Every year for Valentine’s Day my mother baked this marvelous Strawberry Cake for our family. In fact, for years she continued to make my sisters and me each our very own cake long after we were grown with children of our own. It was everything a little (or big) girl could want in a cake. The color – of course – was bright pink inside and there were strawberries in every bite. The frosting was a delicious buttery strawberry concoction in a much more dainty shade of pink. Mom is still quite a good cook but somehow the Strawberry Cake got replaced over the years with Valentine’s Day cards for grandchildren who like getting mail and are always happy to find a little extra cash tucked inside. I was thinking about what to create for a Valentine’s Day treat for my guys, and remembered how much they used to love that cake – The Nana Cake – as Richard called it. Here is the weird thing – I’ve never made it! It was kind of like a special recipe that belonged only to my Mother. So I called her – she had to hunt around a little bit but finally found the recipe, which she says is as old as she is and is most likely just as southern. She read me her copy, which failed to mention measurements for about half of the ingredients or any directions whatsoever (people just assumed you knew back then). The recipe includes jello - which I loathe and despise. There is a package of frozen strawberries involved and most amazingly it contains a white cake mix. I had somehow assumed it was all about butter and fresh strawberries. But you know what – who cares, the main ingredient was a healthy dose of love. I’m making that cake for my family. We already know it’s delicious, and that it’s beautiful. It stirs up happy memories as well. I think this might be a Valentine’s Day tradition from now on.
Make this cake for your family, your someone special, your friends – or just make it for yourself. You know you deserve a Strawberry Cake. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients
1 box white cake mix
1 box (3 oz) strawberry jello
3 eggs
½ cup oil (I used canola)
½ cup water
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen strawberries - defrosted
For Icing
1 box (16 oz) confectioners sugar
6 Tbsp butter, softened
Reserved juice from strawberries
5 to 6 Tbsp milk or half & half to thin icing to spreadable consistency
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain strawberries reserving juice.
Cut or mash the strawberries into smaller pieces, again reserving any juice.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, jello, eggs, oil and water. Mix at medium speed or hand mix for about 2 minutes to thoroughly combine.
Gently stir in strawberries. Reserve juice.
Spray two 8 inch round cake pans with baking spray.
Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Let cakes cool completely before icing.
To make icing
In a mixing bowl combine sugar, butter and strawberry juice. If the icing isn’t a spreadable consistency add milk or half & half 1 Tbsp at a time.
* Frozen berries must have contained more juice in the past – I only got about 2 Tbsp and had to add about 4 to 5 Tbsp of half & half to make icing spreadable. My mother’s recipe said to pour any remaining juice over the cakes after making the icing, but there certainly wasn’t any! Still moist and so very delicious!
