Weekend Treat: 4th of July Dessert

Hey ya’ll! I came across this dessert and even though it’s not a ‘food storage’ recipe, per se, it just looked WAY too yummy not to share. There isn’t any “blue” in it to technically be a red-white-blue 4th of July dessert, but if you’re hard core about the blue, I’m sure you could sprinkle some blueberries on top or serve it with a blue napkin. 🙂 Anyway, it’s a twist on a strawberry shortcake. You can bet this is what I’ll be making for the fun festivities!

Happy 4th of July to you all! Let FREEDOM Ring!!

Strawberry Danish

Ingredients:

• 1 white cake mix (plus the ingredients needed to make it), I like Duncan Hines
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
• Fresh strawberries, sliced (approximately 16-20 large strawberries)
• 1 (13.5 oz) container of Strawberry Glaze (or make your own… see recipe that follows)

Directions:
Layer 1: Mix the white cake mix according to directions and divide it evenly into two 9×13 pans. Bake for the time and temperature listed for an 8×8 square pan. Allow to cool.

Layer 2: Cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and Cool Whip until smooth. Divide in half and spread evenly on the two cooled cakes.

Layer 3: Combine the sliced strawberries with the glaze. Divide in half and spread evenly on top of the creamed cakes. Make it look all nice and pretty, and walah! A special treat for a special day!
(Cool tip: For a fast way to slice strawberries, just wash them, remove the stem, and the place in an egg slicer. Lickety split.)

Strawberry Glaze

If you cannot find strawberry glaze, or you prefer homemade, here’s a recipe you can use…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tsp red Jello powder (I’m assuming strawberry would be the best option)

Directions:

-Mix the sugar, water, cornstarch, and Jello powder in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Allow to boil, stirring constantly, for five minutes.
-Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, and then put in the fridge to cool fully before adding strawberries for the top layer.

Source: http://yourlifeinshade.shadeclothing.com/2010/06/dixie-williams-strawberry-danish.html