Strawberry Dream Cake

Everything about this cake is fresh, light and strawberry dreamy ~  sponge cakes layered with a fresh strawberry jam and covered in a fluffy, creamy strawberry frosting.  It's a strawberry dream!  I made this for my niece who is going on a study abroad trip to Costa Rica.  The pretty sugar hibiscus flowers that top the cake are from http://www.sugarcraft.com/  The jam filling can be prepared several days in advance and the cake needs to be layered with the filling the night before so it can chill at least 8 hours. 

For Cake:
1 box Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake mix
3 large egg yolks at room temperature
4 large egg whites at room temperature
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare 4 - 8" cake pans by spraying bottom and sides generously with baking spray.
Pour cake mix into a large bowl making a well in the center.  Add egg yolks, oil, lemon juice and water into well.  With a metal whisk or hand beater mix until completely blended and smooth.
In a clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment add the 4 egg whites and cream of tartar, beat at medium high speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, beating on medium high until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold egg white mixture into flour mixture until blended.  Spoon batter into 4 cake pans distributing evenly.  Bake 12-15 mins, rotating pans halfway through baking, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 mins, remove from pans and let cool completely.
For Strawberry Jam Filling:
2 cups mashed fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 of a 3 oz package strawberry-flavored gelatin - 1.5 oz  (save the remainder, you will need some for frosting)
Stir together strawberries and sugar in a medium saucepan, let stand 30 minutes.  Bring strawberry mixture to a boil over med-high heat, boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved.  Cool completely about 1 hour.  Cover and chill in refrigerator 8 hours.
For Strawberry Frosting:
1 Tbsp strawberry-flavored gelatin
2 Tbsps. boiling water
1 cup cold whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 8 oz container cold sour cream
Stir together gelatin and boiling water in a small bowl, let cool completely about 20 minutes.  Beat whipping cream and gelatin mixture at high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, until foamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until medium peaks form.  Mix in sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring just until blended after each addition. 
To assemble cake:  Spread jam filling between each cake layers leaving a 1/4" border around edges.  Cover cake with saran wrap and chill for 8 hours.  Spread frosting on top and sides of cake, chill 2 hours before serving. 
The pictures shown here are for smaller versions of this cake, I made some minis with same recipe. 
Recipe adapted from Southern Living's Strawberries and Cream Cake

 

Enjoy!