Strawberry Margarita Cake

This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of my move to Oregon. I still remember those first couple of days like it was yesterday. So many tears before I got on the plane, loading up an entirely full cart of house things at Target, spending the first night in my temporary corporate housing and starting a whole new job. I still find it hard to believe I actually live here, it just hasn’t seemed real.

In the past year I’ve done quite a bit of baking with the limited amount kitchen stuff I had here. Although I pretty much only moved my clothes and blogging stuff every time I flew back to California. Now that we have finished our move, I realize just how much kitchen stuff I have. How any whisks and spatulas it to many? I’m asking for a friend. A friend who simply can’t fit 3-4 boxes worth of things in a kitchen and might need to part with a few things.

For the cake, I grabbed a box of white cake mix, which called for 1 ¼ cups of water. I swapped out a portion of the water for tequila to help give this cake a little bit of flavor. I also added plenty of lime zest to the cake as well. You know I’m a fan of boozy desserts.

The next layer is the silky strawberry mousse made with Lucky Leaf Strawberry Pie Filling and sweetened condensed milk. The sweetened condensed milk helps thicken the strawberry filling, but also gives the filling a very silky texture. I love to grab a can of pie filling because it’s a lot faster, and way more convenient than making a filling on the stove. Plus I just love the color in this cake as well.

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:
1 box white cake mix (15.25 oz)
1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4oz)
¾ cups water
½ cup of tequila
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 limes, zested
For the filling:
1 can Lucky Leaf Strawberry Pie filling (21 oz)
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons tequila
For the topping:
1 ½ heavy whipping cream
½ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 limes, zested for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients: cake mix, pudding mix, tequila, water, egg whites, eggs, vanilla and lime zest.
Beat all of the ingredients together until they are well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done. Allow the cake to cool completely.
For the filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the Lucky Leaf Strawberry Pie filling with the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and tequila. Thoroughly stir together until the mixture has thickened.
Poke holes all over the top of your cake using a wooden spoon or round object. Pour the strawberry sauce over the top of the cake and gently spread evenly over top of the cake.
For the topping: Place a metal mixing bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to chill.
Pour the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl and beat on medium-high speed until the cream starts to thicken.
As the cream thickens, add the powdered sugar and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over top of the strawberry sauce. Garnish with lime zest.