Ingredients
For the Strawberry Cake:
1 cup halved fresh strawberries
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ( 3 ounce ) package strawberry flavored gelatin
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
Garnish: fresh strawberries (optional)
For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
1½ cups white chocolate morsels
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar
Optional Decorations and Topping: Crushed freeze dried strawberries, fresh strawberries
1 (1 ounce) bag freeze dried strawberries
Instructions
For the Strawberry Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray top of each parchment paper round with nonstick cooking spray.
Blend strawberries; process until smooth. (You should have 1/2 cup strawberry puree.)Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar and gelatin; beat for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add strawberry puree and vanilla, beating just until blended.
Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition.
Spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pans (about 3 3/4 cups each). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks
For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
Melt chocolate according to package directions (about 1 minute). Let stand for 5 minutes.Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy (about 3 minutes).
Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
RESERVE 1 CUP OF FROSTING FOR THE OUTER EDGE TOP.
Add a nice layer of frosting on the bottom layer, place the top layer on top of the frosting. Continue frosting the top and sides.
While the frosting is still wet press the crushed freeze dried strawberry bits to the side (look blow for instructions on how to prepare the freeze dried strawberries).
To the reserved frosting add an additional cup of powdered sugar. Fill a piping bag and add swirls around the top edge of the cake.
For the Crushed Freeze Dried Strawberries:
Pour a 1 ounce bag of freeze dried strawberries into a blender. Pulse until the strawberries become little bits.
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