It’s strawberry season and we’re celebrating with best-seller cookbook author Stacey Little of Southern Bite‘s Strawberry Sheet Cake! Take advantage of fresh strawberries and pack this for your trip to the lake. Read more about Stacey here.
Best Strawberry Sheet Cake
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Serves: 10 to 12
Strawberry Cake Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) container fresh
strawberries
1 (16.5-ounce) package white
cake mix
3 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 (3-ounce) package strawberry
flavored instant gelatin
(I used Jell-O)
For the icing:
¼ cup butter (½ stick), room
temperature
4 ounces cream cheese
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon strawberry flavored
instant gelatin (reserved
from cake)
2 tablespoons strawberry puree
Instructions
For the cake:
- Wash and hull the strawberries and gently puree them in a food processor, blender or with a hand (stick) blender. You want them to be chopped up but not all liquid. You will need 1 cup of this puree for the cake and 2 tablespoons for the icing. This should make more puree than you need. However, if it doesn’t, pour the puree into a measuring cup and add just enough water to make 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9X13 baking pan (or dish) with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer), mix together the cake mix, eggs and vegetable oil until well combined. Open the gelatin and measure 1 teaspoon into a small bowl and set aside for use in the icing. Pour the remainder of the gelatin and 1 cup of the strawberry puree into the batter and mix well.
- Pour the mix into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing.
For the icing:
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer), cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined and all lumps are gone. Add the vanilla and mix well. Slowly add 3 cups of the powdered sugar separately, mixing well after
each addition. - Add 2 tablespoons of the strawberry puree and the reserved 1 teaspoon of strawberry-flavored gelatin and mix well. Add additional powdered sugar if the icing is too thin.
- Spread over the cooled cake. Store in the refrigerator.
