Strawberry Tunnel Cake -- The Cake That Marks a Quiet, Golden Milestone

Brayden is two hundred and eighteen weeks old. Eden is one year and twenty-four weeks. The strawberry tunnel cake is a small Bundt cake with a strawberry-cream-cheese tunnel-filling baked through the center.

Sunday I made the cake.

Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives. She holds Eden. She plays with Brayden. She drinks the small coffee. We talk for two hours. The small Aunt-Linda-and-Roy small post-retirement rhythm has settled into the small comfortable-pace they have been building since Roy stopped driving.

Dustin’s small Tulsa-shop work continues. The small shop-manager-and-eventually-owner trajectory is in its small mid-phase. Bobby is moving toward the small retirement-handoff. The small five-year-buyout-structure is in its small operational-rhythm.

The small family-of-four routine continues. Brayden goes to school. Eden goes to daycare. Dustin goes to the shop. I do the small catering-and-cookbook-and-blog work. The small days have the small predictable shape that the small steady-state of the small family-with-two-kids assumes.

The small Tulsa-apartment continues to be the small home. We have not yet moved to a small house. The small house-search continues to be on the small slow-burn. The small five-year-down-payment-savings-plan continues to accumulate.

Strawberry Tunnel Cake

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 package (18.25 oz) white cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and finely chopped
• 2 cups whole fresh strawberries, hulled, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves (optional, for glaze)

Instructions

1. Prepare the cake. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Prepare white cake mix according to package directions using water, oil, and egg whites. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
2. Cool the cake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour.
3. Make the tunnel. Once the cake is fully cooled, use a serrated knife to cut a 1-inch-wide, 1-inch-deep channel around the inside of the cake (about 1 inch from each edge), creating a tunnel. Remove the cut cake pieces and set aside or reserve for snacking.
4. Make the cream cheese filling. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping until fully combined. Gently stir in the chopped strawberries.
5. Fill the tunnel. Spoon the cream cheese and strawberry filling evenly into the tunnel in the cake. Replace the removed cake pieces over the filling to seal the top.
6. Frost the cake. Spread the remaining whipped topping over the top and sides of the cake in an even layer.
7. Garnish and chill. Arrange whole hulled strawberries decoratively on top of the cake. If desired, warm strawberry jam and brush lightly over the berries for a glossy finish. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
8. Serve. Slice with a sharp knife and serve chilled. The cream cheese strawberry tunnel will be revealed with each slice.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 310mg