Strawberry Layer Cake

Strawberry Layer Cake: Fresh, easy, and bursting with flavor

This delightful Strawberry Layer Cake is the perfect dessert for any occasion. It's packed with fresh strawberry flavor, surprisingly simple to make, and uses a cake mix as a shortcut to save you time.

Here's what you can expect:

  • Effortless Baking: This recipe utilizes a convenient cake mix, making it ideal for busy bakers.

  • Two Ways to Enjoy: Bake it in two layers for a classic cake presentation, or spread the batter in a sheet pan to serve a larger crowd.

  • Double Dose of Strawberries: Freshly mashed berries are incorporated into both the cake and the frosting for an explosion of strawberry taste.

  • Elegant Finish: Top your masterpiece with beautiful sliced strawberries for a touch of sophistication and extra deliciousness.

Get ready to impress your loved ones with this fresh and flavorful cake! Let's dive into the recipe.

Strawberry Layer Cake

Strawberry Layer Cake

Ingredients

Cake
  • 1 package white or yellow cake mix (15- to 16-ounce)
  • ½ cup Miller’s Choice Unbleached Flour
  • 3 ounces strawberry-flavored powdered gelatin
  • 1 cup mashed fresh strawberries (about 1 ½ cups sliced berries)
  • ⅔ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup milk
  • 3 large eggs
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) lightly salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon mashed fresh strawberries, well drained (2 medium berries)
  • 3 ½ to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Instructions

Cake
  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Set the pans aside.
  2. Place the cake mix and gelatin in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the mashed strawberries, oil, milk, and eggs and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth, 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 1 more minute. Pour the batter into the two pans, and place the pans in the oven. 3. Bake the cakes until they just pull away from the sides of the pan, and the top springs back when lightly pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven, and place on a rack to cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the layers and invert onto a rack to cool right-side up. Cool before frosting.
  3. To assemble, spread about ¾ cup frosting on one layer, top with a second layer, and spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with sliced strawberries.
Frosting
  1. For the frosting, place the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined, 30 seconds. Add the strawberries and 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.