Spring is nearly here, and with warmer weather comes the availability of delicious in-season fruit. While here in Marshall we might have a few more weeks of chilly weather, it’s never too soon to look forward springtime. What better way to prepare for fresh air and sunny days than to make a springtime strawberry cake?

Ingredients:

Cake

– 1 box vanilla, white or yellow cake mix

– 1 (3 oz.) box strawberry gelatin mix (Jell-O)

– 4 eggs

– 1 cup vegetable oil

– 1/4 cup water

– 1 pint fresh strawberries (or 1 cup crushed fresh strawberries)

Icing

– 1/2 block (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened

– 1/3 cup butter, softened

– 2 cups powdered sugar

– 1 tsp. vanilla extract

– 1 tbsp. milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Give your strawberries a good rinse then gently dry them with a paper towel. Remove the stems and dice them up. Then stick them in a plastic Ziploc bag and start crushing them up using a rolling pin or other heavy object.  This will probably take you a minute or two. In the bowl, combine cake mix with strawberry gelatin powder.  Mix until combined. Stir in your oil, eggs and water. Once that is combined, add in 1 cup of your smashed strawberries. You will want to gently stir those in by hand. Then pour batter into baking dish. Bake for about 30-33 minutes. Oven times do vary so to make sure it is done, stick a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, it is good to go.  Allow cake to cool completely before adding frosting.

To make the frosting, mix together your softened butter and softened cream cheese. It’s easiest if you have an electric mixer.  Mix until smooth and creamy and lump-free. Then mix in powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.

Mix until smooth and creamy. Slather frosting onto cooled cake. Then slice and serve. If there are any leftovers, you›ll want to cover it and put into the fridge.

Recipe from caramelpotatoes.com