The Best-Ever Strawberry Cake

In our house we have one rule for birthday cakes and it is that the inside is more important than the outside!  I try to doctor up cake mixes and add fillings to make them as tasty as possible.  I mean...I TRY to make them pretty but my skills are limited soooo....you work with what ya' got.  

(Pineapple Upside Down Layered Cake, Peaches and Cream Cupcakes, Chocolate Cream Layered Cake are a few examples!)  

A few years ago for Cassidy's birthday I made her a Strawberry Cake that was literally the best Strawberry Cake I've ever made.  She (like her mother) doesn't care much for chocolate and  I love to make her cakes.  The recipe I used was Paula Deen's Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake.  The recipe calls for a Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing but we like to use what we call "Fruit Dip Icing".  It's fruity and light and extravagantly delicious all at the same time.

This year for Jo's second birthday I decided to break out the recipe again, only this time it became Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake.  I layered it with Lemon Cook N Serve Pie Filling and Fruit Dip Icing and then iced it with the Fruit Dip Icing.  

I doubled the recipe that way I had four thin (ish) layers of cake.  

Paula Deen's Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake.

• 1 Box of White Cake Mix
• 1 3 oz Box of Strawberry Flavored Instant Jello
• 1 15 oz Package of Frozen Strawberries in Syrup, thawed and pureed.  
• 4 Large Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 Cup Water

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease and flour 2 (9 inch) round cake pans.  

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and Jello Mix.  Add pureed strawberries (I was not going to go to the trouble to puree with a machine...I squished them...with my hands...very well), eggs, oil and water.  Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  ( Mine baked for probably 30 minutes...)  

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove and cool completely on wire racks.  (I have,  like,  20 seconds a day to get stuff done, so I baked mine, cooled, wrapped in Saran Wrap and left in the refrigerator for a day.)  

The icing for this cake is very simple...in fact it is technically fruit dip.  That stuff with marshmallow creme and cream cheese.  Yep.  Mix some cool whip into that stuff and ice a cake. 

Fruit Dip Icing

• 1 8 oz Package of Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 7 oz  of Marshmallow Creme...or Fluff...depending on what you buy.
• 1 Large (16 oz) Container of Cool Whip, thawed.

Mix the cream cheese and marshmallow creme together well.  Fold in the Cool Whip.  Done.

To layer the cake, arrange bottom layer onto a cake plate...or just a plate.  Spread a dollop of icing on the top.  If you have a fruit filling (strawberry jam, lemon curd, etc) or fresh fruit or even a cream filling, now is the time to throw that on there.  Set your next layer squarely on top, covering the sides and top with your remaining icing.  If you were to double your recipe for the icing and had left overs, no worries.  It will keep for a couple days in the fridge and make killer dip for strawberries, grapes, apples...or just your spoon.  

Ain't nobody got time for that.

I don't know about you but if my plans for the day are going to change, it's at 3 pm...an hour before I get off work.  And the one thing Err'body is worried about is supper.  Either A.) I had planned to have take out and now I'm at home trying to make something for supper out of nothing. or B.) I've got half the time I thought I was going to have to prepare a meal.  No meat is thawed, nothing in the Crock-Pot, a grocery run is badly needed and it is an episode of Chopped in the kitchen.

We have our Go-To's depending on the season...Chili, Sloppy Joe, Tacos (all day, every day), Breakfast for Dinner, Pork Burgers on the Grill, Potato Soup, Frozen Pizza...Pizza Rolls...every family has their favorite quick fix.  But the other day when scenario A. presented itself, I decided to do some research.  I asked on four different Facebook sites that I frequent, two different Mom pages, an Agriculture Women's page and a Cooking page.   "What is your favorite FAST homemade meal?"  For the most part, the options above or variations of them were given but I also gathered some really great ideas!! 

One of the Suggestions was for a Broccoli Casserole.  I tried it the other night and it was great!  It was hearty and filling and required one dish since I used my Dutch Oven to fry the meat and bake in.  I made a few alterations of my own and would edit it a bit more next time.  For example, I used an entire packet of Dry Ranch Mix...it was a bit much.  If you buy Ranch Mix in bulk I would use about 2-3 Tbsp, otherwise half of the packet would be perfect!  I also used half a bag of Broccoli Florets but I don't think there could be too much!  I would add a full bag next time!  Also, I did not add salt or pepper or any other seasoning considering the sausage is seasoned and the soup and ranch mix contains plenty of salt and seasonings.  I will include those edits in this recipe.

Ranch Broccoli Bake

1 lb Ground Breakfast Sausage
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets (approx 14oz)
1 8 oz Package of Cream Cheese
1 10.5 oz can of Cream of Mushroom
1/2  Packet of Dry Ranch Mix
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
3 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers (approximately 25-30 crackers)

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.  Brown Sausage and Ground Beef in pan and drain.  Mix in Cream Cheese, Cream of Mushroom Soup, and 1/2 of the packet of Dry Ranch Mix, stir until thoroughly combined.  Stir in the bag of frozen Broccoli and the Cheddar Cheese, patting down the top of the mixture.  In a separate bowl melt the butter, folding until crumbs are completely buttered.  Sprinkle cracker crumbs over the top.  Bake for 45 minutes uncovered until top is browned and broccoli is done.

*If you were to pre-cook and drain the broccoli before adding to the mixture it would reduce the cooking time by half!!

Because...Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think if there was one thing that I could ask my family to pick for me to make it would be Chocolate Chip Cookies.  There was a time in my life that I could not make cookies to save my life.  Seriously.  I would follow the recipe to a T, after all Baking is a science.  I thought surely if I skipped an ingredient then it just wouldn't work.  

At the time Emma was probably 9 or so and she blew my mind one day when she said "Grandma never puts salt in her cookies.  Because you are already using Salted Butter..."  Mind. Blown.   No idea why that didn't register to me before but I ALWAYS omit Salt from my cookies when following a recipe...and they turn out perfect every time!  

Also, I keep my flour in the freezer.  You know how they always say that you should chill cookie dough before baking, Done.  Instantly chilled.  

Next key tip, ALWAYS use Milk Chocolate Chips.  Toll House will do.  Generic Brand will do.  Ghirardelli will rock your socks.  Worst case scenario, no one is going to complain if all you have is semi-sweet.  

Do not overcook your cookies.  They will continue to bake while resting on the hot cookie sheet.  You want them to be lightly browned but not solid all the way through.  If you do happen to get busy and forget about them and they get past the "perfect" stage....not that this has ever happened to me... Just pull the entire parchment paper off of the cookie sheet and set on a cool surface to stop the cooking process while still allowing them to rest.  

Last but not least, if at all possible cool your cookies on newspaper or parchment paper.  These cookies have 1 1/3 Cup of "fat" in them. While they are cooling the paper will soak up some of the greasiness that can collect on the cookies.  Now please go forget I said anything about the Fat.  

This recipe is adapted from one that I pulled from a local cookbook, "Sheryl's" Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is the best.   I have listed it below to reflect the changes that I make to it.  I would bet that I have made a 100 dozen of these so far...and they are perfect.  I don't even have to look at the recipe anymore...that's how you know it's a good one!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 Cup Shortening

2/3 Cup  Salted Butter

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed

2 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla

3 Cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

Milk Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix Shortening, Butter, Sugars, Eggs and Vanilla until mixture is creamed.  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Drop rounded Tbsp of dough on to an un-greased baking sheet ( I use parchment paper)  Bake for 10 min.  Let cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing.  Makes approximately 3 dozen.  (Depending on how much cookie dough you eat...)

***EDIT*** I purposely left out the measurement on the chocolate chips because to be honest I'm not a  fan of chocolate.  I like more dough than chip.  The original recipe called for 2 BAGS of chips and that is way too much on my opinion.   I like to put in a little more than a cup...unless Myles is standing over my shoulder.  Then I put about an 11.5oz  bag in.