Sensational Strawberry Recipes...Part 1 - Easy Strawberry Cake

Welcome to my THREE Part Series on recipes that feature strawberries.

The first recipe I will be sharing with you is a lovely cake that show-cases fresh strawberries that sit just on top of a moist yellow cake.  The strawberries are coated with a yummy strawberry glaze made with strawberry gelatin, a bit of cornstarch, lemon juice, sugar and water....simple ingredients for a stunning dessert. 

The hardest part of this recipe is to have the cake pan used to bake the cake in....a Tiara cake pan.  When I first discovered this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen I jumped for joy for not only did the recipe sound sooooo soooo yummy but I realized I had the very pan needed to make it!  Of course you can make this cake in a regular 9" round cake pan and just carefully lay your strawberries on top of the cake. The beauty of a cake baked in a tiara pan is that it allows the strawberries to sit just a little bit indented into the top of the cake. 

Please don't let the "kind" of cake pan suggested for this cake scare you away from this recipe - no matter which kind of pan you use to bake it in you will fall over backwards with happiness as you bite into it.

Easy Strawberry Cake

**makes 2 cakes**

(recipe adapted from Mommy's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 package yellow or butter recipe cake mix

(prepare according to package directions)

2 lbs fresh strawberries

1 8oz. container of Cool Whip or freshly sweetened whipped cream

Strawberry Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1.4 oz box - strawberry gelatin

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp strawberry extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the cake mix according to package directions.  Spray cake pans - because I only had one tiara cake pan I used half the cake batter for the cake and the other half of the batter for cupcakes. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

2. While the cake is cooling prepare the Strawberry Glaze....combine the sugar, cornstarch, gelatin, lemon juice, strawberry extract and water in a medium size pot.....

....Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until the mixture thickens, whisking often - it thickens quite quickly...so be careful!

3. Remove glaze from heat and let mixture cool to room temperature.

4. Place strawberries (and other berries too if you wish) into the center of fully cooled cake....

....and then drizzle glaze over fruit....

5. Oh H-E-A-V-E-N!!! Serve with Cool Whip or freshly whipped cream (sweetened to your preference).

Life can't any better with such a strawberry cake to enjoy!

Happy Easy Strawberry Cake Baking!