My Grandma’s Ridiculously Easy Strawberry Cake Starts With a Boxed Mix

In the Kitchen
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DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS 

My grandma’s cake is one of the few foods my family members and I will fight over.

My grandma knew how to make sweet treats, especially cakes. For birthdays, it was always a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. In the fall, she put out her Apple Coffee Cake. And during the holidays, she showed off her skills beyond cakes in the form of retro dessert salads and cookies. 

But one recipe that popped up when the weather was warmer was her Strawberry Cake. It’s a simple recipe that starts with a box of cake mix and ends with a dessert any berry lover would enjoy. 

How to Make My Grandma's Strawberry Cake

Grandma would only make her Strawberry Cake recipe when spring was in full swing (otherwise she avoided it because my dad doesn’t like strawberries). With a box of white cake mix, strawberry flavored Jell-O, and frozen strawberries, she made a light and fruity cake that goes with any warm day. Once the cake cooled, she finished it with a simple three-ingredient strawberry icing that rounded out the sweetness and flavor.

She liked using frozen strawberries, which she thawed before starting the recipe, because of their concentrated flavor. Frozen fruit is picked at its peak and immediately preserved, while fresh fruit can lose some sweetness and freshness during storage and transportation to your local market. 

While fresh strawberries work just as well as frozen, try to buy them from a grocery store with quality produce. A bad batch of strawberries can make or break a fruity cake like this.

Keaton Larson

Ingredients:

  • 1 box white cake mix
  • 1 3-ounce package of strawberry flavored Jell-O
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup of butter
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1 (16-ounce) package frozen strawberries (thawed)
  • 4 eggs

Directions:

  • Line two 9-inch cake pans (or three 8-inch pans) with wax paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Add ½ cup cold water to the strawberry Jell-O mix. Stir until fully combined.
  • Add cake mix and flour to strawberry Jell-O mixture. Beat well.
  • Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. 
  • Add butter and thawed strawberries. Beat well. 
  • Divide the cake mix evenly into two pans, bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  • Remove from the oven and cool the layers completely on a wire rack before frosting.

    • How to Make the Cake Icing

    The icing Grandma used only requires three ingredients: 1 softened stick of butter, powdered sugar, and more strawberries. Depending on how you like your icing—smooth or chunky—there are two ways to prepare your strawberries for the icing. You can  dice them into small pieces or blend them into a purée. 

    Ingredients:

    • 8 ounces butter, softened
    • 1 pound powdered sugar
    • 8 to 10 ounces of strawberries, diced or blended into a purée

    Directions:

  • Add softened butter to a bowl, followed by powdered sugar and berries. 
  • Beat together until smooth and creamy, then frost your cake.

    • 6 Keys To Baking a Truly Incredible Fresh Strawberry Cake

    More Strawberry Cakes to Try

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

    • Strawberry Crunch Cake
    • Chef John’s Strawberry Crêpe Cake
    • Best Strawberry Cake from Scratch
    • Strawberry Sheet Cake
    • Red Velvet Strawberry Cake
    • Strawberry Dream Cake

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