Strawberry Lemonade Cake

I wanted to do something special for the ladies I work with for Valentines this year, so I decided to bake. Bake a cake!! One of my coworkers is gluten-intolerant so I made it my mission to find a cake that was gluten-free. Low and behold, Pinterest was to my rescue ta-da. And let me tell you, it was a hit. Half of the cake was gone before lunchtime.

Here is the recipe: ((and just FYI, I used all off-brand items))

Strawberry Cake with Lemonade
for the cake:
· 1 1/2 - 2 cups fresh strawberries
· 1 package (15 ounces) yellow gluten-free cake mix (conventional cake mix would work too! I just used Betty Crocker — inexpensive for a GF mix and it was delicious)
· 3 tablespoons strawberry Jell-O (half of a 3-ounce package)
· 1/2 cup vegetable oil
· 3 large eggs
· 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. Oil two 9" pans. Mix cake mix and strawberry jello in a bowl. Rinse and cut off green tips of strawberries and use food processor to pulse to a purée (need about 3/4 cup). In another bowl mix purée, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Slowly add wet mix with dry using an electric mixer. Pour evenly into pans and cook 18-22 mins. When done, let cakes completely cool on wire racks before icing.

for the lemonade frosting (the best part, if you ask me!)
· 2- 8oz. packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temp.)
· 1 packet (0.23oz.) of Kool-Aid Lemonade
· 1- 7oz. container Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
· 1/3 c. powdered sugar
· 8 oz. Cool Whip Topping (thawed)

Mix cream cheese and lemonade with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add marshmallow creme and sugar and mix until smooth. With a spatula add cool whip to cream cheese mixture until well combined. Ice cake when they are completely cooled.