Strawberry Shortcake...cake :)

I came across this recipe via Pinterest and it looked REALLY amazing. So I decided to give it a try for our anniversary this year. It was absoultely fantastic although there are things I would change for next time based on the fact that there were only 2 of us eating it. But here is the original recipe. The icing on this cake is so stinking amazing.



1 yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 small vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
2 tsp almond extract

Mix all the above ingredients together for a few minutes until well combined. Pour the batter into 2 round cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then gently remove from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Almond Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tb butter, melted
2 tsp almond extract
1-2 Tb milk, if needed

Mix the glaze ingredients together while the cake cools. Once semi cooled, prick the cake with a large fork or the back of a wooden spoon. Spoon the glaze over the two round cakes letting it sink in. Save about 1/3 or so of the glaze and set aside.

1 pint whipping cream
powdered sugar to sweeten
1-2 pounds of fresh strawberries, sliced

Whip cream with 2 Tb powdered sugar, using a mixer. Wash dry and slice the starwberries and set aside.

Assembly:

Place one of the glazed cake rounds on a cake stand or large plate. Top with freshly whipped cream and a layer of strawberry slices. Follow with the second cake, more whipped cream and arrange more fresh sliced strawberries on top in a pretty pattern. Next drizzle the more of the almond glaze over the top and down the sides. Store in fridge until ready to serve.


**Randi's Side Notes**
~ For starters, next time I will definitely make these into cupcakes instead just because we hardly ate any of it and it ended up getting kind of soggy after a couple of days in the fridge. Still good...just not as appealing.
~ I think I will try using a white cake mix for next time as well. Im usually not a huge fan of yellow cake mix, but the flavors did go very well with it...I just personally like white cake mix :)
~ I ended up adding a little bit of Almond milk in with the Almond glaze to thin it out a little bit instead of the regular milk (because I don't drink regular milk anymore). The almond milk worked just fine and actually helped spread the almond flavor.
~ I also topped the cake with some slivered almonds which added a really nice crunch.
~ So like I said before I would make cupcakes and just have everything in seperate containers and assemble as many as I needed and then store it all seperately as well. This way the cake won't get to soggy.