Strawberry Cream Cake

Strawberries were on sale last week and I just had to make this cake I saw this winter on America's Test Kitchen.

It's a layered white cake with fresh strawberries and an AMAZING frosting. Is it cream cheese?.....Is it whipped cream?......either would be good.....but both would be what is now my favorite white frosting.

And it has a pureed strawberry filling. I liked it. I hope you do to.

Strawberry Cream Cake
adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Cake
1 1/4 c cake flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c sugar
5 eggs (2 whole,3 separated)
6 T butter, melted and cooled
2 T water
2 t vanilla

Strawberry Filling
2 lbs fresh strawberries
4 T sugar
1 t almond extract
1 t vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt
2 c heavy cream

FOR THE CAKE:
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3T of sugar.
Add in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks, melted butter, water and vanilla.
Whisk until smooth.
In bowl of electric mixer, beat remaining 3 egg whites until frothy.
Gradually add remaining 3 T of sugar.
Beat until soft peaks form.
Stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten.
Fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.
Pour into greased and floured springform pan.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.
Bake at 325 for 30-40 min.
Cool in pan 10 min, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

FOR THE FILLING:
Halve 24 of best strawberries and reserve.
Quarter remaining berries and toss with 4 T sugar.
Let rest 1 hour, then strain juice into a small sauce pan.
Give berries a quick run through the food processor (about 5 pulses).
To the sauce pan add vanilla, almond and salt.
Simmer until reduced and syrupy (about 4 min)
Pour over macerated berries.

FOR THE FROSTING:
In bowl of electric mixer whisk cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy (1-2 min). Reduce speed to low and slowly add heavy cream. Beat until mixture holds stiff peaks.

THE ASSEMBLY:
Using a large serrated knife, slice cake into 3 even layers.*
Place bottom layer on cake stand and arrange a ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down, and stem sides out, around the perimeter of the cake.
Pour halve of pureed berries in the center.
Gently spread about 1/3 of frosting over berry layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border from edge.
Place middle cake layer on top.
Repeat with strawberries, puree, and frosting.
Place last cake layer on top. Pretty side up.
Spread remaining whipped frosting on top, right to the edge.
Garnish with remaining berries.
Serve or chill up to 4 hours.

*Note: There was no way I could have cut my cake into 3 layers. Not sure why, maybe I didn't beat the egg whites long enough. But it was still good with 2 layers.