Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box white cake mix
- 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry Jell-O or gelatin
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberry puree (from fresh or frozen and thawed berries)
- 1/3 cup canola oil or any neutral oil
- 3 large eggs
For the Frosting:
- 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5–6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh strawberry puree
- Spoonful of sour cream, if necessary
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch sheet pan with nonstick baking spray or grease and flour the pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine cake mix, gelatin, water, sour cream, strawberry puree, oil and eggs. Beat on low using electric hands beaters just to combine then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 26-30 minutes until baked through and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- While the cake cools, make the cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl using electric hand beaters, beat cream cheese around the bowl to soften. Add the softened butter and beat to combine. Add the powdered sugar and strawberry puree and beat until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. If necessary, add a spoonful of sour cream to loosen the frosting. Chill the frosting for 20 minutes before spreading on the cake. (This will help make the frosting more smooth when spread across the cake.)
- Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting across the cake, saving 1/4 of the frosting to pipe a border using a piping bag (or heavy duty freezer bag) and a large star tip. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, add sliced fresh strawberries to the top of the cake, slice and serve chilled.
