Happiness is Strawberry Cake

When I moved out of my parents' house, my mom started the tradition of Sunday dinner.  I think her inspiration came from the Gilmore Girls and the fact that she couldn't think about me having moved out without weeping.  But mostly it was because of those fast talkin' Gilmore Girls.  A little over five years later, and the tradition is still going strong, although with my sister and her family having moved to Calgary, the crowd is a little smaller.  We try to make up for it through Skype, but it's not quite the same.
Dean is the master chef, creating delicious meals every week, with the exception of that one time that he went all Iron Chef and used apples as his special ingredient. Spinach salad with apples and grapes, pork with sauteéd apples and scallions, and apple pie brown rice (no one was a fan of this particular dessert inspired grain). The salad and pork are lovely dishes on their own, but all together it was apple overload. Below is a better combo.

Dean's beer braised short ribs, garlic mash, and asparagus
in a balsamic reduction.  Inspired!

Since the Smith's have moved, not only do we miss their presence, but equally so their desserts.  Homemade pies, cakes and cookies were pumped out of their kitchen on a weekly basis.  I thought they might Fed-ex their baking our way after they moved, but no such luck.  So I've been trying to keep up the dessert standard at our Sunday dinners with stunning results.  Just look at how happy Jimmy is with this latest creation.

So, how can you reproduce this delight amongst your family members?  It's easy!

Strawberry Stripe Refrigerator Cake

Inspired by the back of a cake box I saw once

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix, baked according to package directions (if you have discerning tastes like mine, I recommend Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe.  Much better than Betty Crocker.  I'm not kidding)

1 box of instant vanilla pudding, 4 serving size, prepared according to package directions

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped

1 container of frozen strawberries in light syrup, thawed and blended until smooth

Directions

1. To make icing, fold whipped cream into vanilla pudding.  Set aside.

2. Using a chopstick or straw, poke holes in your cake at regular intervals.  Pour a small amount of blended strawberries into each hole, tamping the sauce down into the hole using your chopstick or straw, and adding more berries until the hole is filled.  This is a painstaking process.  Jimmy decided to help, as you can see below.  He thought pouring the sauce in generous portions would make this process easier, I think it made the cake look like it was seriously wounded.

3. Once your holes are filled, ice the cake.  Allow to set in the fridge for a few hours before serving.  This cake must be served out of the pan or the filling will leak out.

Look at those stripes!

Do you do a weekly family dinner, or are there other traditions you've started with your family?  I love this tradition and can't wait to bring bébé along, if only so that I can pass him or her off to someone else while I guzzle a glass of red.

Happy Tuesday,

Shelby