Easy Pink Strawberry Cake

Boys. I live with all boys. Even the DOG is a boy. So, the birth of my new baby niece meant I got to make something pink.

I did it really pink. Pink Strawberry Cake. Pink Icing. Pink Decorations. PINK! (I should have added pink sprinkles, too, shouldn't I?!)

What You Need:
White Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup pureed strawberries (See notes below)

For the Icing:
1 8 oz. brick of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1-3 Tbsp. milk
red or pink icing coloring

 Preheat the oven to 350-degrees (F).

For the strawberries, dice about 1 1/4 cups of strawberries (the more ripe they are, the better). Add about 1 Tbsp. of sugar and let them set for about 5-10 minutes to help them get juicy.

Put them in a blender, or use an Immersion Blender (LOVE mine!) to puree the strawberries. You should end up with about 1 cup of strawberry puree.

In your mixing bowl, now you can whisk your eggs until they're bubbly.

Add the remaining ingredients, and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl at least once while you mix.

Divide the batter between two cake pans greased with Cake Release or just shortening (not floured). I would also recommend using a round of parchment paper in the bottom, because these cakes are a little more moist than most, so they tend to stick.
(I used 6" pans with Bake Even Strips around them so they bake level. I had enough for three layers, but only used 2 for this cake.)

Bake according to the cake mix directions. About 25-30 minutes for 6" pans. About 30 minutes for 8" or 9" pans. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cakes to a Cooling Rack. Let them set in the pans on the cooling rack for about 10 minutes.

Flip the cakes onto the cooling rack to finish cooling. (If the cakes have a large dome in the center, do not cool on their tops or it can crack through the center. Flip the cake back over on to its bottom to cool.)

While the cakes are cooling, make your icing.  (But be sure not to take ANY pictures of it.)
Cream together the cream cheese and butter (be sure they're both soft). Add half of the powdered sugar. Mix well.
Add vanilla and milk. Mix well.
Add remaining sugar. Mix well.
Add a few drops of food coloring (or use icing coloring) to make the icing a pale, pale pink.
*Note: I considered using my absolute favorite icing, my Strawberry Buttercream Icing, but I was afraid that may be strawberry overload.

To assemble the cake, I leveled the cakes using my cake leveler. Place the bottom layer - upright - on your cake circle or cake plate.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the icing over the top of the first layer.

Add the second layer, upside down, on top of the first. (Always decorate your cakes upside down, because this is the flattest spot on the cake, and it makes fewer crumbs.)

Spread the icing over the top of the cake. Click the link for a complete tutorial on how to ice a cake.

Because I decided to use a Decorating Combon the sides, that meant I needed a little thicker layer of icing on the sides. (I actually still didn't add quite enough, so be sure you really load up those sides. It's okay, You will scrape some of it off with the comb.)

Once I had my sides iced, because the plate I used had a lip on the edge, I needed to use the decorating comb with the cake somewhere else (or the plate's lip would have gotten in the way of holding the comb straight).

Here's where I admit to you that I've never really used this thing before, and I need a little more practice with it. I had to go back and re-smooth the sides and try again three times before I got it right.

My tips for using the comb:
Cover the sides with a thick coating of frosting.
Be sure your icing is evenly spread top-to-bottom. Mine was a little thinner at the top, which led to a little gouging of the cake.
You really need to use a turntable when using the comb. If not, you'll get some lines where you have to start and stop.

You want the sides to look something like this-- or better. But this will do.

I then colored the remaining icing a darker pink, adding a little more red coloring, for the border, the writing and the dots.
To make the border, I used tip #12 to make "shells." Hold the piping bag so that the back of the bag is pointing at your chest and the tip is just above the surface of the cake or cake plate. Squeeze and slowly move the bag toward yourself.  The writing and the dots were made with tip #3.
(I want to do some videos to show these techniques-- soon.)

I can't wait to bring this cake to my new baby niece. I know her parents don't want to go too pink on her, so I'll be the awesome pink Aunt who does!

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