Birthday girls (and boys) get to special-request homemade cake, and Cherry loves pink. I’ve made this one before, but the fresh fruit and better-than-shoe-shopping frosting pushed it over the top. Cowgirl gave me the recipe, handwritten on an index card, over thirty years ago. Still works!
Strawberry Cake
- 1 package white cake mix
- 3 T flour, sifted
- 1 box strawberry dessert gelatin, dry
- ¾ cup cooking oil
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup frozen strawberries, thawed
- 1/2 cup water
Add flour, dessert gelatin, water, oil and unbeaten eggs to cake mix in a large bowl. Beat two minutes with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add frozen berries. Beat one minute. Pour into two nine-inch prepared cake pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
White Chocolate Icing
- 4 oz white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 T vanilla extract
- 2½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Place white chocolate and cream in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high 15 to 30 seconds; whisk until smooth. Let stand 2 minutes; cover with plastic wrap and chill. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium high for 2 minutes. Beat in cooled white-chocolate mixture until blended. On low-speed, add confectioners’ sugar in batches and beat until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about one minute.
Assemble, with icing and fresh sliced strawberries between the layers. After the entire cake is frosted, use whole fresh strawberries to hold the birthday candles.
Eat first! Life is short.
CRISPLY SPOKEN 