My feeling is why go to all the work and the trouble of making a cake from scratch when you can make a perfectly good one or even, most probably, a better one from a cake mix. But I always like to add a little something to a cake mix because I'm never completely satisfied with just a plain old cake and this cake is no exception. And the nice thing about using a cake mix is you know it's always going to turn out well and look beautiful which, in turn, makes you look good (as well as beautiful!). I'll admit this is a rather large cake, but you'll be surprised how fast it will disappear and soon you'll be baking another one for those who wanted 'seconds' but didn't get to have any. All you have to do is bake the cake and then set it out with the strawberries and some whipped cream and watch it turn into the 'magical disappearing strawberry shortcake'. It's seems that no one can resist the delicious and admittedly tempting strawberry shortcake, the All-American dessert after apple pie, of course. But while strawberries are still in season and readily available, I think apple pie takes second place, don't you? Let's get started:
2 white cake mixes: you can choose whichever kind you like the most either just plain white, French Vanilla as I've used here or the butter cake mix. Any of them will work just fine. You can even use a yellow cake mix, but I prefer the white. If you do use a white cake mix, be sure to use whole eggs and not egg whites as it gives it much more of a 'shortcake' appearance and texture.
2 pkgs. instant pudding: Here I've used cheesecake, but vanilla would work just as well.
2 C. water
1 C. sour cream
6 eggs
2/3 C. oil
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
4 lbs. strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1/4 C. sugar
2 C. heavy whipping cream
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Make the cake in a large bowl according to package directions adding the pudding to the dry mix before adding the wet ingredients.
2. Spray a 'bundt' baking pan with Pam Spray and carefully spoon or pour in the cake batter.
3. Set the cake pan on a cookie sheet that has been spread with aluminum foil which makes it easier to clean up the spill-overs.
4. Bake in a 350 oven for 55-60 minutes or until a pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
5. Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool before serving.
6. When it is cool, sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries by washing, hulling and slicing them and then sprinkle on the 1/4 C. sugar. Allow them to sit in the refrigerator while the cake is baking which will bring out the natural juices in the berries.
8. Whip the cream, adding the sugar and vanilla when it has thickened enough to stand in stiff peaks.
9. When the cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and cut off the spill-overs from the sides. Now is when you'll be glad you put it on the aluminum foil which you can just roll up and throw away. That's it--you're done. Now serve it and sit back and enjoy the compliments. Is it easy? Absolutely! Will you be glad you made it? Yes, indeed. This recipe serves 12-15 very generously. Enjoy!
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