1 box strawberry cake mix 

1  box vanilla instant pudding

3 eggs 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1 cup milk

*The box calls for water but substitute milk for a thicker batter.

Cake: 

1 box vanilla cake mix 

1  box vanilla instant pudding

4 egg whites  

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon lemon extract 

7 - 9 drops of yellow food color [depending one how yellow you want it]

Frosting: 

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening [I use the sticks because it's not as messy when measuring]

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened

1 1/2 teaspoons of strawberry extract flavoring

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)

2 tablespoons milk

5 drops of red food color

Cake balls instruction: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

 Spray cake ball pans with Baker's Secret Spray. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, milk and oil in large bowl. Beat with mixer for 2 minutes, or until blended. Spoon batter into pans. Bake for 13 minutes. Cool cake balls in pans on cooling racks for 10 minutes. While cake balls are cooling go ahead and make the other part of the cake.

Cake instruction: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with Baker's Secret Spray. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, milk, lemon extract flavoring, food coloring and oil in large bowl. Beat with mixer for 2 minutes, or until blended. Place your cooled cake balls into the pans -we used 12 cake balls in each layer.  Poor batter into pans over top of the cake balls. Bake for 29 - 33 minutes. Cool cake in pans on cooling racks for 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling rack and cool completely. 

Frosting Instruction:

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with mixer. Add strawberry extract flavoring. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add food coloring.

Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Frost the cake when it's completely cooled and you can decide 

for yourself how you want to decorate yours. 

**For the flavor extract we used Watkins brand.

**Since we did a double layer cake we doubled the recipe for the cake balls and cake.

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

For the strawberry puree:

1 – 20 ounce bag of frozen unsweetened strawberries or 20 ounces of fresh strawberries

1/4 – 1/3 cup granulated white sugar, or to taste

For the crust:

2 cups Keebler Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

To make the strawberry puree:

Place the unsweetened frozen strawberries in a large bowl and thaw. This may take a few hours. Once thawed, put the strawberries and their juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process the berries until they are pureed. Pour the puree into a 2 cup measuring cup. You should have about 1 1/4 cups of puree. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar to start and stir until sugar dissolves. 

*Another option is using those already surgared strawberries from the freezer section. This is what I use, and remember when using this you need way less sugar added, if any, just taste your puree before adding any to the cheesecake batter. 

To make the crust:

In medium bowl toss together graham crumbs, margarine or butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Chill in freezer while preparing filling.

To make the filling:

Position rack in center of oven. Using mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla.

Transfer 1/3 of filling to prepared crust. Dollop 4-5 small spoonfuls of strawberry puree atop filling and swirl it through with a knife to distribute the puree into the filling. Repeat layering of filling and and puree 2 more times. Using knife again, swirl puree through filling, creating marbled design on the top layer. Try to make this swirling a more decorative effect. 

Bake until cheesecake puffs around edges, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off oven. 

Let cake stand in oven 1 hour, leaving oven door cracked just a bit.

Transfer cake to rack. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Cool completely. 

Cover cake and chill overnight. Remove pan sides. 

You can serve cake with the remaining strawberry puree on the side.

 Enjoy!