It’s my birthday and I’ll eat cake if I want to … cake if I want to. Because you would eat cake if it was your birthday too! Yup, that’s my story (or song) and I’m sticking to it. Cake probably shouldn’t be on the menus since I’m trying to lose weight and cutting back on my carb intake but … it’s my birthday! Just be glad I’m writing this versus singing to you. I am not American Idol material; I’m more bad karaoke material. 😀
Today, is officially my birthday. I am another year older. Or 42 years young. Or more like middle-aged, if we’re being honest. Because I don’t feel old, old but I don’t really feel young either. I feel my age, which means slower metabolism, needing to go pee in the middle of the night and creaky bones. I am still able-bodied with a mostly functioning brain so we take wins where we can get them! And do you know what another win is? Cake.
Admit it. You were concerned I forgot about it, given my advanced years. No way. I could never forget cake, especially this cake.
Let Me Eat Cake, I Say!
I like cake but it’s probably not my favorite dessert. But this cake is kind of a big deal. Seriously. I become obsessed with the idea of strawberry cake after everyone raved about the strawberry cupcakes at my nephew’s graduation reception. I had chosen a chocolate cupcake and definitely didn’t need two cupcakes (plus they were very few left at that time) so I just pouted over my bad choice and dreamed about the possibilities.
Such possibilities, right? I love me some strawberries and this cake truly delivers the goods. Best of all, beyond adding a few berries on top to make it pretty (thus being optional), it uses frozen strawberries, so you can make this bad boy (or girl — your cakes might be girls) anytime of the year.
Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
12-16 servings
Slightly adapted from Paula Deen Magazine
Cake Ingredients
- 1 white cake box mix
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1 (3 oz.) box strawberry-flavored gelatin
- 1 (15.5 oz.) package frozen strawberries in sugar pureed, divided
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- Fresh strawberries for garnish (optional)
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup strawberry puree
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 13×9 pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and strawberry jello. Add 10 ounces (1 1/4 cups) of puréed strawberries, eggs, oil, and 1/4 cup water and beat at medium speed until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 25-29 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry purée until well combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth and your preferred consistency. Optional: Add a drop or two of red food coloring for pinker frosting.
- Spread frosting in an even layer over cooled cake. Garnish or serve with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired. Store covered cake in the fridge up to 3 days.
Special Notes
You will have a tablespoon or two of strawberry puree leftover. Drink it or spoon it over ice cream.
If you use a (18.25-ounce) white cake mix, you can eliminate the additional flour. However, I find most cake mixes these days are less than 18.25 ounces. I used a Betty Crocker Super Moist White Cake Mix, which is 16.25 ounces.
You can easily adapt this to make a layer cake or cupcakes. Just following the baking times per the box directions. You may also need to add some extra powdered sugar to the frosting for piping on to cupcakes. Otherwise is may be a tad soft.
This cake also freezes well. I never thought about freezing slices of cake until my old boss taught me this trick. While having delicious slices of cake in your freezer can be dangerous, I also don’t want any cake to spoil or binge on cake to avoid waste either, which is why freezing cake comes in so handy for me. Plus, I tend not to overly dwell upon those yummy cake slices since I can’t see them, which helps too!
I cannot overstate how delicious this was. Sweet but not too sweet. Moist. Flavorful. The perfect birthday cake or anytime cake in my book.
Other Birthday Food
So you know me. I plan my life around what I’m going to eat. And my birthday celebration (and food) isn’t limited to the actual date of my birthday. Nope. I’ve been planning for months some of the food I will enjoy for my birthday.
Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce
Elegant and yet surprising simple to make because I want to eat something special that doesn’t take too much time. Or dirty a ton of dishes. I love it with creamy polenta, but it would be good with any side, even a healthy one!
Get the recipe, here
French Toast Bake with Orange Marmalade
Breakfast is my favorite meal so you know that I’ll be enjoying something extra special to celebrate 42 years of life. This is a personal favorite of mine.
Get the recipe, here.
One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Don’t worry chocolate lovers! I got your back! If strawberry cake ain’t your jam (HA!), may I suggest this lovely chocolate cake. The chocolate ganache is so good that I would actually fight someone to lick the bowl clean and that never, ever, happens! It also makes a small cake, which is nice because you don’t always need a big one!
Get the recipe, here.
What’s your favorite birthday meal and/or dessert?
Tanya
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!
mmm… those cakes… I’m all about good cake on my birthday. & actually I’ve recently liked choosing apple pie for my birthday treat 🙂
I always pick pasta for my birthday dinner since carbs dont count on a birthday, right? 😉
Hope you have a great day!!!
Thanks! Apple pie sounds like a great birthday treat to me! And heck ya, calories don’t count on your birthday! Nope, nope, nope!
have you heard ‘judy’s turn to cry’? it’s the ‘sequel’ to it’s my party and i’m trying to make it a cake song and it’s not working lol.
anyway. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
my favourite birthday meal or dessert is literally as much as i can shove in my mouth the day of. no rules! no calories! no judgement! haha
I am not familiar with Judy’s turn to cry or at least I don’t think I am. I’ll have to track it down and give it a listen. 😀 I agree, I stuff myself all day long on my birthday because calories don’t count!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! that cake looks divine. My fav birthday treat that I get every year is called Sago Sago from this Indonesian restaurant – it an amazing coconut tapicoa syrupy treat!!
Thanks, Kathy! I have never heard of Sago Sago but it sounds like delicious. Now that I think about it, I have never eaten at an Indonesian restaurant and need to fix that!
Happy happy birthday! Strawberry cake with frosting is what I request for my birthday from my mom. This looks wonderful.
Thanks, Steph! It was quite wonderful if I do say so myself. And I bet your Mom’s cake is delicious too!
Yummy yummy yummy! The frosting sounds heavenly!
I hope you had the happiest birthday yesterday and your celebration continues into this weekend and all year long!!!
The frosting was sooooooo good and that’s something that I don’t say very often. 😀 Thanks for the birthday wishes – much appreciated!
Fun fact: we had strawberry cake at our wedding reception and it was the best cake in the universe!! Everyone raved about it 🙂 I know it is not the traditional kind of wedding cake but when we went to do the taste testing for cakes at the bakery, this one won hands down and we went with it! So long story short, I will be making this cake at some point, lol 🙂
Hope your birthday was super awesome!!
You’re right – strawberry cake isn’t traditional but it should be!! It’s gorgeous, it’s delicious and it’s perfect for weddings! I don’t know if this cake will be quite as good as your wedding cake but I definitely found it to be delicious. And I am not embarrassed by all the yum yum noises I made while I devoured my piece of cake!
OMG, I missed your birthday! I am a terrible friend! Happy happy belated!!!
My favorite cake is carrot cake and I definitely had it on my birthday. Hooray for the nontraditional!
Girl, you were in Myrtle Beach with your family. No worries! I love carrot cake. I pretty much like all cakes, now that I think about it. Minus one with coconut. Not a big fan of coconut flakes. Ew. 😀 But yes to non-traditional!