May is National Strawberry Month!

National Strawberry Month is celebrated each May, and it is a time to indulge in one of nature’s sweetest fruits. Strawberries are in peak season right now, making them especially juicy, flavorful, and plentiful. Missouri wine and wineries continue to use strawberries in winemaking and pairings in unique ways. Whether you're enjoying a strawberry wine, a strawberry-infused dish, or fresh strawberries, National Strawberry Month in Missouri offers a unique and flavorful celebration of this fruit, especially in Missouri Wine Country.

To celebrate, try this Strawberry Wine Cake!

Ingredients For Strawberry Wine Cake

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 package vanilla pudding (3 0z)
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup strawberry wine
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Optional

• Fresh strawberries as garnish
• Top with Powdered Sugar
• Top with Sprinkles

Ingredients For Glaze

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup strawberry wine
• 1 cup sugar

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Instructions:

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, strawberry wine, strawberry jam, and cooking oil. Mix well. To coat the pan, use melted shortening and a nut flour. Apply shortening with a brush all around the pan, and spread the nut flour in the pan, just before you add in the cake mix. Put chopped pecans into the bundt pan, making sure to spread evenly around the center cone. Then pour cake batter into bundt pan on top of pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. When cake is removed from the oven, heat glaze ingredients together until they come to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour glaze onto hot cake, which is still in the bundt pan. Let cake sit for 30 minutes to absorb glaze. Turn cake out onto plate to complete cooling process. 

Pro-Tip: Removing the Bundt Cake. After the cake comes out of the oven, use a flat plastic spatula to loosen the perimeter of the cake. The let it rest and cool for 5 minutes upside down, then 5 minutes upright. This should help release a beautiful and intact bundt cake!