Strawberry and Cream Vanilla Sponge Cake

Coat two 8″ round cake pans with a bit of butter, then flour. Preheat oven to 325 F.

Heat milk and butter in a small pot on low heat. After the butter has melted, remove from heat and set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into a clean bowl. Set aside.

Beat eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment for 4 minutes. Set the kitchen timer to 4 minutes and don’t stop beating until the timer goes off. Reset the timer for another 4 minutes and add sugar. Beat until creamy and the timer goes off.

Add the lemon zest into the mixture. Using a sharp knife, split one of the vanilla beans lengthwise down the center and scrape the seeds and pulp out. Add the seeds and pulp into the mixture. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix just long enough to incorporate. Add the milk and butter mixture and mix to combine.

Divide batter between the two prepared cake pans, smooth the top and pop pans into the warm oven. Bake until fragrant, maybe 35 minutes. Insert a clean toothpick into the center of each cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready. Remove from oven and allow the cakes to rest in the pans for 10 minutes. Then, turn them out of the pans onto a metal rack to finish cooling.

Split the second vanilla beans lengthwise down the center and scrape the seeds and pulp out. Set aside.

In the clean bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream with the seeds and pulp from the second vanilla bean and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy.

Cut cooled cakes in half horizontally. Place one thin layer of the cake onto a pretty plate. Spread about a 1/4th of the whipped cream over the cake, sprinkle some strawberry bits over the cream and set another layer of cake on top. Repeat layering the cake with whipped cream and strawberries until all 4 cake layers are assembled. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Adapted from CakeBoss.com.