Summertime Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I didn't realize what a complete whiny complainer I was until I married someone...and then bought a house with that someone...that didn't have air conditioning.

The Mr. and I bought this lovely old home in December. Back then, we were all rosy cheeks and hot chocolate with our dandy new furnace keeping us nice and toasty. Well, it turns out that Winter eventually ends (this would have been a good thing to remember when buying a house). And somewhere at the end of May there comes this wretched, awful, despicable thing called "I feel like I'm breathing in sweat and my thighs are sticking together!" I think the weather man calls it "humidity". Whatever. Same thing. 

It just so happens right around that same time this "humidity" thing came around, I transformed from my usual upbeat, cheery self into a sweaty, grouchy hag. I thought I could tough it out...that I was somehow immune to the oppressive fog of an Ohio summer.

I was wrong. And I really shouldn't have been surprised. I think I probably developed an allergy to the heat when I was a kid. My dad was a professional HVAC installer and I'm pretty sure he turbo-rocket-super charged our A/C. Our house was kept at sweatshirt wearing temperature year round. I joked about it then. I dream about it now. 

Anyway, it wasn't long before we were calling up my brother and begging him to save us from the heat. It had to be done...if not for the sake of my miserable self, at least for the sake of my marriage. 

And today, thanks to that wonderful brother of mine, I came home to a burst of cool, refreshing air. I could have wept. But instead, I celebrated by turning on the oven for the first time in weeks and baking a cake. A Summertime Strawberry Cake.





This cake is just plain simple goodness. I've taken it to several gatherings and it's always gobbled up before I can get a picture (hence why you only see the outside of the cake). The cake itself is light and fluffy and filled with little bits of fresh strawberries. It's good enough to restore your faith in summer. Just as long as you can experience summer from the window seat of your fully air conditioned house.

P.S. Did I mention this cake is PINK? Oh, and that it also makes great cupcakes?? Honestly, could there be anything more fun than pink cupcakes?

Summertime Strawberry Cake

Yield: 1 8" layer cake or 1 9 x13 sheet cake

Recipe from Sweets

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix (no pudding added-I used Duncan Hines)

1 3 oz. package strawberry Jello

1 scant Tablespoon flour

Pinch baking powder

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/3-1/2 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl whisk together cake mix, jello, flour, baking soda, and sugar. Add oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in water and fresh strawberries and beat. Pour into greased and floured baking pan or pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
3. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4-8 cups powdered sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:
1. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until no lumps remain. Add 2 cups powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Combine. Add additional sugar until you reach desired sweetness and consistency. For the cupcakes I use more so I can pipe on frosting. For the cake, I like to use a lighter frosting that is not very sweet, so I only use about 4 cups.