Monday, June 18, 2012

Strawberry Cake...for Father's Day!


Notice something different?...a pink cake...and it's for Father's Day!...just can't stop having 'Lucy' moments, since I agreed to guest post for my friend Ping, and Veronica. It just seemed to have rubbed off on me. Now, I'm enlisted in the 'Lucy Club'

Why a 'pink' cake for Father's Day?...wouldn't it be more appropriate to make a cake with perhaps 'blueberries' that would signify that it's for  a male?...actually, not really Having a strawberry cake is OK, but why go overboard for the pink frosting?...well, I have an explanation for that, as well!

Linking to:
Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Swathi's Zesty South Indian Kitchen

OK, I must admit that I got a little carried away with the cake. I had 2 containers of beautiful ripe strawberries, and I just had to do something with them, so I decided to make a cake (last minute)...like a few hours before we were going to eat lunch.

The cake was an absolute success to celebrate Father's Day for my son, and my ex-hubby! They never even notice that it was all PINK, but my little granddaughter sure did. Pink is her favorite color, so it was a double celebration!

Strawberry Cake
my doctored up creation

1 box of strawberry or yellow cake mix
1- 3oz. box of strawberry JELL-O
1/2 cup canola, or vegetable oil
1 cup of plain water
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups mashed strawberries
1 Tbsp sugar




It's a lot easier than you think. Just one box of strawberry cake mix, or yellow cake mix,

For the strawberries: cut the berries in 1/3 pieces, place them in a medium bowl, and add the 1 Tbsp sugar...mash with mashed potato masher, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. It will be juicy and slightly chunky.


In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, 1/2 of the 3-oz. JELL-O the eggs, oil, water. Beat on slow speed with electric mixer, until combined, then on high speed for about 3 minute, till creamy, and fluffy.










After mixing the ingredients, pour in the mashed strawberries.












 Gently fold in the mashed strawberries.













Pour into a sprayed and floured 9 inch spring form pan, or 2- 9 inch round pans. (my pan I used only has the bottom removable.
For spring-form pan, bake at 350 degrees F. for 45-50 minutes, for the 2 round 9 inch pans, about 30-35 minutes.








Let it cool on a wire rack, and frost with strawberry cream cheese frosting:

1- 8 oz. pkg Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temp.
1 stick=4 oz, (113.4 g,) unsalted butter, at room temp.
3 cups powder (icing) sugar
1 teaspoon of the strawberry JELL-O
1 teaspoon plain water

With an electric mixer, mix all ingredients together, till combined, and beat until light, and fluffy, on high speed. Spread it on the cake, when cake is cool, and decorate with additional strawberries if you like. Let the cake set in the fridge for about 2hrs before serving! It is yumm, and delish...and no-one will suspect that it's a "doctored-up" cake...let it be YOUR SECRET! 


I finally received the special addition of the Bon Appetit for the Giveaway, and will announce the winner for my next post!

So, for my continuing photos....just wanted to share some S. Florida photos. The mango tree has already been trimmed down...it is at least 50yrs old.

The glorious mango tree...mangoes getting nice, and ripe!

He loves bougainvilleas!


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57 comments:

Torviewtoronto said...

delicious pink cake and pictures of beautiful flowers look wonderful

Joyful said...

Oh my word, that looks utterly divine. I've got to try it. You really do have some wonderful recipes!

Joyful said...

p.s. the photos of your daughter and SIL's yard are beautiful. They've done a wonderful job of the garden.

Marina@Picnic at Marina said...

Elisabeth, after reading through it feels like I was on a short trip to Florida myself! Beautiful... Your pink cake is so cute :)

Swathi Iyer said...

Elisabeth, Strawberry cake looks delicious.Your daughter had fabulous garden. Love the mango tree.

Illéskrisz Konyhája said...

Mint egy kis édenkert az a ház! Csodálatos helyen él a lányod!A torta pedig fantasztikus! Szerintem amit itthon lehet kapni zseléport, az is jó lehetne hozzá...Szóval nagyon guszta, jól jönne egy szeletke belőle!

Ola said...

wow, this is so pretty that I regret that I am not having a possibility now to prepare it:)

Blog about life and travelling
Blog about cooking

marisz57 said...

Nagyon mutatós lett a rózsaszín torta, és biztos nagyon finom is!
A lányodék a "paradicsomban" élnek!Köszönet a szép fotókért!

Emma said...

I love bougainvilleas as well, they're so pretty climbing up walls.

Such a gorgeous pink cake! I love pink baked goods. In terms of boys eating/drinking pink things, I made pink champagne cocktails at Christmas and they were enjoyed by boys and girls!

Elin said...

Elisabeth...I love the cake !! hahaha as long as it taste yummy who would bother about the color :) Nice one ! I am sure all the men in the house are happy :)

Angie's Recipes said...

Not a problem with pinky when it comes to strawberry cake ;-)) A beautiful yard...so green and tropical. Awesome entrance with bougainvilleas.
I am jealous that you/your daughter have your own mango tree!
Thank you, Eli, for bringing "spelt" typo to my attention. You are the BEST. I couldn't believe that I did it again, and with my favourite flour SPELT!

Priya said...

Mindblowing and stunning cake.

Una Semplice Passione said...

I don't know if I would dare to make this for my father but it sure looks soooooo good!!!!! I think this would be a huge success among girls (I as well love pink ;-) ). And it looks so fresh-tasting. Thanks for sharing Elisabeth!

ping said...

Suuuurrre ... blame me for the Lucy-ness! But, hey, they didn't notice the color and I'm enjoying it! Lovely! My dad and hubby couldn't care less about the color as long as it tastes good!

Kay @ The Church Cook said...

Beautiful images, Elisabeth. And of course we can have pink for Father's Day! Men usually don't see color, just scrumptiousness. :)

Paula said...

Can imagine the wonderful flavour of this cake and pink is a great colour! (Real men aren't afraid to eat quiche or pink cake :)

Elisabeth said...

Ping, I'm laughing over here about the blame...you came to mind first, but of course Veronica too. I added her on to the 'blame Lucy' list, and linked it to both of you!

I agree about men not caring about the color...actually it's the little kids that distinguish the colors...and it sure tasted very good with all the strawberries!

Elisabeth said...

Angie you're so right, when it comes to strawberry cake, it doesn't matter about the color. I just went for the color scheme since it was strawberry.

The mango tree is half a century old, and during the hurricane in 2006, half of the limbs were destroyed, and it just keeps growing, and giving glorious mangoes.

You're welcome about the typo. I make a lot of them myself. When you type fast, and not really double check that's when it happens.
Glad its corrected now!

wanna said...

Gyönyörű a rózsaszín torta, bármilyen napra, gyümölcsös, habos, ez az igazi!
Imádom a mangót, egy ilyen fát szeretnék :)

Sandra M. said...

Great post! I am loving your pink cake, very delicious and pretty!
Also those flower pics are gorgeous!

Michael Toa said...

Hi Elisabeth! Hope you are well. Sorry I haven't been visiting for a while. I haven't been able to keep up with my blog reading during my trip here in Indonesia. What a lovely pink cake for father's day. I love it. I'm sure I heard the saying somewhere: Real Men Wear Pink. In this case, real men also eat pink cake!

Jane said...

Gorgeous cake! I think it fits in quite perfectly in S. Florida - makes me think of pink flamingos. Really lovely grounds - it must be a joy to live in such beautiful setting. You are a good Mom :)

Elisabeth said...

Hi Michael...I had no idea that you were, or still are in Indonesia!
I haven't seen you posting in a few weeks...did not know what's happening with you.
Yes, there's a saying about 'real men wearing pink' and I do agree that same goes for the cake, as well!
Although my 6 year old grandson would not agree on the PINK thing. He would say "that's for girls"...ha, ha!

Katalin said...

Csodaszép lett a tortád, és a többi kép is nagyon jó. Felénk nem nagyon szokás az Apák napját tartani, de jó ötlet, főleg ha finomakat lehet enni :)

Sissi said...

What a gorgeous cake, Elisabeth! Why pink wouldn't be ok for men? I'm sure some men would fight for a piece of your beautiful cake! Besides I know many men who wear light pink shirts and sweaters and polo shirts, exactly your frosting's colour.
A swimming pool and a mango tree in the garden made me dream... I wouldn't mind house sitting for your daughter :-)

trollanyu said...

Ezt a tortát az én lányom is sikítozva fogadná, mert pink:) Nagyon jól néz ki:) Ha nyugdíjas leszek, akkor Floridában szeretnék élni és akarok egy hatalmas mangófát is:)Gyönyörű édenkert:)

Cucina49 said...

Wow, that is gorgeous! Definitely for the dad who is secure and doesn't mind pink--my father would love this.

Juliana said...

Awesome cake Elisabeth...like the idea of Jello in the cake mix...beautifully done!
I love the pictures of your daughter's garden...indeed a piece of paradise :)
Hope you are enjoying your week!

Lizzy said...

Just gorgeous, Lizzie! I love pink, too...and my boys wouldn't even notice :) Lora's yard is beautiful...I think I could vacation there just fine~

Balvinder Ubi said...

Hi Eliz, You daughter Laura has a nice house with huge garden. The mango tree reminded me of our house in India.
Whether its blue or pink the cake looks beautiful and I am sure you had a wonderful father's day.

Elisabeth said...

Anna, I don't think your father would pay too much attention to the color pink...just would enjoy the cake. I do think color preference is more common with children!
Thanks for commenting!

Kathy said...

Elizabeth, Love the way your cake looks…such beautiful color! Absolutely beautiful!! Now I see what you meant about great minds…another strawberry cake! Yummy! Love Lara’s yard…such beautiful flowers and I love the mango tree!

Elisabeth said...

Thank you Juliana, I appreciate you kind comment. Yes, the garden is their pride and joy, which really is so nice to have all year round since there really is virtually NO winter here, maybe a week or two of really cold climate in January.

Elisabeth said...

Thank you, I agree. I didn't get any complaints either...instead, they loved the pretty color, and didn't ask "why pink?"

Gina said...

None of the dads around here would object to a pink cake. Lora has a beautiful backyard and I'm sure you are taking the best care of it. I'm sure you are still missing Prince, but I hope it is getting a little bit easier. I made strawberry bars today and now I'm wishing I had cake.
-Gina-

Shabs said...

That cake looks absolutely awesome Elisabeth and the garden , I am just speechless ,it's just beautiful :D.

Phong Hong said...

What a beautiful, beautiful cake! Wish I could have a slice. And the garden is simply gorgeous!

Rosemary said...

A Lucy moment, huh? Even though you didn't get to go to Italy, it looks like a bit of a vacation! Wonderfully creative cake, Elisabeth. Pretty in pink.

simple baking said...

My father wont even notice the colour :D. The cake looks absolutely yummy and I love the strawberry-cream-cheese frosting on top.
Your daughter's backyard is beautiful and the mango tree is very impressive.
HAve a nice day!
x
Anuja

Elisabeth said...

Yes Rosemary, I do get my Lucy moments; good thing they're not too many of them, otherwise it will be predictable.

No, I didn't get to go to Italy...not for 3yrs now, hopefully next year. Come to think of it, I do have a board on Pinterest called
"pretty in pink"

Elisabeth said...

See Anuja, that's what I keep saying...although I don't know why I just didn't keep the cream white?...actually, I do know; I wanted to experiment with the pink gelatin powder, that made it such a pretty pink.

Thank you, Anuja...the mango tree is indeed impressive, and we get plenty of rain to keep all the plants fresh and vibrant!
xo

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

How interesting that this cake has Jello in it! I'm not much of a baker that I never thought of Jello in the cake! I never know how creative you can be to make a cake!

Wow Lora's garden looks beautiful! Bougainvilleas are my favorite flower for gardens. I love their vivid color!

Becky said...

Elisabeth,
I would vacation at Lora's tropical paradise. I love bougainvilleas, too, but have only seen them in the Caribbean.

Your pinky Strawberry Cake looks lovely, and I love all of the strawberry flavor.

Amelia said...

Hi Elisabeth, your strawberry cake look so delicious. Love the topping and gorgeous decoration. The pink color look so lovely.

Lora's place is so beautiful,nice environment. Look like a holiday resort. Thanks for sharing all the beautiful flowers pictures.

Soon I'll see you churn out mangoes goodies from your kitchen!! :)
You can try mango fish salad which it's a very appetizing dish.
I use Dory fish, season and coat with bread crumbs, deep fry until golden brown. Cut into bite size.

For the salad: unripe mango, carrot, big onion, chilli cut into julienne. Seasoned with salt, sugar, lemon juice. Chilled in fridge till cold. Scoop some mango salad on top of dory fish just before serving. Enjoy.

Have a nice day, regards & Take care, my dear!

Elisabeth said...

Hi Amelia, how sweet of you to include a delicious recipe for mangoes in your comment. Wow, I'm really impressed, but then again...why wouldn't I be. You are so creative with your cakes and other desserts that go on-and-on, non stop!

I am having a wonderful time at Lora's with the cute little doggies, and we've been getting rain so far, all week, which is OK...love the soft warm rain!
Take care as well, and best regards!

Lyndsey said...

Hi Elisabeth, I had a comment all set to post yesterday and then my internet went down.AHHHHH!!!! Now I am on my daughter's computer and hope it goes through. I had to say that the cake looks super yummy and it would work out perfect for me because my husband is color blind so he really doesn't comment on colors much :D I am so envious of the mangoes being able to ripen on the tree. I just collected a bunch of mangoes that the squirrels "picked" and didn't get a chance to bite into yet! I don't know if they will ripen...any good recipes for green mangoes? :D

Elisabeth said...

Lyndsey, I just don't get it! Why are the squirrels eating the mangoes?...I haven't even seen one squirrel in the back yard here. So sorry about your hubby being color blind. I thought only dogs were color blind...and at any rate, as long as the color is not so shockingly vivid, due to too much 'food color' then it's OK by me!

I don't think there's any good recipes for green mangoes!

Inside a British Mum's Kitchen said...

Real men like pink!! and who wouldn't like that cake!! gorgeous! super pictures :)
Mary x

April @ The 21st Century Housewife said...

What a lovely garden, and what an absolutely gorgeous cake! I like the addition of the strawberry puree to the cake batter.

Catherine said...

Dear Elisabeth, What a delightful post! The pictures are beautiful! Your strawberry cake sounds wonderful...perfect for the warm season especially with strawberries in season! Blessings my friend, Catherine xo

Velva said...

The Father's Day cake...well, it just rocks. Love, love the pink color.

As for the Florida scenery...I miss it. The photo of the mango tree reminded me of my dad's.

Cheers.
Velva

Zoe said...

Love the very-strawberry colour inside every slice of your cake. Adding strawberry Jello into your cream cheese frosting is a great idea.

Elisabeth said...

Thank you everyone, for your sweet comments, I really and truly appreciate each and every one of them!

Pacheco Patty said...

I love a pink cake filled with strawberries for Father's day, I wish I would have thought of that;-)

lena said...

hi elisabeth, i think generally men are less noticeable..i think they dont even notice if we ladies never change our clothes in 2 or 3 days straight. I dont think i'll bother about the colour of the cake much too, this is looking too pretty!

mellissina2 said...

Gyönyörű a torta,és micsoda finom lehet,és a környezet tökéletes,ilyenről mi csak álmodunk!!!!

Life's a shoe said...

looks delicious!