White Christmas Cake

by Hidemi Walsh
(Plainfield, IN, USA)

It is common to eat Christmas cakes on Chrismas eve or day in Japan (I am Japanese). They are round sponge cakes with whipped cream and fruit toppings, mostly strawberries. My mother used to buy or make ice cream cake because our Japanesse family is ice cream lovers. It's been 2 years since I moved to the US from Japan and sometimes miss Japanese traditional food. I made this for my American family to share my one of traditional recipe.

Ingredients:
8 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Cool Whip (Thawed)
1/2 cup Milk
4 tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Chopped Strawberry
1/2 cup Blueberry
1 Egg
1 cup Yellow Cake mix
1 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.Make yellow cake. In a bowl, combine yellow cake mix, egg, olive oil and 1/4 cup water. Mix well. Pour the batter into the cake pan (round) and bake for 20-23 minutes. Let stand.
3.In the meantime, in a bowl, beat cream cheese, add sugar and milk. Mix well.
4.Add cool whip, 2/3 of blueberries and 2/3 of chopped strawberries. Mix well.
5.Place the plastic wrap on the bottom of the inside of the bowl (4 inch across in diameter/1.5Qt). Place the rest of blueberries and strawberries, and then pour the batter.
6.Level the surface and place the cake on top (Slice the cake if necesarry to fit the bowl). Chill in the freezer until sets.
7.When the cake sets, turn the bowl upside down on the plate. Then cut and serve.