Strawberry Jello Poke Cake

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It warmed up enough here the other day to fire up the grill(s) and have a barbecue.  45!  Woohoo!  So I made a classic summertime favorite.  Strawberry Jello Poke Cake.

You start with a basic Yellow Cake Recipe.  You can use boxed, but since we're gluten-free, this is my go to Yellow Cake.  I start by whisking together 3/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup white rice flour, 1/4 cup sorghum flour, 1/4 cup sweet rice flour, 3/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp baking powder, and 1 tsp xanthan gum.

In my stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, I beat together 5 eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 2/3 cups mayonnaise, and 2 tsps vanilla extract.

I measure out 1 cup of almond milk, and alternately add in 1/3 of the dry mix, 1/2 the milk, 1/3 dry, 1/2 milk, the rest of the dry, and beat until well blended.

I divide this between 2 greased & parchment lined 9" cake pans, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

I let these cool completely, then using the back end of a wooden spoon, I poke holes in the cakes.

I mix together 2 small packages(or 1 large package) of strawberry jello with 3 cups of boiling water, and pour this over the cakes.

The cakes go in the frig for 3 hours.  Meanwhile I make the filling, and the frosting.  For the filling, I cut up a quart of fresh strawberries, and put them in a saucepan with 1/3 cup of agave nectar, 2 tbsps of cornstarch, and 1 shot of Grand Marnier over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.  When the sauce has started to thicken, I remove them from the heat and set them aside to cool.

For the whipped cream frosting, I sprinkle a packet of unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan, and let it soften for a minute.  I heat it up until the gelatin dissolves, remove from heat, and let it cool.  Meanwhile I whip 2 cups heavy cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar, when high peaks have formed, I mix in the cooled gelatin mixture.

After the cakes have been in the frig for 3 hours, it's time to assemble the cakes.  Fill a pie plate with warm water.

Set a cake pan in it for 30 seconds to loosen the jello. 

Run a knife around it, and turn it out of the pan.  Peel the parchment off the bottom and place on a cake plate.  Rim the plate with strips of parchment paper.  This will keep the cake plate clean when you frost the cake.  Spoon or pipe some of the frosting around the edge of the cake and fill the cake with the prepared strawberries.

Place the other layer on top, and cover with frosting.

I sliced some strawberries, glazed them with some warm jam, so they'd be shiny and pretty, and arranged them on top.

Thanks for popping in and baking with me.  I'm sharing this at Bargain Hoot's Eats & Treats Thursday, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, and Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays.