Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Light and not too sweet or rich!

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 Cake

Ingredients

• Cake

• 1 (18 ounce) box  chocolate cake mix
• 1 (3 1/2ounce) box chocolate pudding
• 4  eggs
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 3⁄4 cup  vegetable oil

• Filling and Topping

• 1 (10 ounce) jar  strawberry jam (I use homemade)
• 1 1⁄2 lbs strawberries
• 3  tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 1⁄2 pints heavy cream
• 3 -5  marshmallows (heated or melted in microwave for 20 seconds) (optional)
•  vanilla
•  confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Mix and bake cake ingredients according to box.
2. Cool cakes completely.
3. While the cakes are baking and/or cooling, slice strawberries, coat with white sugar and let sit in fridge until ready to put together. Leave some for garnish.
4. Once cakes are cool, start mixing the whipped cream.
5. In a large bowl beat the cream until it thickens.
6. Add the vanilla, confectioners sugar, and marshmallows (to stabilize).
7. Assemble cake.
8. Place first layer on a cake plate with a small amount of jam to hold it.
9. Spread jar of jam on the top of the first layer.
10. Spread 1/4 of cream on top of jam making a dam and indent in the middle for sugar strawberries.
11. Place 3/4 of the strawberries in indent.
12. Spread 1/4 of the cream on top of the strawberries and cover with top layer of cake.
13. Ice cake with remainder of the whipped cream making an indent again in the middle for the rest of the sugar strawberries.
14. Garnish with large strawberries previously set aside.