Strawberry Cake-Mix Bars with Fresh Berry Glaze (Print-Friendly Version)
A measured strawberry cake mix combines with butter and eggs to make dense bars in an eleven-by-seven-inch pan. Fresh strawberries supply the glaze liquid, so add their puree gradually. Cool the bars fully before glazing to avoid a melted, runny surface. Weigh 15.5 ounces of dry strawberry cake mix if the box size differs; do not add the water or oil from the cake-box directions. Separate the two teaspoons of vanilla before mixing: one is for the batter and the other for the berry puree. Spread the thick batter into the corners of the 11-by-7-inch pan and check the center rather than judging only its pink surface. Cool fully before glazing. Strawberries vary in juiciness, so add the puree gradually to the powdered sugar and stop when the glaze spreads without running off the bars; you may not need every drop. Keep the freshly glazed bars refrigerated and use a clean knife for slicing.