Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
• Puree the strawberries in a blender until smooth. You'll use this both in the cake batter and the buttercream. This should yield about 2½ cups of strawberry puree.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
• Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
• Gently fold in 1½ cups of the pureed strawberries.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, alternating with small amounts of the strawberry puree (1 cup of strawberry puree in total). Beat in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Adjust the consistency with more powdered sugar or strawberry puree as needed.
• Once the cakes are cool, cut the top part if the cakes have a big dome, then spread a layer of strawberry buttercream on top of one cake layer. Place the second layer on top and spread the remaining buttercream over the top and sides of the cake.
• Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired. Slice and serve!