Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

1. One package plain white cake mix
2. One cup chopped strawberries with juice
3. One package strawberry gelatin 3 oz.
4. 3/4s cup milk
5. 3/4s cup vegetable oil
6. 3 eggs
7. 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature (icing)
8. 4 tbs butter at room temperature (icing)
9. 3 cups confectioners sugar (icing)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease 2″ round baking pan with baking spray  or 19 inch x 13 inch pan.
3. Gently mash strawberries in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin or similar device. You can also use a blender if you like.
4. Place cake mix, milk, gelatin mix, vegetable oil and eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat with mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes or so.
5. Add in mashed strawberries and juice  to cake batter mix. Mix well.
6. Pour into cake pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 38 minutes (until toothpick when inserted comes out clean.)
8. Allow to sit 30 minutes if using two round pans to cool completely. If baking in 19 x 13 pan simply allow to cool in pan allow to cool 1 hour.
9. Combine all icing ingredients using electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
10. Apply icing to cooled cake and store in fridge until ready to serve.
11. Be creative in how you want to put your fresh strawberries for decoration.

Fresh strawberries can also be stirred into the icing, but I prefer mine separate and sliced.

Enjoy!

Mary Jane