Mrs. Applegate's Strawberry Cake T-R-L

Found this and had to post to keep it safe! "Mrs. Applegate, a Baptist pastor's wife in Starkville, Mississippi, taught a university girls' Sunday School class for many years, about the late 50's and early 60's at least). Each year a spring Sunday School picnic was held. Mrs. Applegate had a special board made out of 2x12 lumber. It was several feet long and made to carry about 6 of these cakes lined up on this board and iced all together to make one long cake. The cake was carried in someone's station wagon to the picnic site. All the cake was always eaten and enjoyed by the students. Mrs. Applegate was known by the students for her delicious cooking and especially for her strawberry cake."

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 12-16

Ingredients

• CAKE

• 1 (18 ounce) box  white cake mix
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries (thawed & SEPARATED)
• 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry Jell-O gelatin dessert
• 4  eggs
• 1  cup  Wesson Oil
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

• ICING

• 1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar
• 1⁄4 cup shortening

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
2. Thoroughly drain strawberries. (THIS STEP IS ESSENTIAL - the strawberries must be well drained.)
3. Reserve strawberries for icing.
4. Pour strawberry juice into liquid measuring cup.
5. Add enough water to strawberry juice to make 1 cup liquid.
6. CAKE:.
7. POUR juice-water mixture into mixing bowl.
8. Add cake mix, jello, eggs, Wesson Oil and vanilla.
9. Beat for three minutes at low speed of electric mixer (or until thoroughly mixed), scraping sides of bowl often.
10. POUR batter into greased 13x9x2-inch pan.
11. BAKE about 1 hour at 300ºF.
12. Remove from pan, cool and plate.
13. ICING:.
14. Cream 1/4 cup shortening.
15. Add the box of sifted powdered sugar and beat.
16. Add drained strawberries, mix thoroughly. Spread onto cooled cake.