Mom’s Best Layer Cakes- Strawberry Cake

This is my mom’s Strawberry Layer Cake, sometimes called Texas Strawberry Cake. She uses frozen sliced strawberries in the cake batter and the frosting. Compared to other layer cakes, these layers are relatively thin, therefore this is a relatively small layer cake.

My mom has an excellent reputation for homemade cakes, stemming from her own sweet tooth. She always wanted sweets around the house, so we always had cakes and pies. All of her sisters and sisters-in-law were good cooks too, but she was the best known in the bunch for sweets. Everyone always wanted to know what cake or dessert Mom was going to make for church functions or family dinners.

1 box white cake mix

1 box strawberry Jell-O

½ cup frozen strawberries in syrup

4 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil (Mom uses Wesson)

½ cup water

1. Combine cake mix with strawberry Jell-O.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, and combine with mixer.

3. Add other ingredients.

4. Pour even amounts of batter to each of three greased and dusted layer cake pans.

5. Bake layers according to time and temperature given on the cake mix package.

This frosting can be tricky. Mom says it is the humidity that sometimes makes it runny, so you would need to add more sugar or less of the strawberry juice.

1 stick butter

½ cup frozen sliced strawberries in syrup

½ box powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

1. Melt butter.

2. Add strawberries with syrup, powdered sugar and salt.

3. Mix thoroughly.

4. Frost layer tops and sides.

Mom always took her sweets and her baking seriously. When my folks had our house built, they upgraded the stove to a Frigidaire Flair Range and Oven. The Frigidaire actually has double ovens, which for us short people, are at eye level. There is a large oven and a small oven. Mom used both for layer cakes, with two layers in the large oven, and one in the small oven, all on the middle rack.

When cakes were in the oven, we had to be careful not to slam doors in the house. Luckily you didn’t have to open the oven to check the cakes, because the oven doors are completely glass. When they open, they pull out and then up.

The range is very cool. It hides away when not in use. You can pull it out for using the front two burners, or pull it all the way out for four burners. Mom’s Frigidaire lasted many years. By the time it conked out, they were no longer made, but my dad was able to find a used one from somewhere, which my mom is still using. If I had a bigger kitchen, I’d definitely consider searching out a vintage Frigidaire Flair range with double ovens.