Strawberry Cheesecake Torte

Strawberry Cheesecake Torte
By: Doris Christopher

1 pkg (16oz) pound cake mix
½ cup water
1 pkg (3oz) strawberry gelatin
¼ cup seedless strawberry jam
1 lemon
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup cold milk
1 container (12oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 pkg (3.4oz) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
1 kiwi, peeled, sliced and halved
1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line BAR pan with 13 inch piece of parchment paper. Prepare cake mix according to package directions; pour into BAR pan, spreading evenly. Bake 15-18 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Carefully lift cake onto cooling rack; cool completely.

In a microwavable container microwave water 1-2 minutes or until boiling. Add gelatin; stir until dissolved. Add jam; whisk until smooth. Invert cake onto smooth side of a large cutting board; remove parchment paper. Prick cake at ½ inch intervals using a fork. Brush cake evenly with all but 2 Tablespoons of the gelatin mixture. Trim ¼ inch around edge of cake; discard edges. Cut cake crosswise into 3 equal layers.

Zest lemon; set zest aside. Juice lemon to measure 2 Tablespoons of juice. In a large batter bowl, combine cream cheese and lemon juice; whisk until smooth. Add milk; whisk until smooth. Spoon whipped topping over cream cheese mixture. (Do not mix.) Sprinkle with pudding mix; mix well. (Mixture will be VERY thick).

Place one cake layer on Oval platter. Fill a large Ziploc bag with filling mixture. Snip tip with scissors. Pipe a straight border around edge of cake layer. Using a large scoop, place 4 scoops of filling down the center; spread evenly to border. Top with second cake layer. Repeat filling as above. For third layer, pipe a decorative border around edge. Spread any remaining filling down center.

Arrange kiwi on top of cake. Place strawberries and reserved gelatin mixture in a small mixing bowl; mix gently. (If gelatin mixture has set, microwave for 5-10 seconds or until softened.) Spoon strawberries over top of cake; sprinkle with reserved lemon zest.

Yields 16 servings