A delicious, made-from-scratch, best-ever Strawberries and Cream Cake with a thick cream cheese frosting and garnished with sugared strawberries. The perfect cake for Mother's Day!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.
Beat the room-temperature butter with a hand mixer until light and creamy. Slowly add in the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs; add to the butter mixture and mix. Add in the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Beat in the buttermilk (See Note 1.). If desired, add in the red food coloring and mix that in.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch and then add in the Jell-O mix, baking soda, and salt. It is important to use separate bowls so the cake isn't over-beaten-- which will result in a dense cake.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat at low speed until just combined.
Remove the stems from the strawberries and chop finely. Add the finely chopped strawberries to the cake batter.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
Cool the cake for at least one hour and then refrigerate for another hour.
Frosting:
Beat the softened butter and room temperature cream cheese until completely creamy. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth and your desired consistency.
Spread the frosting evenly over the cake.
Sugared Strawberry topping (optional)
Stir together the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Let them stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes to develop the syrup. Add them to the cake ONLY when serving and not beforehand.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, remove 1 tablespoon from your milk and replace it with fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. Mix and allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.