawberry puree and the strawberry extract. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar, beating until smooth.
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Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with strawberries if desired.
Recipe Notes
I couldn’t find an 18.25 oz box of cake mix so I used a 15 oz box (this is the size the two big brands sell at my grocery store). You can mash the strawberries instead of pureeing them. That way you don’t have to dig out your food processor. Finished product has some small chunks of strawberries from using the masher instead of completely pureeing them. I like seeing the little chunks, if I pureed it, it may have been too smooth and I would have lost the little chunks. There is no way this cake is ready in 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the cake was still very wiggly. I kept cooking it in 5 minute increments, for a total of 45 minutes. My version used two 8-inch pans, instead of two 9-inch pans. If you use two 9-inch pans, it will still take longer than 20 minutes to cook, maybe 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. You don’t have to use strawberry extract, I used vanilla extract. I was not going to buy a $7 bottle of strawberry extract for ½ tsp. Sorry. It still came out great. Red food coloring can be added to the frosting or cake batter to deepen the natural pink color or even make it a bright red. This cake would work well with other frozen fruits, like using mixed berries and mixed berry gelatin.