Strawberry Tres Leches Cake (with box mix)

Ingredients

• 1 White Cake Mix (or use a strawberry cake mix and omit the strawberry powder)
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
• 8 ounces Whole Milk
• 3 Eggs
• 1 ounce Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder
• 8 ounces Strawberries (hulled)
• 4 ounces Whole Milk
• 12 ounces Evaporated Milk
• 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed milk
• 8 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream ( (or 16 ounces if you want more topping))
• 2 tablespoons Sugar (or Powdered Sugar)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 8 ounces Strawberries (Diced or Sliced for garnishing the cake)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 dish with baking spray, oil, or butter.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl melt 1 stick of butter. Add the white cake mix, milk, eggs, and freeze-dried strawberry powder. Use a handheld mixer and mix for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

3. 3

   Allow cake to cool for 20 minutes. While the cake is cooling, add hulled strawberries to a blender with 4 oz of Whole milk. Blend until smooth. Then add 1 can of evaporated milk and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk to the blender. Blend until just incorporated.

4. 4

   Use a fork or skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture evenly on top of the cake, waiting for it to soak into the cake before adding more. I ended up reserving 1 cup of the strawberry milk mixture. Guests can add more tres leches mixture if they like when serving.

5. 5

   Cover the cake with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

6. 6

   Make the whipped cream topping before serving the cake. Place a mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for a few minutes. Add cold heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar to the bowl. Whisk at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.

7. 7

   Remove the cake from the refrigerator and evenly spread the whipped cream on top. Garnish the cake with chopped or sliced strawberries. If you have extra freeze-dried strawberry powder, you can sift some on top for more color and flavor. Slice the cake and add more tres leches mixture to each plate if desired.