Fresh Strawberry Cake

Anyone else dreaming of spring yet?

I think it's at this time of year that many folks are starting to get just a bit tired of winter.

Especially if you live in one of the blizzard states.

After shoveling snow for weeks and having to work and drive in it, I'm sure a sunny warm day is calling your name.  So in honor of the coming spring (because it will eventually come, I promise), I'm making a strawberry cake.  That beautiful, juicy fruit that is oh so tasty and ripe during those first warmer months of the year.

We go strawberry picking every year.

There is nothing like picking your own strawberries.

Not only are they delicious because you are picking them fresh, but it is also so much fun to make something from that fruit that you plucked from the earth yourself.

Grab some family or friends and find a farm near you.
I promise you will have such a great time and create some amazing memories.

For this recipe, I'm using my favorite Fresh Strawberry Cake recipe from Duncan Hines.

It's an old favorite and it has never failed me.

And a while back I had seen that Christy from Southern Plate liked to make her strawberry cake using a cream cheese frosting.  I love that idea because it helps keep the cake from being too sweet. 
 It really is a nice balance between the two.

So I'm using my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe that I like to use for my 
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake.

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE:

1 box vanilla, white or yellow cake mix

1 (3 oz.) box strawberry gelatin mix (Jell-O)

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1 pint fresh strawberries (or 1 cup crushed fresh strawberries)

FOR THE ICING:

1/2 block (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk

vanilla extract and milk not pictured (obviously camera shy)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Y'all know I love this kind that has flour in it. Perfect for baking.

Give your strawberries a good rinse then gently dry them with a paper towel.

Remove the stems and dice them up.

Then stick them in a plastic Ziploc bag and start crushing them up.

I'm using the flat side of my meat tenderizer here but you can use any heavy object or a rolling pin.  

This will probably take you a minute or two.

In the bowl, combine cake mix with strawberry gelatin powder.

Mix until combined.

Then stir in your oil, eggs and water.

Once that is combined, add in 1 cup of your smooshed strawberries.

    

You will want to gently stir those in by hand.

Then pour batter into baking dish.

Bake for about 30-33 minutes.
Oven times do vary, so to make sure it is done, stick a toothpick in the center,
 if it comes out clean, it is good to go.
Allow cake to cool completely before adding frosting.

 If you've ever made a strawberry cake before, you know they always brown a bit on top.
No worries, that is normal. We are gonna cover it up with frosting anyway. 

To make the frosting, mix together your softened butter and softened cream cheese
It's easiest if you have an electric mixer.

Mix until smooth and creamy and lump-free.

 
Then mix in powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.
Mix until smooth and creamy.

Note: If you have any leftover crushed strawberries, you could always add it to your frosting.

Slather frosting onto cooled cake.

Then slice and serve. 

 If there are any leftovers, you'll want to cover it and put into the fridge.

Here's a close up.  You can see the bits of strawberry in the cake - oh yum!

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe Here