There may be no Spring layer cake that’s as welcome as Cottage Strawberry Cake. I’ll admit my skills as a cake decorator are few- yet decorating this cake with fresh strawberries makes it look so appealing and beautiful! I sort of went overboard and pulled some wild and domesticated strawberry leaves and runners (washed well mind you! Then kept them fresh in damp paper towels until time to decorate the Cottage Strawberry Cake.
Whole strawberries may be served alongside the slices and provide a welcome tang to the sweet cream chees
e frosting. Not being a proficient Cake baker either, with few exceptions. I used a name brand good quality cake mix and enriched it with milk, melted butter, pure vanilla extract and an extra egg to make a denser more flavorful cake.
I think anytime you use a boxed cake mix of any kind, it’s a good idea to enrich it and also to make homemade frosting! This frosting has fresh strawberries in it- which changes the texture a bit- the recipe has a few suggestions if you prefer the smoother texture. Here’s how you make Cottage Strawberry Cake–
Cottage Strawberry Cake
A beautiful 2 layer cake with cream cheese icing and sugared strawberries. Impressive showing for Spring- especially if fresh strawberries and if you can find wild strawberry leaves and stems!
- 1 Box Duncan Hines Strawberry Cake Mix (* made according to our swap outs)
- 3/4 Cup Whole Milk (reduced by 1 Teaspoon)
- 7 Tablespoons Melted and cooled Butter (Plus more unmelted butter for pans)
- 3-4 Large Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 Cup Fresh Strawberries- hulled and chopped (Sprinkle sugar over berries and cover)
- 12 Ounces Cream Cheese (Room temperature )
- 2 Sticks Butter (Room Temperature )
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1-1 1/4 Pound Powdered Sugar (Sifted)
- 1 Quart Fresh Strawberries- whole for decorating the cake
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For Cake- prepare 2 – 8 inch cake pans: grease with butter, then flour lightly. ( Lining pans with parchment paper rounds is also a good idea) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (If using dark coated pans- reduce oven temp to 325 degrees) Blend cake mix, milk, melted and cooled butter and 4 eggs(3 eggs unless you want a denser cake) in a large bowl until moistened. Add vanilla extract. Blend well. (Do not mix according to box Directions!) Divide the batter equally between prepared pans. Bake cake layers on center oven rack for 26-30;minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. (Check after 25 minutes) Cool layers in pans on a rack for 15 minutes! Turn out of pans and cool completely – this is important!
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For Frosting- In a deep bowl or your stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment- not whisk! Blend together cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar until thick consistency. Drain Room Temperature! sugared strawberries very very well. Fold into frosting. * Frosting may change texture when strawberries are added, you may add more powdered sugar if needed. Chill frosting until slightly firm before frosting cake layers. decorate with whole strawberries and greenery- if you don’t have wild strawberry leaves, mint leaves work well. Chill cake before serving. 8-10 slices.
Feel free to add a few drops of red food coloring to Frosting, though strawberries should add the color you want. If concerned about the texture of the frosting, you may substitute up to 1/2 cup of strawberry jam.
Our Cottage Strawberry Cake reminds me of a sweet and dear friend every time I make it, and isn’t that what any dish we make supposed to do? Good memories of sweet folks we’ve known and loved is the best reason I can think of to bake or cook anything! Hope you’re enjoying this Spring weather and dreaming of all the good things ahead…
Love y’all, Camellia
* All photographs are obviously mine.
Camellia's Cottage 
Girl you have so much to learn! My mother would tell you in a heart beat to use “Watkins” vanilla extract or that cake will just be shoved over there with those bought cakes at a Methodist Funeral.
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Absolutely! And isn’t that what ‘pure Vanilla Extract’ is? 😂 Watkins is the best no doubt! I’m halfway ashamed this isn’t a made from scratch cake too! But! At least it’s not ‘bought’ cake! 🍓🍓🍓
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Oh, my! I’ll have to make this for my homemade cake purist. 😀
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😄 Thank you Robin! Let me know how it goes… it’s odd, I make my pound cakes totally from scratch! This one? Just thought I’d take an easy route… and a friend that sells her cakes uses cake mix for her cake! I had written down from somewhere how to enrich a cake mix- use milk instead of water, use melted butter instead of oil…etc thank you dear friend!
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Oh my YUM! This cake screams Spring is here!
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Thank you Laura 🍓❤️🍓 It’s really good in spring…though folks around here love it at Christmas too! ???
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It’s wonderful to be able to eat fresh, delicious strawberries without the backbreaking ordeal of picking them. This looks yummy, You more than compensated for a cake mix by the beautiful decorations.
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Oh my! Thank you! Yes, I have a tiny strawberry patch – usually the birds have a snack first 😂 wouldn’t want a job picking them!
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Such a sweet treat for spring!
Thank you for the inspiration!
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Thank you! You are always so kind! 🍓🍓🍓
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Beautiful, Camellia!
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Thank you Jennifer! Sooo kind 🌸💕🌸
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