Strawberry Cake

This cake is such a good homemade strawberry cake using a packet of strawberry jello.  It comes from the July/August 2011 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen.  It has an easy and awesome white chocolate and cream cheese frosting on top.  The cake portion can be made and frozen in advance.

Recipe:  Source-July/August 2011 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen

For the cake:
1 cup halved fresh strawberries or 1 cup frozen strawberries (thawed/drained)
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 3 oz. package of strawberry jello
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk

For the icing:
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 16 oz. powdered sugar

For the cake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2 -8 in. round pans with baking spray.  Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment for even easier removal.  Spray parchment with spray as well.  
In a blender, make a strawberry puree by blending strawberries until smooth.    
In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and jello packet, beat for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, beating until yellow disappears after each one.  Add strawberry puree and vanilla and beat until blended.
In a separate bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually add to strawberry mixture alternatively with the milk.  Beat at low speed after each addition.  Make sure to scrap bottom and sides of bowl as the strawberry mixture can really settle at the bottom.  (I had that problem and didn’t realize it until it was too late).  Ladle mixture evenly into pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks.  This cake can be frozen until ready to frost.

For the icing:  Melt the chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each.  Let it set for 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla  Gradually add in powdered sugar, beating until fluffy.  Frost when cakes are cool.  
Optional-Top frosted cake with strawberries for garnish.

Enjoy!