Strawberries and Cream Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8 inch pans, adding a circle of parchment or wax paper to the bottom of each pan.
• Go ahead and separate your eggs, saving only the 6 egg whites for this recipe. Set them in a bowl to the side.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 30 seconds and set aside.
• In another bowl, add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and cream cheese and mix at medium speed until smooth.
• Gradually add the sugar and mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
• Mixing on low speed, add the 6 egg whites one at a time (it's fine to estimate), mixing to incorporate after each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (We did 3 additions of the dry mixture, 2 additions of wet)
• Mix the batter just until well combined- be careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter between the three pans.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans on a wire rack before turning out. *Baking times may vary slightly.
• This recipe makes 7 ½ cups of batter.

For the Strawberries in the Filling

• Wash, remove tops, and slice a quart of fresh strawberries into a bowl. (This gave us just enough for two layers of filling. You can adjust amount to your liking.) Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the strawberries and stir to coat. Set aside.

For the Whipped Cream Filling

• Chill the mixing bowl and beaters/ whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Pour the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract into the chilled mixing bowl, begin mixing on low speed gradually increasing to medium high speed.
• The cream begins to thicken (approx. 1 ½ minutes) and stiff peaks form- be careful not to overmix. This happens fairly quickly! At "stiff peak" stage, peaks form and hold their shape when beaters are lifted. This is when it's ready.

For Cream Cheese Frosting

• Add the softened butter and vanilla to the bowl of your mixer. Mix on low to medium speed until the butter is smooth. Cut the softened cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, along with the salt, mixing at low to medium speed until incorporated.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar mixing on low speed until blended. Increase mixing speed to medium, mixing just until well combined and fluffy.
• If it seems a little too soft to easily decorate with, you can refrigerate for a few minutes to thicken the consistency before frosting the cake. (This frosting should be refrigerated if not using right away.)

To Assemble the Cake

• Place the first cake layer on your cake plate or pedestal. Pipe a dam of cream cheese frosting about ¼ -½ inch from the edge of the cake using a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped away).
• Spread on a layer strawberries within the dam. Top with a layer of whipped cream. (If needed, you can make the dam a bit taller).
• Repeat steps for the second cake layer. Then top with the third cake layer. Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with frosting. (I do this with the piping bag that I used for the dam).
• Next, I like to apply a crumb coat (thin coat) of frosting and chill for 15-20 minutes in the freezer (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm things up. This makes it easier to apply the final coat of frosting without the layers shifting.
• Decorate however you like! I kept things very simple. After applying the second layer of frosting, I added a bit of texture with a small offset spatula, and topped with a straberry.
• This cake should be refrigerated because of the filling and frosting (in an airtight container, cake dome, or sealed bakery box). *However, for the very best flavor and texture, remove from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving so that the cake and frosting can warm and soften.