Aunt Annie's Strawberry Cake
Long before the modern cookbooks were published about fixing-up cake mixes, my Great Aunt Annie was famous for her Strawberry Layer Cake.
It was my mom’s favorite cake growing up; the centerpiece at the celebration of my first birthday, and when I was old enough to actually request my own birthday cake, “Pink Cake” was at the top of my list.
The history of this family cake parallels the rise of ready-made cake mixes and convenience products acceptance in the consumer world. Great Aunt Annie didn’t have the time to bake “scratch” cakes as her mom did before her. Working full-time in a hosiery mill in the 40’s and 50’s she turned to boxed mixes for special occasions and added her own ingredients to make it hers. She kept the actual recipe secret for years until my mom begged for the recipe in the late 60’s since I requested the cake at every special occasion beginning with my birthday in January and ending with Christmas in December.
Fast forward to today and when I bake this cake, it’s considered extra special – a real labor of love. Round layer cakes, even those that start with a box mix, are “fancy” and even extravagant for me. Aunt Annie would probably be shocked, but maybe a little proud that her “cheat cake” is considered today to be a special “baked at home” dessert and not cheating at all. So celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with a cake that has said, “I love you” for almost 70 years.
Aunt Annie’s Strawberry Layer Cake
Start to finish: 10 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking, 40 minutes cooling, 15 minutes frosting
Serves 16
1 cup frozen strawberries packed in light syrup, thawed
1 box (16.25 ounces) white cake mix
1 box (3 ounces) strawberry Jell-o
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 batches Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting, recipe follows*
fresh sliced strawberries for garnish, if desired
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray three 8-inch round metal cake pans with non-stick cooking oil spray and dust well with flour. Set aside.
Drain strawberries well, reserving the juice for frosting, recipe follows. Mix cake mix, strawberry Jell-o powder and flour in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add oil, eggs, water and drained strawberries. Mix well on low for 30 seconds, then medium for two minutes, scraping sides as necessary.
Divide the batter equally between the three prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks. Cool cake rounds for another 30 minutes.
Frost* with Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting and garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired.
Approximate Values Per Serving: 626 calories (42 % from fat), 30 g fat (10 g saturated), 77 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 89 g carbohydrates, trace dietary fiber, 319 mg sodium
Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting
Start to finish: under 10 minutes
Makes: proximately 2 cups: will frost 1 sheet cake, 24 cupcakes or 1/2 three-layer cake
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup strawberry juice
1 pound powdered sugar
1. Using and electric mixer, mix the butter, juice and sugar together on low until blended. Then cream on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
Approximate Values Per 1/4 cup: 326 calories (32 % from fat), 11.5 g fat (7 g saturated), 30 mg cholesterol, trace protein, 57 g carbohydrates, no dietary fiber, 83 mg sodium
* It is easier to make one batch of the frosting and frost half the cake (the tops of the first two layers), then make another batch and finish the cake (the top of the third layer and the sides). For effortless frosting, dip your knife or spatula in a glass of warm water to help smooth the frosting without tearing the cake.
(Alicia Ross is the co-author of "Desperation Dinners!" (Workman, 1997), "Desperation Entertaining!" (Workman, 2002) and "Cheap. Fast. Good!" (Workman, 2006).
