Strawberries and Cream Cake

This strawberry cream cake makes an elegant presentation, without too much fuss

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups cake flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 cups white sugar

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored Jell-O®

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup strawberries, pureed

1 ½ cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced

½ cup margarine, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½ cups quartered strawberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, gelatin, and butter until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Mix flour and baking powder, and beat alternately with the milk into the sugar mixture. Fold in 1 teaspoon vanilla and pureed strawberries. Divide equally into the three 9-inch round cake pans.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans and cool completely.

To make the filling: Beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla on high until stiff. Fill each layer with 1/3 of the whipped cream and 3/4 cup sliced strawberries.

To make the frosting: Beat margarine, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until creamy. Spread over the sides of the cake, and pipe an edge of frosting around the top of the cake.

Spread remaining whipped cream on cake top. Top with quartered strawberries.