strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese glaze.

Here's a homemade cake recipe for you that truly has a strawberry punch. 

Since I have been hoarding strawberries from the grocery store recently, I have found myself craving strawberry baked goods. I didn't just want to make a white cake with strawberries mixed in- I wanted a pretty pink cake that was packed with strawberry flavor. And this recipe was exactly what I was hoping for. The cake is soft, very strawberry-y, and pink! And the strawberry cream cheese glaze tops it off perfectly.

I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did!

~

strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese glaze

from the girl who ate everything & martha stewart

cake ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar (I used half granulated, half stevia)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour (see notes for substitute)
2 tablespoons instant strawberry-flavored gelatin (uncooked- just the powder)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (see notes for substitute)
2/3 cup diced fresh strawberries

glaze ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 cups sliced strawberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp butter, softened

4 tbsp cream cheese, softened

instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Liberally grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with shortening.  Line with parchment paper, if desired. Lightly grease parchment. 
2. Beat butter and sugar for 4 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, until well blended. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, strawberry-flavored gelatin, baking soda, and salt; Add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low until ingredients are just barely combined. Stir in the strawberries. Spread batter in prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. After 30 minutes, cover the cake with foil so the top doesn't brown too much. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack 30-60 minutes. 
5. To make the glaze, I used a food processor. Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar. Start by mixing in about 1 cup sliced strawberries to butter/cream cheese/powdered sugar/vanilla mixture. Keep adding strawberries until you like the consistency. Pour over cooled cake. 
6. Because of the cream cheese glaze, we stored ours in fridge.

notes:

An easy cake flour substitute is just flour + cornstarch. For each cup, measure 1 cup of flour. Remove 2 tbsp flour and replace it with 2 tbsp of cornstarch. 

An easy buttermilk subsitute is milk + vinegar or lemon juice. For each cup of buttermilk, add 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup and fill milk to the 1 cup line. 

strawberry applesauce {no sugar added}.

Strawberries have been on sale for the past 2 weeks at the grocery store so I have been stocking up. Besides eating large amounts of them plain, I have been on the prowl for yummy strawberry recipes. I was super excited to find this recipe. 

This was my first time making applesauce. I always figured it would take too long so I never bothered. This was delicious and easy and I can't wait to make more again with different variations. You literally cut up fruit, add water and cinnamon, and boil/simmer until you can mash it with a potato masher. Stick it in a blender until you get the consistency you like. That's all!

~

strawberry applesauce.
recipe adapted from lemon tree dwelling

ingredients:

8 cups peeled, chopped apples
4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
½ cup water (or 1 cup for thinner consistency)
1 tsp. cinnamon

directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft and you are able to mash it with a potato masher. This will take between 10-20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
4. Transfer applesauce to a blender and blend until smooth.

notes:

Original recipe calls for ½ cup sugar. I ommitted and applesauce was plenty sweet.

I cut recipe in half and it worked great.