Cardamom and Tea

easiest strawberry jello cake

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This strawberry jello cake recipe is particularly easy, with a dump-and-stir method (no poking the cake or pouring anything over it—just regular-old mixing!). And the frosting is just cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar.

It’s so easy, it once saved me from the brink of recipe developing despair. Continue on to read more about that ordeal, or jump to the recipe to start baking!

strawberry jello cake sliced

Why from-scratch strawberry cakes are the worst

A few years ago, I set out to make a simple strawberry rose cake. Just something pink & white & pretty. How hard could it be? (*cue ominous music*)

Turns out, very.

Every time I folded fresh strawberries into the batter, the cake would emerge from the oven a shade of purple. On its best day, it would turn out a sad, pasty pink. And the flavor? If it tasted like anything, it was soggy berries.

I pivoted to powdered strawberries, which delivered on color—a neon pink so intense, it felt like a cry for help. But they offered zero flavor. So I tried a purée. Then I tried a reduced purée. Then jam. Then roasting. I tried food coloring.

I tried it all.

strawberry jello cake before the top goes on with a layer of strawberries
strawberry jello cake before the top goes on with a layer of strawberries

Why strawberry jello cake is simply the best

After two years of testing every strawberry cake recipe I could find, adapt, or Frankenstein into existence, I finally had to admit defeat. All roads lead to the same conclusion: nothing beats good old-fashioned strawberry jello cake. You know the kind—a cake that’s unapologetically made with box mix and a packet of jello.

It’s the pinkest. It’s the strawberriest. And it doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. And at this point, you could not pay me to make strawberry cake any other way.

strawberry jello cake frosted and decorated with rose petals
strawberry jello cake frosted and shown from the side

Optional ways to upgrade your strawberry jello cake

A little floral flair

I finally learned to appreciate the appeal of box-mix when I learned about my friend Abeer’s fabulous rose cardamom tres leches, which starts with box mix. The little bit of rosewater she adds to the milk soak turns ho-hum cake mix into something completely new.

Her recipe inspired me to try box mix with rosewater, and I’m so glad I did. It’s totally optional, but really takes strawberry jello cake to the next level.

All sorts of sprinkles

You can also sprinkle on some dried rose petals for the easiest-ever decoration. Pink sprinkles would do the trick too!

pink and white cake shown from the side

Suggested decorating instructions

Feel free to decorate the cake however you’d like (including just dumping the frosting on and swirling away!), or recreate this look, inspired by Zoë François’ pavlova. Patty Pinner’s fabulous strawberry cake in Sweets: Soul Food Desserts and Memories was a major inspiration for this recipe as well:

  1. Use a rotating turntable and offset spatula to evenly frost the cake. Smooth out the top with your offset spatula while rotating the turntable.
  2. Once the top is smoothed out, use your offset spatula to make sweeps up the side, rotating as you go and allowing the sweeps to overlap a little.
    • To make the sweeps, point the flat side of the offset spatula so it’s facing the side of the cake, and place the spatula so it’s oriented horizontally.
    • In one swift motion, sweep up while placing a small amount of pressure on the cake (don’t put too much pressure, or you will scrape off the frosting, which is not what you want to do).
    • Allow the end of the sweep to sort of fall toward the center of the cake (kind of trail off toward the center as your spatula leaves the cake, but don’t scrape the top).
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Easiest Strawberry Jello Cake

strawberry jello cake sliced
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  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

for the cake layers:

  • One 15.25-oz box white cake mix *
  • One 3-oz package strawberry jello
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup water
  • 2–3 teaspoons rosewater (optional)**

For the cream cheese frosting & strawberry slices:

  • Two 8-ounce bricks of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar ***
  • 1 cup 1/4-inch sliced strawberries (do not mix into the frosting)
  • Edible rose petals for decorating (optional)

Instructions

  1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Mix together the cake mix, strawberry jello, vegetable oil, egg whites, water, and rosewater.
  3. Line 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and spray them with cooking spray. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans, and bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  4. Remove the cakes to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before frosting (careful—they’re delicate).
  5. For the cream cheese frosting and strawberries: Mix together the cream cheese, butter, salt, and powdered sugar over low speed with a stand mixer and whisk attachment. Once the powdered sugar is all mixed in, increase speed to medium-high, and continue mixing until it lightens in color and consistency (this should take about 2 minutes). Use at room temperature.
  6. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand (or use a rotating turntable and a cardboard cake round). Carefully level it if it has a hump (it probably won’t, because box mix is magical). Cover with a thin 1/8-inch layer of frosting. Top with strawberries. Spoon several small blobs of frosting over the strawberries, and smooth them out into another 1/8-inch layer of frosting. Place another cake layer on top. Dump all the frosting on top of the cake, and use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting down the sides. Decorate it however you’d like.

Notes

* If your box mix has a very different ingredients list than this recipe, feel free to follow those instead. Just add 1 extra egg white to compensate for the added strawberry jello packet. I used Duncan Hines white cake mix to test this recipe (not sponsored, just mentioning it for consistency).

** This is optional but really takes this cake to the next level. Less is more, and if you don’t add enough to the batter, you can always add a little to the frosting later.

*** If you like super sweet cream cheese frosting, feel free to add more powdered sugar, to taste.

Storage: This cake keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If you’re making it ahead for guests, you might want to make all the components and frost it at the last minute. It will stale in the refrigerator, so don’t make it too far ahead of time.

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mango fish tacos

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I’m back in Hong Kong, and thinking about all the wonderful food from our trip to Chicago. When we were out and about we ate nothing but tacos. There are a million amazing taquerias in Chicago. So no matter where we happened to be, we could always find good tacos within minutes. But one day I actually made some tacos at home for a change. So I just had to share them with you, because they’re my current favorite thing to make for dinner: mango fish tacos!

They’re beer-battered and topped with quick-pickled mango, cilantro, radishes, and a little squeeze of lime juice. And I hope they become your new favorite dinner too!

The quick-pickled mango is inspired by amba, one of my favorite ingredients of all time. In case you haven’t encountered it, amba is essentially pickled green mango. It’s unbelievably tangy and bright, and it goes perfectly with fried food. Store-bought versions are almost always made with mango. But some homemade versions are even made with cabbage, carrot, or peppers. The uniting feature is that they’re all pickled in a fenugreek brine.

Traditionally, amba goes with falafel (in Iraq and many other places). So it’s no surprise that it also works wonderfully with perfectly crispy Mexican-lager-battered tilapia. Here, instead of classic amba sauce made with green mango, I’ve chosen semi-ripe mangoes, which are delicious on these tacos as more of a slaw than a condiment.

Hope you enjoy these mango fish tacos as much as we have!

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mango fish tacos

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  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 20 tacos (about 2-3 tacos per serving)

Ingredients

for the amba (quick pickled mango):

  • ½ of 1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 large semi-ripe mango, peeled and julienned*
  • ¾ teaspoon yellow curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt, to taste (about ⅛ teaspoon)
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper

for the tacos:

  • 1–2 cups neutral oil, for frying (e.g., canola, sunflower, peanut, etc.)
  • ¾ cups all purpose flour (90g) + about ⅓ cup more for dredging
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt + more to taste
  • Half of an 11.2 ounce bottle Mexican-style lager
  • 1 ½ pounds tilapia (675g), cut into about 20 pieces
  • 20 small corn tortillas, warmed for a few seconds in the microwave or on the stove
    Amba/pickled mango (above)
    5 limes, each cut into 4 wedges
    8 radishes, sliced thinly
    Cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions

  1. For the amba: Soak the red onion in a couple tablespoons apple cider vinegar for 10 minutes.
  2. Strain the red onion (discard the oniony vinegar), and combine with the mango, curry powder, extra virgin olive oil, salt, crushed red pepper, and some fresh apple cider vinegar to taste (about 1 teaspoon). Set aside.
  3. For the tacos: Let ¾-inch of oil heat in a 10-inch frying pan (preferably nonstick or cast iron) set over medium heat, and make the batter while you wait on the oil to heat. The oil is ready when you dip the end of the fish in it and it immediately sizzles.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt, then pour in the half bottle of beer, mix everything together (don’t overmix, and enjoy the leftover beer while you cook), and set aside.
  5. Pat the fish dry with paper towels, and season with more salt (to taste). Once the oil is hot, dredge the fish in flour, shake off all the excess, and dip in the batter. Remove the fish from the batter and flap the fish on the side of the bowl once or twice to let the excess drip off.
  6. Gently lower the fish into the hot oil, and then repeat with about 4 more pieces. Let them cook for about 3 minutes per side (carefully flip them over once they’ve turned golden brown on one side, and cook thick pieces a bit longer). Lower the heat if they brown too quickly, and keep an eye on them.
  7. Remove the fried fish to a paper towel-lined plate, and work in batches until they’re all fried (you can keep the plate in a 200°F oven for about 30 minutes to keep them warm).
  8. Build the tacos at the very last second before eating (or set up a taco bar/taco table if you’re cooking for a group). Each corn tortilla should be topped with a piece of fish, some pickled mango, radishes, and cilantro leaves. Serve with a lime wedge on the side.

Notes

Make ahead the day before: Prep all the components (mix together dry ingredients for batter, cut the fish into pieces, prep the limes, radishes, and cilantro). Make the mango topping and store in the refrigerator overnight. Soon before frying and serving, set everything out on the table or buffet. Whisk together the batter and fry the fish about 30 minutes before you plan to eat. Bring the fish to the table while they’re still hot.

How to store leftovers: Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for a couple days, and can be reheated in a toaster oven at 350°F until crispy on the outside and warmed through. They’ll be a little dryer leftover, but still delicious. The mango topping keeps in the refrigerator for several days. You can even freeze everything if you’d like to store it longer than a couple days (freeze the fish on a plate or sheet pan, then place in a tightly sealed plastic bag, and reheat in the oven. Keep the mango slaw in the freezer, and then let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or microwave it on low until it thaws. The texture of the mango will be softer after thawing, but it’s still super delicious and holds up pretty well. And, of course, corn tortillas freeze beautifully).

* Semi-ripe mangos are firm, but yield slightly to pressure. Their flesh is tangy and sweet, and firm enough to hold its shape when sliced. Slice a bit off the bottom to steady it, then slice big fillets from the wide sides, and little fillets from the skinny sides. Peel the fillets with a vegetable peeler. Slice thinly, then julienne the slices (use the GIF series following this recipe as a guide).

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slicing and peeling a semi-ripe mango (for mango fish tacos)

  • 1) slice the bottom off to stabilize it
  • 2) slice fillets off the sides
  • clean up any bits you missed
  • Peel and slice the pieces