Happy (early) 4th of July!

July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. It's basically an excuse to have a giant cookout, eat awesome summer desserts and watch fireworks. It's very much a no strings attached type of holiday. No pressure to dress up, buy the right gifts, or... anything really. Just show up, eat food, go home. Easy & stress free - the perfect summer holiday.

Of course my favorite thing is the desserts. Mainly the ones involving strawberries. It's a good thing they're red and find their way into all the main Fourth of July desserts. 

Last year I had to work on the 4th so of course I brought this cake. No one wants to work on a holiday, but at least cake makes it slightly better. And this one is covered in fruit which also makes it healthy... right? I'll be making this again to take to my parent's house for a cookout this year. You can find the recipe to this Vanilla Pudding Cake  I shared back in May when I made it for Memorial Day. You should definitely make it - it's super easy, fun to decorate and everyone always loves it. 

What are some of your favorite Independence Day desserts?

Vanilla Pudding Cake

The Perfect 'Summer' Cake...

I found this recipe online a couple of years ago while searching for 4th of July desserts. It is one of the easiest desserts to make and SO good. Along with banana pudding this is also one of my most requested desserts. The difference is this one is EASY, fast and fun to make and decorate :)  It's also quite delicious.

I think of it as the perfect summer cake because I love it covered in berries (mainly strawberries!) and its great to decorate for Memorial Day or 4th of July. 

Ingredients

Cake:

-box of yellow or white cake mix 

-small box vanilla pudding mix  (I've used the no sugar one before & noticed no difference)

-1 1/3C water

-4 large eggs

-1/2 C vegetable oil

-2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

-1 16 oz tub of cool whip (or homemade whipped cream if you're ambitious!)

-1 package vanilla pudding mix (4 servings, just like for the cake)

-1 C milk

-dash of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. Combine all ingredients except vanilla and beat until well mixed. Add in vanilla.  Pour into greased cake pan(s) of your choice. This cake turns out to be pretty dense so I think its easier in just a 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 for 30-40 mins. Cool slowly (I usually shut the oven off and let it sit for a minute with the door open before removing and placing on cooling rack. 

Frosting:

Once cake is completely cool combine cool whip (I let it sit out for a few minutes so its easier to work with), pudding mix & milk. Beat until blended well. It can take a bit to get the pudding mix blended in. Stir in vanilla and frost cake. Place in fridge to chill and then top with berries of your choice. 

I made this as cupcakes for my nephew's birthday topped with a dollop of frosting & strawberries. They turned out cute & delicious.

Hope you're having a great Memorial Day weekend - make it even better with some delicious cake & fresh berries :)