VERY VERA'S STRAWBERRY CAKE

KayLea sent everyone this one about a month or so ago. I think I have made it 3 times since then, I cannot get enough!! I feel like I deserve it every time when I hide in the pantry and devour! I love how sweet and refreshing this cake is, nice change from boring chocolate and vanilla. I really liked the changes that Kay Lea made to it. I did add 1 C of Sour Cream, because I always do to every cake I make. I did it with cupcakes, but that was dangerous because I could not stop, so you are now warned!

VERY VERA'S STRAWBERRY CAKE
(or since I made all these fabulous ****changes to it, you could call it “KAYLEA’S STRAWBERRY CAKE” ;)

1 box moist strawberry cake mix
1 large box strawberry jello
4 eggs
1 C Sour Cream
1/2 cup vegetable. oil
1/4 cup strawberry juice
2 containers of frozen sliced strawberries (w/sugar added), thawed and drained well. (save some juice for frosting)
****(Kay Lea’s note --- or I sliced fresh strawberries, pulsed them in the blender for 2 pulses, just enough so there were not big chunks,
added 1/2 cup sugar and then drained the juice off through a strainer —saved the juice for added liquid to the cake and frosting)


Mix cake mix, jello, oil, eggs and strawberry juice (be sure to save enough for frosting).
Mix well then beat in strawberries and beat until strawberries are broken up and mixed in well.
Pour into 2 or 3 - 9" oiled and floured round pans (Pam didn’t seem to do the trick for this very moist cake)
Bake at 325 in for 27-30 minutes. Do not overbake or cake will be dry.
Remove cakes from pans while slightly warm and Cool cakes well before frosting.

Frosting:
1- 2 lb. bag confectioners sugar
1 stick of real butter
1- 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 + tsp. strawberry flavoring
several drops of red food coloring
add some strawberry juice until the desired consistancy

****(Kay Lea’s note: we found the frosting to be almost overly sweet, so on the second batch of cakes, I whipped a pint of heavy whipping cream til stiff peaks formed, and folded it in to the frosting
for a lighter creamier frosting ---if you also add 1 pkg of unflavored gelatin dissolved in a few tablespoons of strawberry juice, it will help the frosting stay a little firmer.
I refrigerated these cakes for a full 24 hours before they were eaten.)

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add sugar a little at a time til all is incorporated.
Add strawberry flavoring and red food coloring and the strawberry juice
and beat for 5 minutes to get frosting light and fluffy.

To assemble cakes, frost between layers (**I added strawberry jam to some of the frosting for between the layers for a super strawberry flavor as the filling)
Decorate with real sliced strawberries.

****...and then to go completely “over the top” (pun intended), I melted 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in a ziploc baggie (30 seconds in the microwave, mash, 30 seconds more, mash and repeat til smooth and melted)
Cut a TINY whole in one bottom corner of the bag and use the bag to drizzle melted chocolate all over the strawberries and zigzag across the whole cake. BEAUTIFUL! ---white chocolate would be awesome too!

Refrigerate in tight cake preserver (or saran wrap is good too, if it is loosely covered (once the chocolate is firm) until ready to serve.
Can bake cake way in advance and wrap each layer well and freeze until ready to frost.