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 and the centerpiece at my first birthday celebration. 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 the acceptance of convenience products in the consumer world. Great-Aunt Annie didn’t have time to bake cakes from scratch as her mom did before her. Working full-time in a hosiery mill in the ’40s and ’50s, she turned to box mixes for special occasions and added her own ingredients to make them hers.
She kept the actual Pink Cake recipe secret for years until my mom begged for it in the late ’60s — 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. When I (a self-proclaimed nonbaker) bake this cake, it’s considered an extra-special labor of love. Round layer cakes, even those that start from a box mix, are fancy and extravagant, even for me.
Aunt Annie would probably be shocked, but maybe proud that her “cheat cake” is considered 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
1 cup frozen strawberries packed in light syrup, thawed
1 box (16.25 oz.) white cake mix
1 box (3 oz.) strawberry Jell-O
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
½ cup water
2 batches Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting, recipe follows (see note)
Fresh sliced strawberries for garnish, if desired
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat three (8-inch) round metal cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust well with flour. Set aside.
Drain strawberries well, reserving the juice for frosting. Combine cake mix, strawberry Jell-O powder and flour in large bowl of an electric mixer. Add oil, eggs, water and drained strawberries. Mix well on low for 30 seconds, then medium for 2 minutes, scraping sides as necessary.
Divide the batter equally among the three prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks. Cool cake rounds for another 30 minutes.
Frost (see note) with Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting and garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired.
Makes 16 servings.
Each serving has about 626 calories (42 percent from fat), 30 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 77 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams protein, 89 grams carbohydrates, a trace of dietary fiber and 319 milligrams sodium.
Strawberry Butter Cream
Frosting
1 stick butter, at room temperature
¼ cup strawberry juice
1 lb. powdered sugar
Using an 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.
Makes about 2 cups (for 1 sheet cake, 24 cupcakes or half of a three-layer cake)
Each ¼ cup has about 326 calories (32 percent from fat), 11.5 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 30 milligrams cholesterol, a trace of protein, 57 grams carbohydrates, no dietary fiber and 83 milligrams sodium.
Note: It is easier to make one batch of the frosting and frost the tops of the first two layers of cake, then make another batch and finish frosting the third layer and the sides. Dip your knife or spatula in a glass of warm water to help smooth the frosting without tearing the cake.
Contact Alicia Ross c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106, email tellus@kitchenscoop.com, or visit http://kitchenscoop.com.
