Strawberries-and-Cream Cake

My daughter stirred up this cake last week and this recipe was added to our list of June favorites. The cake is such a lovely pink color and the cream cheese frosting is the perfect combination.

If I was serving this for guests I would have removed the cake from the pan, flipped it out onto a tray, and spread the frosting over the whole cake. It would be a lovely addition to a June ladies' luncheon.

But I was serving this just for our family and knew it would take several days to finish. I didn't want it to get soggy so I just cut individual pieces and served it with a dollop of the frosting on top. The taste is not affected either way.

Strawberries-and-Cream Cake
(Adapted from Southern Living)

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 T strawberry gelatin
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cups chopped fresh strawberries

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add lemon juice and vanilla.

Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture with the buttermilk, stirring just until blended.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with strawberries-and-cream frosting.

Strawberries-and-Cream Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3 T lemon juice

Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar until smooth. Stir in strawberries.

Beat cream and juice until foamy. Add 1/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold cream mixture into cream cheese mixture. Use immediately.

Note: I'm sure you could omit the homemade whipped cream and substitute whipped topping if you wanted a faster dessert.