So, I've always thought that one has the right to be lazy on one's own birthday. . . However, I am realistic enough to realize that there is only one way for me to get a non-bakery cake on my birthday, and that is to make it myself. After a long internal struggle (which didn't last more than a few seconds), I came to the ultimate solution. . . a sort of punch bowl cake - without the punch bowl. I tried to look up recipes, but that didn't work out so well, so I improvised and did what I intended to do before I ever looked at the first recipe.
And here it is:
Punch Bowl Cake (sort of)
2 boxes Sara Lee Pound cake (family size, from the freezer section of your local grocer)
1 lb. fresh strawberries
1 lb. frozen strawberries (from the freezer section of your local grocer)
1/3 c. sugar
1 pkg. Jello no bake sugar free cheesecake pudding (because this is SOOO healthy)
2 1/2 c. milk
1 c. cream
1 pkg. cream cheese
Begin by placing the frozen strawberries in a pot. Cook them until the juices pour out, add the sugar and cook a bit longer. Meanwhile, clean and slice the fresh strawberries, and find the biggest bowl that you can.
Remove one pound cake from the package, cut into cubes and dump them into your bowl. In a separate bowl, prepare the cheesecake pudding. Now you are ready to begin layering. Oh! But first you have to mix the fresh strawberries with the cooked strawberries!
So, a layer of pound cake, a layer of cheesecake pudding, a layer of strawberries, a layer of pound cake (that was from the second pound cake, which I guess that I never told you to cube). . . another layer of strawberries. That brings us here:
Then, in a bowl (best to use the one that you made the pudding in and save yourself from washing an extra dish), beat the cream cheese and the cup of cream. Add a little vanilla, and voila - you have the final bit of the cake. Pour that on top of everything, and you're done. I was REALLY tired after a long day at work, so I didn't bother with mixing that bit very well. I figure that I'm not going to cry if I have a lump of cream cheese not completely integrated into the cream.
And there you have it. It's best to let it sit overnight, and let the pound cake soak up all of the strawberry juice and creaminess.
So, Happy Birthday to me, and bon voyage to you, Sarah!
And here it is:
Punch Bowl Cake (sort of)
2 boxes Sara Lee Pound cake (family size, from the freezer section of your local grocer)
1 lb. fresh strawberries
1 lb. frozen strawberries (from the freezer section of your local grocer)
1/3 c. sugar
1 pkg. Jello no bake sugar free cheesecake pudding (because this is SOOO healthy)
2 1/2 c. milk
1 c. cream
1 pkg. cream cheese
Begin by placing the frozen strawberries in a pot. Cook them until the juices pour out, add the sugar and cook a bit longer. Meanwhile, clean and slice the fresh strawberries, and find the biggest bowl that you can.
Remove one pound cake from the package, cut into cubes and dump them into your bowl. In a separate bowl, prepare the cheesecake pudding. Now you are ready to begin layering. Oh! But first you have to mix the fresh strawberries with the cooked strawberries!
So, a layer of pound cake, a layer of cheesecake pudding, a layer of strawberries, a layer of pound cake (that was from the second pound cake, which I guess that I never told you to cube). . . another layer of strawberries. That brings us here:
Then, in a bowl (best to use the one that you made the pudding in and save yourself from washing an extra dish), beat the cream cheese and the cup of cream. Add a little vanilla, and voila - you have the final bit of the cake. Pour that on top of everything, and you're done. I was REALLY tired after a long day at work, so I didn't bother with mixing that bit very well. I figure that I'm not going to cry if I have a lump of cream cheese not completely integrated into the cream.
And there you have it. It's best to let it sit overnight, and let the pound cake soak up all of the strawberry juice and creaminess.
So, Happy Birthday to me, and bon voyage to you, Sarah!
