Big Mistake, Big, Huge! - Strawberry Mistake

So, most of you know by now that I am a baker. I guess you could say I do it for a living but it is what has allowed me to stay home with my babies for the past five years. I guess I am not your typical white wedding cake baker, more of a an ace of cakes sort of baker. It was a good was to combine my love of food with my artistic side and it was a natural fit for me. I have been very blessed with this business and some of the clients I have been able to serve. With that being said, last year at camp I decided to make a cake for one of our ministers who was celebrating his birthday during the week of camp. His favorite is strawberry cake so I thought, no problem, I will just make a huge cake. I went with straight out of the box strawberry cake since I was 1)feeding teenagers who will eat anything and 2)feeding teenagers who will eat anything. While the cake was baking I started working on a homemade cream cheese buttercream since that is, by law, what you must have when you eat a strawberry cake. The cake finished baking and after I let it cool I flipped over the pan to release the cake. And waited, and waited, and that never happened. Over half of the cake stuck to the bottom of the pan. So, I looked at the huge bowl of yummy buttercream and the huge pile of strawberry crumbles and decided to make a strawberry trifle. And it was good. And the three huge bowls were literally licked clean by our camp staff again this year! So, I share with you my Strawberry Mistake. Remember, when life hands you cake crumbles, make a trifle! (By the way, I had one male camp staffer tell me he had a dream about this dessert. Poor guy, he totally needs a date!)Enjoy!

Strawberry Mistake
1- Duncan Hines strawberry cake mix baked according to package directions. Let cool then crumble into chunks with your hands
1 8oz package of cream cheese softened
1/2 stick (4Tbsp butter) softened
4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk/half and half/heavy cream
1 large container of cool whip thawed (or you can also make homemade whipped cream!)
3 cups of strawberries sliced and lightly sugared

Beat cream cheese and butter on high until combined (they must be at a very soft room temp!). Slowly add in powdered sugar and milk until you get a good creamy consistency. (To prevent your entire kitchen from getting covered in sugar, take a damp towel and drape it over the top of your standing mixer. If you are using a hand mixer, you are up a creek!)If the mixture is too thick, add a small splash of cream. Gently fold in the cool whip.

In the bottom of a large bowl, preferably glass, layer in 1/3 of the cake mixture. Next, layer in 1/3 of the cream mixture, followed by 1/3 of the sliced strawberries. Repeat twice. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 10-12 servings.