Moist & Delicious Strawberry Cake

So I have fallen off the blogging wagon...again.  I can't believe that April was the last time I posted!  Obviously, life has been pretty crazy for us.  Luke is a full-fledged toddler now.  He is walking around everywhere and in to EVERYTHING! It is so fun watching him explore and learn new things every day.

A few days ago, we took him to his first fireworks show. We weren't sure how he would react to the loud noise, but he didn't seem to mind it at all.  He was absolutely mesmorized by the fireworks! Every time one would go off, he would "Ooo!" and "Ahh!" and squeel with delight. I think Jake and I spent more time watching him than the fireworks!

Speaking of fireworks, we had a wonderful 4th of July celebration with my family. We had BBQ, played games, and ate a DELICIOUS (if I do say so myself!) strawberry cake! I hadn't really planned on blogging about it (hence the lack of photos), but Jake said it was one of my best cakes to date, so I decided I had to share it.

Strawberry cake is one of my all time favorite desserts.  There is a restaurant near by that makes an amazing strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting that I have always wanted to replicate.  The cake has real strawberries in it and is super moist, and the frosting is sinfully rich.  It really is to die for!

I set out in search of a moist strawberry cake recipe and found several via Pinterest. I took bits and pieces of several different ones and came up with my own version. I did the same thing with the frosting and at the last minute decided to add some extra strawberries to make it a strawberry cream cheese frosting.  The results were everything I had hoped for! Everyone loved it, and I will definitely be making it again. 

For simplicity sake, I made this cake in a 9x13 pan.  Next time, though, I think I will do a layer cake...so much prettier.  Either way though, it is delicious!

Hope you enjoy!

Moist & Delicious Strawberry Cake

Sweetened Strawberries:

1 lb fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt.

Remove stems from strawberries and slice thinly in to a medium bowl.  Add sugar and salt and stir well.  Cover and let set at least 30 minutes.

Strawberry Cake:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 small box strawberry gelatin
1 cup sweetened strawberries (see above) with syrup
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and gelatin.  Add strawberries, oil, milk, and eggs and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour into a greased 9x13" or 2 round 8" pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes (for a 9x13) or 20-25 minutes (for 2 8-in) or until toothpick almost comes out clean.

I recommend removing the cake from the oven and putting it straight into the freezer in order to stop with baking process immediately (see this post).  This step is optional, but I think it helps make the cake really moist! Leave it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, or if you aren't frosting it until the next day, overnight.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sweetened strawberries (see above), drained
1/2 tsp vanilla
5-6 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Add strawberries and vanilla; beat well.  Add powdered sugar a little at a time, beating after each addition.  After about 5 cups, you can start tasting it to see if you want more sweetness or not.  I think I ended up adding about 5 1/2 cups.  Beat until smooth, and spread on cooled cake.

Enjoy! :)

 

~Rachel