Recipe: Strawberry Cake

And here is the second of my springtime birthday baking bounty. I have used this strawberry cake recipe from cooks.com for a few years to make strawberry cupcakes, and this spring I decided to make it in its pretty layered form. And when I realized a guy in my community group's birthday was coming up, I took out my cake pans for real.

Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

1 pkg plain white cake mix

1 pkg strawberry gelatin

1 cup mashed strawberries with juice

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup whole milk

4 large eggs

Frosting:

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese

1 stick of butter

3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

3/4 cup mashed strawberries (drained)

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.

Lightly grease three 9 inch round pans. Set pans aside.

Place cake mix, strawberry gelatin, mashed strawberries, oil, milk, and eggs in large mixing bowl and beat on low speed for 1 minute. Strawberries should be well-blended.

Divide batter among pans and place in oven.

Bake cakes until lightly brown (about 28-30 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool for 40 minutes.

Prepare frosting:

Combine cream cheese, and butter and mix on low speed for a minute. Add sugar and strawberries. Blend frosting on low until sugar is incorporated.

To assemble: place one cake layer on plate and spread top with frosting, add another cake layer and frost the top, add last cake layer and frost the top. Use remaining frosting for the sides of the cake.

Optional: Place fresh strawberries on top of frosting for decoration.