Butter Cake with Strawberry Filling

Last week was our 15th anniversary, so I thought it'd be fun to create a cake similar to that of our wedding. Minus the tiers, fresh flowers and spotlight, of course. And it was pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.

It's got a red, white and blue vibe...I thought I'd share it with you this week.

Since I was the one doing the baking...I let Betty Crocker do what she does best, and started with a box mix. I'm also not a big fan of frosting, so I kept that light, by using whipped cream.

I only own 2 round cake pans, so I baked two layers, washed the pan out, and baked the third one (kind of like this cake and this cake). You can make this cake with two layers, but I wanted more jelly...and three layers just feels fancier to me.

The cake is dense and buttery, but still light...and the jelly just makes the whole thing taste fresh. You can use any kind of frosting, but I was dying to try that new Cool Whip frosting...and it didn't disappoint. It's basically a slightly thicker version of whipped cream, so it stays in place on the cake.

I can't wait to make this again using raspberry filling. And again with peach preserves. Oh, and how about cherry?!

And today is our precious son's birthday...I remember watching fireworks from the hospital room after he was born, so Fourth of July holds even more meaning for us. He flies home tomorrow, from a two-week visit with grandparents, and since the Butter Cake is long gone, I plan on surprising him with this one.