Real Strawberry Poke Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

6 T. unsalted butter, softened

1 c. plus 2 T. all purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. milk

1 t. vanilla extract

3 large egg whites

3/4 c. plus 2 T. sugar

Topping:

2 c. frozen strawberries, divided

3 T. sugar, divided

2 t. lemon juice

1/4 c. water

1 T. plus 2 t. strawberry-flavored Jell-O powder, divided

1 c. heavy cream

Preparation

Prepare the cake: Preheat oven to 350º f. Grease and flour a 8x8-inch baking dish. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk milk, vanilla and egg whites in a measuring cup. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, thoroughly mixing after each addition (about 30 seconds). Give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula and scrape into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake completely in the pan.

Make the berry topping: In a saucepan, heat 1 1/2 c. of the frozen berries, 1 T. sugar, lemon juice and water over medium-low heat. Cover and cook until the strawberries are softened, about 10 minutes. Strain the liquid in to a bowl, reserving the solids, then whisk the Jell-O powder into the liquid. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.

Using a skewer, poke 25-30 holes evenly into the cooled cake, twisting the skewer to make a clean hole, but being sure not to poke all the way through the bottom of the cake. Evenly pour the syrup over the top of the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the gelatin is set, at least 3 hours.

Pulse the reserved strawberry solids, 1 T. sugar and the remaining 1/2 c. berries in a food processor until it's a jam-like consistency. Spread this evenly over the chilled cake. In a medium bowl combine heavy cream, the remaining 2 t. of the strawberry Jell-O powder and 1 T sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes to dissolve the gelatin. Then beat the cream to soft peaks. Spread the whipped cream over the strawberries. Serve.