Strawberry Inside Out Cake

Mark's parents came down this weekend under the guise of a Memorial Day picnic. What actually happened when they arrive was that we locked them outside in the garden and subjected them to hard, hard manual labor.  They planted 4 beautiful rose bushes in our backyard and completely transformed our front yard from a weed factory into a beautifully landscaped paradise. On top of all this work, Mrs. deWolf also brought a delicious dessert. Apparently this was a favorite of hers growing up and her mom would make it for her birthday. It was not only a beautiful cake, but it was totally scrumptious. It is perfect for a hot day because it is very light. The other nice thing is that you can prep each of the components ahead of time, transport it very easily to another location, and assemble it when you arrive. I hate going to a party with a nice looking dessert only to find that I've mushed it into unrecognizable status in transit.  We've got a HUGE piece left in our fridge and I am home from work today with what can only be described as a totally wicked case of poison ivy. The great outdoors and I are not friends. I am seriously considering eating a piece for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I will save a sliver for Mark. Hopefully.

Eileen's Strawberry Cake for Ginny's Birthday
Ingredients:
1 Angel Food Cake
1 package cool whip
1/2 cup sugar
1 pint strawberries

1. I know that Mark's mom made her own homemade angel food cake. You can pick one up at the grocery store, use a mix or make one yourself. There is a good, simple recipe here.

2.  Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the cake in half horizontally and separate the two halves.

3.  Using the knife and your hands, scoop out a well in the bottom half.

Save the cake that you scoop out (minus any that you snack on) in a large bowl.

4.  In another bowl, combine sliced strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar and allow to macerate for 1 hour in the fridge (but up to overnight).  The strawberries will get very juicy and delicious.  You can drain the juice and reserve it to drizzle over the cake later.

Also, take the cool whip out of the fridge to soften up a bit.
5.  Mix together the berries (sans juice) and the cool whip in the large bowl with the cake bits.  Reserve about 1/2 cup plain cool whip to top the cake later.

6.  Use half of this mixture to fill the well in your angel food cake.

7.  Use the rest to slather up the other half of the cake too.

8.  Carefully (with a spatula and maybe even a little help from a friend) flip the top back onto the cake.

9.  Spread the plain cool whip that you reserved earlier on top of the cake.  You can also slice up some strawberries on top if you want.

10.  Allow the cake to firm up in the fridge for 3 hours or so.  If you are short on time, 1 hour will do the trick.

Serve up and enjoy!

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