Strawberry Cake Recipe

Being the kind of person who LOVES to bake, I hardly ever turn down an opportunity.  A friend at work turned 40 this past weekend, and us CPA's are always looking for a way to celebrate with food.  We always have a really big celebration for birthdays ending in zero, and everyone brings in all kinds of goodies.  I had never made a Strawberry Cake before, but I decided that I wanted to try something different.  It ended up being a pretty big hit in my office (and with my beau who I MAY have saved a piece for).  =)  I think I'll definitely be making it again!  One thing I want to work on is putting icing on the cake...mine always ends up looking a little bit messy.  I would love it if my cake looked as beautiful as this one:

Strawberry Cake from Scratch

2 cups white sugar
1 (3 oz.) package strawberry flavored gelatin
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs (room temperature)
2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. 
2.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. 
3.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely.

I made homemade cream cheese icing and it went with the cake perfectly!  One tip that I learned in this process is how important it is to bring the butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature.  I have no idea what the difference is, but the cake was so good, and I'm convinced that it's because I followed ALL the rules!  

If anyone has any tips for how to ice a cake, I am all ears!  My poor cake may taste well, but it's definitely not beautiful.  =)