Strawberry Sensation Cake

This recipe by Mattie Fowler, Winston-Salem, was prize-winner in the N.C. Strawberry Association recipe contest.

2 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups white sugar
1 package (3-ounce) strawberry flavored gelatin
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pureed fresh strawberries

FILLING
3 Hershey chocolate bars (1.55-ounces each), chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 stick butter, softened
1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GARNISH
4–6 whole fresh strawberries, washed
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 tablespoon shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

Mix flour and baking powder together and set aside. In a large bowl on medium speed, beat sugar, gelatin and butter until fluffy (about 4 minutes with a heavy duty mixer, 6 minutes with a less powerful one). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in 1 teaspoon vanilla and pureed strawberries. Divide equally into three 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans on wire racks, then remove from pans onto racks and cool completely.

Filling: Beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla on high until stiff. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped chocolate bars. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until desired consistency.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries: Rinse strawberries and dry thoroughly on paper towels (chocolate will not stick to wet strawberries). Set aside. Place chocolate morsels and shortening in top of a double boiler, bring water to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until chocolate melts. Cool chocolate to lukewarm (110 degrees). Grasp strawberries by the top and dip in chocolate mixture. Place on a wire rack sprayed with vegetable cooking spray and chill until firm.

Assembly: Cover two cooled layers with 1/3 of the filling, then stack all three. Frost sides of cake with the frosting. Pipe an edge of frosting around cake top. Spread remaining 1/3 of filling on cake top. Garnish top of cake with dipped strawberries. Put sliced strawberries around base of cake.