Strawberry "Peekaboo" Cake

I found this recipe from Dave Ramsey (here).  I do not like strawberries, except with strawberry short cake.  Since it's Valentine's Day weekend and we never celebrate it, AND Erika will be in town for a few days, I figured we'd try it.  When I baked it, the centers fell (I only baked two round cakes).  I used the remaining liquid and pulp to make a thicker filling to fill in the centers.  I boiled it down and added a little cornstarch to thicken it up then chilled it.  I'm HORRIBLE at frosting cakes, so I asked Erika if she would do it.  She did a fantastic job and made it into a peekaboo cake.  It is moist, not too sweet and quite tasty.  It was super easy to make, too.  Especially with assistance frosting it :D

Cake Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 white cake mix
1 – 3 oz. box of strawberry Jell-o
24 oz. frozen, sliced strawberries (thawed)

Icing Ingredients

2 sticks of butter at room temperature
6 oz. block of cream cheese at room temperature
4 cups of 10-X powdered sugar
4 tablespoons of juice and pulp from strawberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three eight-inch round cake pans by lining bottom of pans with wax paper sprayed with non-stick baking spray and lightly floured.

Drain thawed strawberries and reserve the juice with pulp. Mash strawberries to small pieces with a fork and measure one cup. Set aside.

Combine cake mix, oil, eggs and dry strawberry Jell-o in a mixing bowl and beat until blended. Stir in cup of mashed strawberries until blended. Pour mixture evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake 30 minutes at 350. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then gently turn cakes out onto plates to cool completely.  

To make icing, mix softened butter and cream cheese in mixer bowl until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix well. Add strawberry juice with pulp by tablespoon to give the butter cream icing color and a touch of strawberry pieces. Do not add too much juice or your icing will be too thin. Chill icing for about 10 minutes, and then you are ready to spread.

Store the finished cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Garnish with fresh strawberries right before serving.