Strawberries, Strawberries and More Strawberries!
Homestead, Florida and Plant City, Florida have some of the largest strawberry fields in Florida…and there are many smaller strawberry fields around our little city so we always have plenty of strawberries (Winter Strawberries, Spring Strawberries and Summer Strawberries), to choose from almost all year long.
So when Spring is being touted in the colder climates, …I can’t help but think of fresh strawberries. (I think it is my built in Seasonal Clock)
Even while living in the Midwest, at the first hint of warmer weather …I would drag out the trusty bar-b-q grill and make burgers on the grill and for dessert I would make strawberry shortcake.
Yeah, strawberry shortcake…not very original huh?
It was a ritual of Spring…no matter that the strawberries were trucked in from Mcallen, Texas or Santa Maria, California.
This year is no different. It is April so it is Spring somewhere.
Yes, I have been buying strawberries all year long…but it is SPRING and I started pulling out strawberry dessert recipes from my trusty old recipe files.
I have three printable recipes below that I think you will like.
One of the recipes….the Strawberry Patch Bars, Forever…please pardon the pun on an old Beatles song…has a crust much like the Banana Split Cake recipe that I make quite often.
The Strawberry and Cream sheet cake recipe is another quick sheet cake that is always a favorite to take to Church Potlucks or just a picnic in your back yard.
And the wonderful Pink Strawberry-Colada Cake is just dreamy with the beautiful shades of pink coconut just begging to be eaten.
I love all of three of these recipes…so much so that I had a ladies tea/luncheon a few days ago and I made each of these desserts, which screamed Spring.
Or maybe that was me screaming Spring! 🙂
Each strawberry recipe is simply delicious!
So if you like strawberries, surely one or all three will be a recipe you would like to make for your family.
My dear readers, what is your Start of Spring Food Favorite?


- 1 cup room temperature butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 tablespoons strawberry-flavored gelatin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- *1 cup buttermilk
- 2/3 cup sliced fresh strawberries
- 2 cups of powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons of strawberry gelatin powder (optional if you want white frosting only)
- enough milk to give spreading consistency
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla (but you can use regular vanilla if you have it)
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time blending after each egg
- Add in the lemon juice and pure vanilla.
- Mix flour, strawberry powder, baking soda and salt and add alternately to cake mixture with the buttermilk
- Blend together using the lowest speed of your mixer (Do not overmix)
- Gently fold in sliced/chopped strawberries.
- Grease and flour your baking sheet pan (I use a 11X17 sheet pan)
- Pour batter into the sheet pan
- Bake at 375° for 20-30 (or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).
- Ice the warm cake while still in the pan and garnish with strawberries.
- *If you do not have buttermilk, use 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of vinegar and let set until starting to thicken.
- You could also invert the cake pan to frost and serve the cake on a pretty plate, but I generally serve my sheet cakes in the baking pan.
- You could also use red food coloring for a pinkish hue in place of the gelatin powder in the frosting


- 1 white cake mix
- 3/4 cup liquid Master of Mixes® Strawberry Colada Mixer (or your favorite brand)
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 8-oz. container of thawed Cool Whip (or your choice of whipped topping)
- 1/2 cup of a 7-oz. grated coconut (save the rest of the bag of coconut for the pink tinting)
- Remaining Coconut in 7 ounce bag
- 2 teaspoons of Master of Mixes Strawberry Colada Mixer (or your favorite brand)
- Make the cake according to the cake mix directions, using 3/4 cup of the strawberry colada mixer for part of the water.
- Bake in two prepared pans (greased and floured or parchment paper rounds that have been lightly sprayed with cooking spray)
- When the cake is done, cool slightly and remove carefully from baking pans onto a cooling rack to finish cooling
- Mix the powdered sugar and sour cream together blending well
- Fold in the cool whip and 1/2 cup of the un-tinted coconut
- Place cake bottom on cake plate and scoop icing onto the layer, spread, covering the side and top of the layer
- Place the other layer on top and ice the top and sides combining with the bottom layer
- Into a Mason or Mayo jar, add the remaining coconut and Master of Mixes Strawberry Colada Mixer
- Replace the lid and begin shaking until the coconut is evenly coated with pink giving the desired tinting color
- Using your hands sprinkle tinted coconut onto the top and sides of the cake (you might have to gently press the coconut with the palm of your hand onto the sides...a little messy but well worth the pretty finished cake
- Keep cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or you can use a cake cover, just be sure it is air-tight and keep in the fridge
- May be kept up to 3 days in refrigerator.


- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon zest
- *3/4 cup of mashed strawberries or about 1/2 cup pureed strawberries (your choice)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Powdered sugar for top (optional)
- To make the crust, combine the sugar and butter, creaming until blended
- Add in the flour and the salt (you can use an electric mixer if desired)
- Press the "dough" into a 9X13 baking pan with your hands (at this time you could sprinkle pecans or any nuts of your choice for added crunch)
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until browning starts to occur around the edges
- Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberries, sugar and eggs and blend in your processor (or mixer) until smooth
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until smooth
- Once the crust is baked, remove from oven and pour the custard over the hot crust
- Place the mixture back into the oven for another 25 minutes or until the filling is set
- After removing the bars from the oven, sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar
- Be sure to cool completely before cutting into bars, and store bars loosely covered in the fridge
- *You can use chopped strawberries that you have "mashed" with a fork for a thicker consistency or you can "puree" the strawberries (I kind of like an occasional strawberry chunk in my bite)
- **I have noticed a slightly cloudy "film" appears on the top after baking and have surmised it is the sugar content rising to the top ...it does not affect the taste or texture of the bars
- ***sometimes I add finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the (dough) crust before baking
Please comment, I'd love to hear from you.