Strawberry Cake (from scratch)

I have this thing about things being from scratch. I just love them so much more. Why? maybe the freshness of them. Or the limitless possibly for alteration. Or maybe it's the lack of ingredients I can't pronounce. I can't help myself I just love them. So I went on a loooooong hunt for a totally from scratch Strawberry cake and thanks to this cook who sent me a recipe. I slightly altered it and got this. If you want a brighter color of cake, you can add red food coloring. I just like the natural color the berries added.

This cake is dense, moist, and has a good strawberry flavor. Everyone loved it, hope you do too.

Strawberry Cake

3 cups self-rising flour(you can sub this for 1 C flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/8 tsp salt)
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 large eggs, beaten


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.Prepare the cake batter; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pureed strawberries, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up. Prepare the cream cheese frosting (recipe below); frost as desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.



Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups of powdered sugar


Beat cream cheese and butter until no bumps remain. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Makes enough to cover the cake.