Fresh (and frugal) strawberry goodness

My husband and I discovered a new love when we were planning our wedding last year: the fresh strawberry cake from Maxie B's, a local bakery.

My mouth waters just thinking about it. But at about $5 a slice, it's a very rare treat.

So when The Pioneer Woman Cooks! posted this recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cake -- and I realized that all the ingredients were staples I already had in my cabinets -- I decided I had to give it a shot. If it was only half as good as Maxie B's version, I'd just eat two slices. ;)

Based on the reaction of our dinner guests, it was a success. My brother-in-law quickly claimed half of the cake to go back with him to his apartment.

Some of the ingredients are things I bought a while ago, but this is me we're talking about, so it's a pretty solid bet I bought them on sale or with a coupon. Probably both.

Let's see what I remember:

• The Gold Medal flour was $.99 from Harris Teeter's holiday baking sales.
• The Argo cornstarch was free during triples at Lowes Food.
• The sugar was super cheap during holiday baking sales.
• The vanilla is Aldi's store brand, but I just bought a new bottle of McCormick's at Harris Teeter during triples for when that one runs out (gotta love a stockpile!).
• The eggs were $1/dozen at Walmart.
• The powdered sugar was on a "we're no longer carrying this brand" clearance at Harris Teeter.
• The cream cheese wasn't on sale when I bought it -- but it is on sale this week at Harris Teeter 4/$5 (pair that with the Kraft printable coupons for Philadelphia cream cheese if they're still available for a great deal).
  
• The strawberries are a container I picked up on sale at Lowe's Food last week. I would have preferred some fresh picked ones from the Farmer's Market, but I was too lazy to get out of the bed yesterday and go...

Take into consideration the fact that I used just a fraction of the above ingredients for the cake, and I think I found a tasty and frugal alternative to Maxie B's. It may not be as pretty -- hey, I'm not a professional baker -- but it's not going to last that long at my house anyway!

Loving it for Less,
Lanita