Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

So I am staring down the barrel of another birthday, Tony's this time, and I realize that I never got to post the strawberry cake that I made last month for my birthday!!!  And that's a real shame because it was so good.  Luckily the northern part of the country is coming into strawberry season and I am posting this for you just in time.

Now, I made this cake twice.  The first time I made it as a one layer cake in a sheet pan and it turned out perfect.  We ate it all though before I could get a single picture of it!  So being the good blogger that I am I made it again.  I made a 2 layer cake this time.  And I had high hopes for this one.  It was going to be beautiful and as light and fluffy as the first one.  It was close but not exactly the same.  I use whole eggs in this one and should have used the 6 egg whites like I did in the first one...lesson learned.

I really would have made another one for the perfect pic but I got the worse sore on the end of my tongue from all of the stinkin' strawberries I had eaten that I couldn't face another one...LOL!!!  But now that my tongue is all healed I want one and I want one bad!!!

Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (from Confections of a Foodie Bride)

Ingredients

• For the strawberry puree:
• 24 oz very ripe strawberries, hulled (or no-sugar-added frozen strawberries)
• 1-2 tsp sugar (optional)
• For the cake:
• 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature (4 whole eggs can be substituted, but it will not be as pink or as light and fluffy!  I recommend the egg whites)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temp

Instructions

1. If frozen strawberries in whatever form (sliced, whole, etc) and in whatever container/bag you have them in. Pour into a fine strainer placed over a bowl and let sit. Lightly toss the strawberries occasionally to remove any pockets of excess liquid. Reserve the liquid for another use or discard.
2. If using fresh strawberries, just hull, slice and toss with a teaspoon or two of sugar and cover. Let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, until nice and juicy.
3. Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree.
4. Reserve 3/4 cup puree for the cake.
5. Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired. It's also fabulous spooned over ice cream... and eaten straight with a spoon.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8- or 9-inch pans, or muffin pan, or 13"X9" pan: spray inside with baking spray with flour (or use some sort of grease/flour combination).
7. In small bowl, combine puree, milk, egg, vanilla and mix with fork until well blended. In bowl of stand mixer, add sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Continue beating at slow speed and add butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.
8. Add wet ingredients and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until full and evenly combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and hand beat for 30 more seconds.
9. Note: The batter will not get any pinker in the oven so if you're disappointed in the color from your berries, maybe consider adding a drop or two of pink or red food coloring.
10. Divide the batter evenly among the pans and smooth tops.
11. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (time will vary)I found that it was about 40 minutes for the 13X9 pan and it would be about 20-25 for the cupcakes. Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely (about 2 hours).
12. To make the frosting use your favorite cream cheese frosting or this one. 
13. Once the frosting is made I added some of the leftover puree to it.  But not too much or it will become too thin.  If you wanted more pink (we avoid red dye) add some red dye to the frosting now.
14. Frost your cake and enjoy!!!