Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Fluffy vanilla chiffon, sweet & juicy strawberries, perfection in a slice

"Depriving yourself from cake is depriving yourself of love."-Someone really cool, smart, pretty, funny, and most of all humble (me)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 cups cake flour

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 7 egg yolks, room temperature

• 7 egg whites, room temperature

• 3/4 cup water

• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

For the whipped cream:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

• 1.5 tsps vanilla bean paste (or extract)

• 1/2 tsp food coloring gel (optional)

• 2 cups strawberries (for topping and filling)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and prepare three 6-inch baking pans with parchment paper and butter.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a small bowl, beat together egg yolks, water, oil, and vanilla until frothy.

4. Fold egg yolk mixture into flour mixture until just combined.

5. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

6. In 4 even increments, fold egg whites into the cake batter.

7. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.

8. Let cool on a wire rack.

9. Prepare the whipped cream by whipping together the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. At this point feel free to add the food coloring if desired. As soon as stiff peaks form, stop whipping.

10. Layer cakes with sliced strawberries and whipped cream, and frost with the remaining whipped cream. Decorate to taste. Slice, serve, and enjoy!!