It’s hard to believe that seven years ago on this very day, a little baby girl entered our lives and we became parents to two. Sleep, as we knew it, completely ended and things got legit in the parenting department.
This screaming, colicky baby has grown into our precious funny girl- and we love her more than life itself. Her vivacious passion, creativity and awesome humor light up everything around her. She’s one of the {three} best things that ever happened to us, and I step back regularly and think… where has the time gone? And how did we even stumble into this?
Parenting is hard. It’s exhausting. And it’s worth every single second… day… year… Don’t blink.
No. Really.
This year, we’re celebrating with a small family trip in lieu of a partay, but we’re still living it up around here with a sweet little recipe of sorts.
We made a nearly naked strawberry cake with buttercream frosting – one of our yummy {indulgent} treats around our home – with a tweak here and there of one of our favorite family recipes.
It’s totally worth every calorie. Here’s what you’ll need.
For the cake:
• 1 box white cake mix • 1{3 oz} box strawberry jello • 1 cup vegetable oil • 1/2 cup milk • 4 eggs • 1 cup strawberries drained, and mashed.
Easy tip: for the strawberries, we simply diced them finely and then mashed with a fork. You can also use a food processor of any kind to get them chopped.
Follow the directions on the back of the box for your cake mix and pan size, but we used an 8″ round pan, with 1/3 of the batter with each cycle in the oven. Grease it well. If you’re baking a shallow cake, it may depend on how your oven bakes, but our layers lasted for about twenty minutes each round.
For the icing: {In a blender} • 16 oz unsalted butter blended with 16 oz cream cheese (all softened) • Gradually blend in 32 oz powdered sugar • Add in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla
{We doubled up on the recipe on everything for this size cake, with a little left over}
When we were ready so stack our cake, we simply added one layer at at time, and squeezed out some icing in between each layer before adding another, in a circular motion {following the shape of the cake}. We’re not bakers or anything so we’re a bit lacking in the fancy squeezy bags department… we just took a big gallon sized bag, and put some icing in, before squeezing it out of the {cut} corner.
When we added the last layer, we had icing on the top, and then spread it very thinly to even it all out on the sides.
And there you have it. It’s nearly naked.
So scandalous.
We sketched, cut and painted a little seven from some wood we had, to add to the top… and tada!
Rigby and Fitz even got in on the shenanigans. Though they would have nothing to do with the hats we bribed them to wear… not without the cost of a few Greenies at least.
They’re quickly learning how to work the system.
And there ya have it. A nearly naked strawberry cake with buttercream icing!
Yes, please.
Happy birthday, Emerson Lilly!
Regan Brooks says
Happy Birthday to your wonderful girl!
Pam says
I love this! Looks so yum. Happy Birthday!
alison says
when you say you doubled the recipe…does that mean you doubled the cake recipe too? I plan to make this for my little ones 6th bday this weekend!! 🙂
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Alison! Definitely with the icing so that you have enough- I like it thick in between each layer and so that gave me plenty to work with. I had quite a bit left over of the cake mix but I would still recommend buying enough for two, so that you can have enough in case something happens with a layer, {one of mine broke} and you can go thicker with the cake mix layers, as well. I’m a person who would rather be safe than sorry, especially when baking for a birthday ;}. Hope that helps!
cassie says
YAY!!! happy happy birthday!!!! my daughter turns 8 tomorrow, and started off as a screaming colicky baby, too- but now she is the ray of light i need every day. seriously- yesterday was a hard day with my son, and she was there to brighten it up for me. 🙂 and yes, where has the time gone! i was just saying to a friend at basketball practice the other night- aren’t we still 25? in my head i totally am. but nope- i am in my mid 30’s with big kids… when did that happen?
have fun celebrating and eating delicious cake!
ashley @ the handmade home says
HA! You nailed it ;} I feel the exact same way! ;}
Poppy says
Sweet! Happy birthday! Your pics look awesome as always. Eager to try this one!
Elizabeth says
cute tassels too! are they made out of tissue paper? I can’t tell but i love the
“shine-y” ness.