The Strawberry Chocolate Cake that Almost Wasn't - Recipe Included

Recently I had a bad day.  And a certain someone (I won't name names) was teething so badly that I thought I might have to dope him with tylenol and pull out all my hair give him some extra nap time.  During said nap, I decided to make a strawberry chocolate cake to use up the strawberries we'd picked.  I hadn't made this cake in years.  And I'd forgotten.  Forgotten what an absolute PITA it is to make.  Not to mention the recipe is asinine.  It calls for things like 2/3 cup of butter.  Why couldn't they pick a normal amount?  Furthermore, you have to make a MERINGUE and fold it into this really dense batter.  A whole separate meringue?  Now if that isn't an annoying cake recipe, I don't know what is.

So there I was, pretty annoyed.  To make matters worse, it didn't get done within the prescribed time.  Nope, I had to cook it an extra 10 minutes.  Stupid cake.

And then?

The frosting.

Well, it makes a RIDICULOUS amount of frosting.

Look at all I had left after frosting both layers of cake:

Can you believe this?  There must be 3 cups there!  Not one to let things go to waste, I stuck it in the freezer for use on sugar cookies later, but by this time I was TOTALLY over this cake.  Me and this cake?  We were gonna have it out! 

But then there was this: 

And then I took a bite.  Layers of cake and strawberries and the most fudgey of frostings ever. 

Oh yes. 

That's why I made that silly old cake.

If you would like to torment yourself, here is the recipe -

Really Annoying Chocolate Strawberries Cake with Overdose of Frosting:

(from Taste of Home)

2/3 cup of butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

4 egg whites

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

FROSTING (save yourself the trouble and just half this):

7 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/2 cups baking cocoa

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar.  Beat in vanilla.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternatively with milk.  In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, on high untill stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.  Fold into batter.  Fold in strawberries.

Pour into two greased and floured 9 inch round baking pans.  Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

For frosting, in large mixing bowl combine sugar and cocoa.  Beat in butter and milk until smooth.  Beat in vanilla.

Spread frosting over bottom cake layer; top with sliced strawberries.  Top with remaining cake layer; frost top and sides of cake.  Store in fridge.