Strawberry Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Paula Deen's Strawberry Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Now, I'm normally not that much of a strawberry fan. I mean, I like the fruit, but artificial flavor strawberry is my least favorite artificial flavor (and, yes, I do have a favorite artificial flavor: cherry). So, when my sister-in-law handed me this recipe to make at her house for my brother's retirement celebration, I was skeptical. Even as I was making it, I was thinking, "This is kind of weird. Don't know if I'll be trying this one." 
Then when it was time to cut them up, I was surprised by their brownie-like texture. I went ahead and cut a tiny bite, and OH. MY. GOODNESS. What a beautiful surprise: chewy, brownie-like texture, but with a rich, buttery, strawberry flavor. Like many of Paula Deen's recipes, this is super sweet. The cream cheese layer, although also very sweet, lightens up the artificial strawberry flavor and adds the natural strawberry flavor that makes it alright that I used the box mix. Of course, I later ate a piece (or two) with some lightly sweetened whipped cream, and OH. MY. GOODNESS. Again. This stuff is good. Trust me. I'm making it again, am I not?
Thank you, Heidi (and Paula Deen) for the awesome recipe.

Strawberry Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
      --from Cooking with Paula Deen

Ingredients:

• 1 box strawberry cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cups chopped fresh strawberries*
• whipped cream

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Combine cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Press this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
At medium speed in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and 3 eggs until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until combined. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries. Spread over cake mix in pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until center is set. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Serve with whipped cream and strawberries, if desired.

Makes 2 dozen servings

*Note: When I was in the middle of making these, I realized I needed the strawberries, but I had a flat tire and wasn't going anywhere until my husband got home from his disc golf outing. So, I took some whole frozen strawberries and thawed them on a paper towel lined plate on the counter. When they were soft enough to cut, but still a little frozen, I cut them into 1/4-inch pieces and let them continue to thaw on a paper towel. They worked just fine and didn't bleed into the cream cheese mixture as I'd expected. Good to use in a pinch, or when strawberries are out of season.