Real Men Eat Pink Cake

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday. A few years ago, the first time I offered to make him a birthday cake, he requested a strawberry cake. I'd never even heard of a strawberry cake. But, I searched the internet and ran across a recipe by the Cake Mix Doctor. She adds pecans and coconut, but to simplify I leave those out. The recipe shown below is the way I make it.

And, I renamed it because I think it's really funny that a man chooses to have this pretty pink, girly cake for his birthday every year.

Time to blow out the candles, I mean candle, we don't want to burn down the house...



See the bits of fresh strawberries in the cream cheese frosting.



Also, bits of fresh strawberries in the cake itself.

Can't wait to eat another slice tonight!

REAL MEN EAT PINK CAKE (Strawberry Cake)

solid vegetable shortening, for greasing the pans
flour for dusting the pans
1 (18.25 ounce) plain white cake mix
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin
1 cup mashed fresh strawberries with juice
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of whole milk
4 large eggs
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Lightly grease three 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, strawberry gelatin, mashed strawberries and juice, oil, milk, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides down again if needed. The strawberries should be well blended into the batter. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and place them in the oven.

Bake the cakes until they are light brown and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto the rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes or more.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting.To assemble, place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Add another cake layer, right side up, and frost the top. Repeat this process with the third layer and frost the top. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides, working with a clean, smooth stroke. Serve at once or chill the cake for later serving. Store in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 cup mashed fresh strawberries, drained

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the sugar and drained strawberries. Blend the frosting on low until the sugar has been incorporated. Then raise the speed to medium and mix the frosting another minute or until the frosting lightens and is well combined.

Note: I use one of those chopper gadgets (the one you see advertised chopping onions and nuts) instead of actually mashing the strawberries. Works great.