Out The Box

The aroma of fresh cookies, or a pound cake wafting from your granmother 's oven really doesn't happen much anymore. I enjoy baking, but it can be such a tedious task, so today I would like to share one my favorite recipes that starts with a boxed cake mix.

This recipe is a for a delightful strawberry cake. Its really great during the summertime, when strawberries are in season. I've  made this cake on numerous occassions and it always gets great reviews.  Its a quick recipe, however people will think it took you hours. 

The recipe is as follows:
Cake:

Vegetable oil spray or shortening for greasing the pans

Flour for dusting the pans

1 package (21.6 ounces) Cake Mix Doctor’s Old-Fashioned Yellow Mix

1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin, if desired

1 cup mashed fresh strawberries (2 cups fresh berries)

1 cup vegetable oil

½ cup milk

4 large eggs

 

Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature

4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist or grease three 9-inch round cake pans and dust them with flour. Set the pans aside.

1. Place the cake mix, gelatin, mashed strawberries, oil, milk, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until incorporated, 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture lightens and is smooth, 1½ minutes longer, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula, and place the pans in the oven. If three pans don’t fit on the center rack, place the third layer on the upper rack, watching to not overbake.

2. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove the layers from the oven, let them cool in the pan 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges, gently shake the layers to loosen the cake, and invert them once, then again, onto wire racks to cool right-side up. Let the layers cool 30 minutes before frosting.

3.For the frosting, place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until combined, 30 seconds. Add the sugar, a little at a time, beating on low speed, until the sugar is incorporated. Increase the mixer to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more.

4.To assemble the cake, place one layer, right-side up, on a serving plate. Spread the top with ¾ cup frosting. Place a second layer, right-side up, on top of the first and spread with ¾ cup frosting. Place the third layer on top and frost the top and side of the cake with the remaining frosting, working with smooth, clean strokes. To make slicing easier, place the uncovered cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes.