5-6fresh strawberries - sliced in half for decoration on top
Instructions
Make The Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or a bit of vegetable oil.
In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: cake flour, strawberry jello powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside for now.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together butter and granulated sugar.
Mix in the two eggs and vanilla extract.
Add ⅓ of the dry flour mixture.
Mix in another ⅓ of the dry flour mixture.
Add the milk and mix in.
Add the last ⅓ of the dry flour mixture.
The batter will look pink and similar to this.
Chop ⅔ cup strawberries into very small pieces.
Add the chopped strawberries and strained crushed pineapple to the cake batter.
Gently mix together just enough until everything is combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the greased 9x13 baking dish. Spread out evenly with a silicone spatula.
Bake the cake for 32-38 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before adding whipped topping (I like to add the cake to the fridge for a few hours or overnight).
Whipped Pineapple Topping:
Add 1 ½ cups of crushed pineapple to a fine mesh strainer to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Set aside while it drains.
In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until it's light, fluffy and forms soft peaks (this took me 8 minutes). Set aside.
In a separate smaller bowl, stir together the strained crushed pineapple and pudding mix.
Pour the pineapple pudding mixture into the whipped cream. Gently mix together.
Place the pineapple whipped topping in the fridge to chill minimum 30 minutes or longer (I let mine sit overnight).
Cake Assembly:
Slice 5-6 strawberries in half.
Pour the whipped pineapple topping over top of the cake and smooth with a spatula.
Add strawberries on top in rows.
Slice into pieces, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Cake can be chilled in fridge overnight before assembling with topping.
Topping can be made night before assembling and chilled in the fridge.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
In a pinch for time? Use a carton of cool whip instead and mix with crushed pineapple.
Cake can be baked in two round cake pans to create two cake layers. Spread the whipping cream in between each one and add frosting on top.
If you're in a pinch, you can use yellow cake mix or strawberry cake mix for the base of the recipe. Just follow the cake mix box directions.