My daughter (yes, she is the one I made the identical fake/real cakes for earlier in the month) called last night and ordered a cake for her Mother-In-Law for the end of the month. She wants the cake to be in the shape of a School Bus and be made with Strawberry cake. I wasn't able to find a strawberry mix from the brand I use (BC) tonight so I bought a jar of Strawberry Jam to add to a white cake mix. Can anybody tell me how much jam to add to the box mix and what other ingredients and how much of them I should add?

Also any suggestions as to a filling for this cake would be appreciated.

I bought an aluminum loaf pan (11 3/4 x 5 1/4 x 3 1/4) tonight to use when I bake the cake. I will be carving it into the proper shape (hopefully). They are always teasing her about her driving skills (she is very good at it actually, drives the special needs bus) and they want the cake to reflect the bumps and bruises, so to speak. Any suggestions on how to do this would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance.

You can simply add strawberry extract to your cake mix batter for a strawberry cake.

McCormick Strawberry extract:

http://www.mccormick.com/Products/Extracts-and-Food-Colors/Extracts/Imitation-Strawberry-Extract.aspx

Here's a recipe that uses frozen strawberies to make a strawberry cake (from mix):

http://tinyurl.com/2cu8s4

HTH

Thanks Jan.

I acutally bought the extract at the same time I bought the jam. I guess I will just go with my original idea and use the extract.

Do you have any suggestions for the filling? Can I use sliced fresh strawberries, and if so how, do I layer them with the buttercream icing or another way.

I have a wonderful strawberry cake recipe that I have used for over 30 years. I often make a strawberry mousse to fill it and frost with Bettercreme. It is one of my most popular cakes.

Strawberry Cake

Beat 4 eggs
Add 1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

Mix in 1 pkg. white cake mix
1 3 oz. pkg strawberry jello
4 tblsp. flour

Beat for two minutes. Add 1 cup fresh strawberries, mashed with juice - or 10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries with juice. Beat one more minute.

Bake in 8" or 9" layer pans at 350 deg. for 35-40 minutes.

I have successfully doubled and tripled this recipe and baked in large pans. Cake is really moist!!

Strawberry Mousse
2 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
2 cups strawberry puree (you need at least 2 pkg. 10-12 oz. frozen berries)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tblsp. lemon juice
2 cups whipping cream

In a small sauce pan, sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Puree the berries and remove seeds (I put them in the food processor then press through a fine mesh sieve. I just recently purchased strawberry puree used to make marguaritas. It works also.) Mix puree, sugar and lemon juice in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is disssolved. Transfer to a large bowl. Over low heat, heat the gelatin until dissolved. Stir into berry mixture. Chill mixture until it is consistency of raw egg whites stirring occassionally. Be careful at this step not to chill too long. If it gets too thick, reheat and chill again.
Beat 2 cups of whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into berry/gelatin mixture.

This recipe makes lots of mousse.

No that recipe is correct. You are right about it being really dense - but it is very moist. I use Duncan Hines cake mix -not sure if that makes a difference.

Thanks, after it cooling, tonight it is not quite so heavy. My husband absolutely loves it. This weekend it will be turned into a school bus.

Thank you for the mousse recipe also.

Occthur,

I made the mousse last night and I have just one word for it.......

Amazing

It is just delicious. I may have to experiment with it for other flavors as well. Thank you so much for the recipes.

I have the cake stacked and in the freezer right now to firm up so I can sculpt it.

Will post pictures later.

The mousse is something that I don't need to have around. I love to eat the leftovers!! Glad you like it.

This cake turned out really great. My daughter and son-in-law even came over to help with some of the decorating.

This is made with Occthur's (thanks again) Strawberry cake and Strawberry mousse recipes. It is covered with MMF as well as is the cake board. The wheels are marshmallow pinwheel cookies, the "passengers" are mini nilla wafer, the "lights" are M&Ms.

I can't seem to get the photos to upload here. Maybe in my photos.