Oh how we love a big slice of strawberry cake, and today’s moist & delicious strawberry cake all starts with a simple cake mix!
We have an amazing scratch strawberry cake recipe that we love, but sometimes you need a tried and true doctored cake mix recipe that you can whip up in a flash & that is guaranteed to please a crowd. THIS is that recipe!
Cake Mix Recipes Vs. Scratch Baked…
Have you ever stumbled into the message boards section of a cake decorating site only to find a heated discussion between cake mix bakers and scratch bakers about whether or not cake mix cakes count as homemade?
It can be pretty entertaining, and did I mention heated? Well, I happen to love both scratch recipes and doctored cake mix recipes. If the cake tastes amazing, just bring me a fork, I’m not complaining!
We have tons of favorite scratch cake recipes in our Recipes section, and we have tons of fantastic doctored cake mix recipes too.
The plus of doctored cake mix recipes like today’s strawberry cake is that they can be whipped up in no time, and the addition of extra ingredients and flavorings really takes the cake texture and flavor to another level.
How to make a Strawberry Doctored Cake Mix Recipe
Although you can easily find strawberry cake mixes at most grocery stores, we prefer to use white cake mix and then add a nice flavor boost from both pureed strawberries as well as strawberry jello.
This cake has received rave reviews over the years and we hope that you enjoy it too!
To make this recipe, prepare three 8 inch round pans.
Next, add all of the ingredients including the white cake mix, strawberry jello, flour, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and mashed strawberries. (By the way, I love that this recipe calls for real strawberries rather than just the jello. It really does make a difference in the strawberry flavor)!
Then, it’s just a matter of dividing the batter between the pans and baking!
How to make your cake extra moist
Once my cake layers have baked, whether I’m working with cake mix or scratch cake layers, I remove them from the oven, allow to cool (in the pans) on cooling racks for about 10 minutes, and then flip them out, wrap with plastic wrap, and then with foil.
Next, off to the freezer they go! Freezing the layers while they are still warm adds a noticeable boost in moisture. It’s a myth that freezing cake layers somehow results in a less flavorful or moist cake. We’ve been doing this for 15 years now! It really does make such a difference. We’ve frozen cake layers for up to 2-3 months and they still taste as fresh as the day they were made. I’ve even popped freshly baked, wrapped layers in the freezer for just a few hours when I’m in a time crunch!
When the cake layers are ready to thaw, simply place the layers, still wrapped, on the countertop and allow them to come to room temperature (or at least partially thawed if you prefer to assemble while the layers are firm). Keeping the layers wrapped will ensure that the condensation forms on the foil rather than the cake itself.
What Frostings & Fillings Taste Great with A Strawberry Layer Cake?
Well, this is a trick question, because there are so many options! I love strawberry cake with:
Cream Cheese Frosting (our Classic and Pipeable Cream Cheese Recipes are perfect)
Strawberry Whipped Cream Cheese Filling
We hope that you enjoy this wonderful recipe! We especially love strawberry cakes in spring and summer months, although I would never turn down a slice in the middle of winter ;0) It’s safe to say that strawberry cake is always a good idea, is sure to please any crowd!
Save this Doctored Strawberry Cake Mix Recipe for Later! Click Here!
We Have More Favorite Strawberry Cake Recipes to Share!
If you’re looking for more delicious Strawberry Cakes, don’t miss these recipes!
Strawberry Cake- Doctored Cake Mix Recipe
This easy Strawberry Cake all starts with a simple cake mix! So flavorful!
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
- 1 small box ( 3 ounce) (85g) strawberry Jello
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil ( I used canola oil)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 cup pureed ripe strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 8 inch pans
- Put all ingredients into your mixing bowl and mix on low speed until the ingredients are blended. Then increase speed to medium and mix for approximately 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl mid way through.
- The mashed strawberries should be well blended into the batter.
- Bake for 30 min. or until tooth pick comes out clean.
In addition to this doctored cake mix Strawberry Cake Recipe, we also have a scratch Strawberry Cake Recipe that we know you’ll love! Make sure to hop over and print or save a copy here!: Strawberry Cake from Scratch!
Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to check out our Recipes section for more of our favorite Cakes, Frostings, and Fillings! If you are interested in learning more about cake decorating, you should stop by our Free Cake Tutorials Section, which includes a Free Cake Video Tutorials Section!
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Hello. Was wondering if this cake is sturdy enough for a two layered 8×3 inch pans and two layered 6 inch pans?
And what filling would you suggest? Highly doubt cream cheese frosting will hold with fondant.
Made this cake and it was so good. I was worried it would’ve been too moist for fondant but it held up perfectly. I used vanilla ganache to crumb coat, made a stiff buttercream filling with just the right amount of strawberry champagne jam in between.
This turned out very dense and thick for me. Afterwards I realized I forgot to add the flour to the cake mix. Was that the problem?
Hi Fiona, I am sorry you had a problem. Leaving out the 3 Tablespoons flour was not the problem. Are you sure you used a cake mix that did not have pudding in the mix? It sounds as though you may have left out one of the wet ingredients.
Hi Aisha, Excellent work on your cake! It looks fabulous, thanks so much for posting. I am glad you noted that you used ganache. It is a good crumb coat when using fondant, it gives a nice firm shell before applying the fondant.
What are your thoughts on buttermilk instead of regular milk? On melted butter instead of oil?
Thanks
Hi Joyce, We have recipes that use both buttermilk and milk. The acid in buttermilk can give you a tender and moist cake. If changing a recipe from milk to buttermilk be sure replace some of the baking soda with baking powder. A cake baked with all oil will be a bit more dense but will stay moist longer. I think butter will give a more flavorful cake plus producing a lighter cake than when using oil. Softened butter when mixed with sugar until fluffy – this takes 3 to 5 minutes of mixing will add air and volume to your cake layers. This won’t happen if the butter is too soft. Butter should be softened slightly. When you can press it lightly with your finger and make an indentation it is ready. You shouldn’t have to press hard and your finger shouldn’t sink too far down. When we use oil in a recipe we use Canola Oil because it has a neutral flavor that will not interfere with other flavors in the recipe. Often we replace 2 Tablespoons of butter with 2 Tablespoons of oil to add a bit more moisture. Sometimes it is just personal preference from baker to baker.
What happens if you use a cake mix with pudding in it… that’s all I have. Should I go back to the store or can I make it with? Thank you!
Hi Annette, It will be fine to use the cake mix you have with pudding in it. The cake will have a slightly tighter crumb but some bakers prefer it that way.
Have you made cupcakes out of this recipe? If so, how many does it make and approximately how long and what temp to bake them?
Hi Caye, You should be able to get 24 standard size cupcakes, maybe a few more. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18 minutes.
Can the doctored strawberry cake be used to make cupcakes.
Hi Cass, Yes, you can use the recipe for cupcakes. For standard size cupcakes, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18 minutes.
I have a Duncan’s Hines perfectly moist strawberry supreme naturally favored cake made with juice from strawberries and other natural flavors I was wondering if I can use this box instead of a plain white box cake
Hi LnA, We have not used Strawberry Cake Mix in a long time because we thought it had an artificial taste. The mixes could be better now, I’m just not sure.
Can you make a Bundt/pound cake using this recipe and a glazed icing?
Hi Pat, Yes, it would be fine to bake this in a bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick into the center. It is done when the toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Can this be done with frozen strawberries?
Hi Katie, Yes, I often use frozen strawberries. Let them thaw a bit then slice so they will be easier to puree in a blender or food processor.
Can you leave out the milk
Hi Bonita, You could replace the milk with water. We like the extra fat that milk has but the cake should still be good using water.
Just made this cake. It didn’t rise very much at all. Is that normal?
Hi Valerie, I am sorry your cake did not rise as it should have. It is unusual to have a problem when using a cake mix. Did you double check to see if you added all the ingredients? The strawberry jello is just the dry powder. It is not prepared.
Can I use self rising flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Debbie, It is usually not a good idea to substitute self rising for all purpose in cake recipes. However this is a doctored cake recipe and cake mixes are very forgiving and the amount of flour is small. I would reduce the flour to 2 Tablespoons and I think you will be fine.
All I could find at the store was the pre-sliced frozen strawberries which are in a lot of liquid. Can I use that liquid instead of milk?
Hi Traci, It will not ruin the cake to do that but the milk adds fat and this helps with flavor and texture of a cake mix cake. Since the recipe has 3/4 cup pureed strawberry I think I would not substitute the liquid for the milk. When you are ready to assemble the cooled cake. You could brush some of the extra liquid of the frozen strawberries lightly onto the top of the layers. Be careful not to add to much or the cake could become soggy. I hope you enjoy the cake.