Strawberry Refrigerator Cake

This ranks up there with one of my favorite cakes.
Is it a new recipe?
Heaven's NO ... it's good ol' Duncan Hines.
{Thank you, Duncan.}
In fact, probably everyone in the whole free world has made this cake at least once.
But just in case there is one lone person who has not, it's my civic duty to share this recipe.
If you aren't that one lone person, then feel free to just scroll through
& drool over how yummy this cake looks and sounds.
And if technology would hurry up and advance already, you could be smelling it too!
Ok, woah Nellie ... hold yer horses.

Here's my spin on this classic favorite.
You know how I roll ... I tend to tinker with recipes from time to time.

This starts out with a box mix.
I know ... I know.
That's akin to saying a curse word here in blogland,
but hey, I confess ... I use a box mix every now & again.
We can still be friends though, right?

I haven't made this cake, even though it's one of my faves, in probably 3 or 4 years.
However, you remember I shared a recipe yesterday for strawberry syrup?

I knew it would be the perfect pairing with this cake.
{This is where I tweaked the recipe a little.}

You bake the cake according to the box directions & while it's still warm,
you poke holes all over it & pour in this yummy homemade strawberry syrup!
Frost it after it cools & you'll have one tasty cake that just screams summertime.

Here's how I adjusted the recipe, using my syrup + using applesauce instead of oil
for a healthier, less calorie version.

Cake:
1 box cake mix {I used white, but strawberry is divine too}
1 whole egg + 2 egg whites
1 cup of water
1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce
Bake in a 9x13 according to the directions.

Pull it from the oven & poke holes all over while it's still hot.
Pour 10 ounces of the homemade strawberry syrup over the cake, letting it soak into the holes.
Let the cake completely cool before frosting it.
Drizzle the syrup over top & refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Frosting:
8 ounces of Neufchâtel cheese, softened {this is the lo-fat version of cream cheese}
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces Cool Whip {I used the French vanilla flavored}

Mix the cream cheese & powdered sugar, then fold in the Cool Whip.

Now, if you'd like the Duncan Hines original recipe, here it is:

1 box strawberry cake mix
10 ounces of sweetened, frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
Frosting:
1 (3.4 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup milk
3 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping
fresh strawberries
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 13"x 9" pan. 

For cake, prepare, bake and cool according to package directions.
Poke holes 1" apart in top of cake.
Puree thawed strawberries with juice in blender. 
Spoon evenly over top of cake allowing mixture to soak into holes.
For topping, prepare pudding mix according to package directions using 1 cup milk. 
Fold whipped topping into pudding mixture. 
Spread over cake. 
Garnish with fresh strawberries. 
Refrigerate at least 4 hours. 

Any way you slice this one up, it's delicious!

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