Best Ever Strawberry Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup pureed strawberries
• 1/4 cup 2 milk
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

Mix pureed strawberries, milk, eggs, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract together in a small bowl; transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt into strawberry mixture on Low; add butter and continue beating on Low until evenly combined.

Stop mixer, scrape sides, and beat again for about 30 seconds.

Divide batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes; transfer to wire racks to completely cool, about 30 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat confectioners' sugar into cream cheese mixture until creamy and fluffy; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Spread about 1/2 the frosting on top of 1 cake. Place second cake on top of frosting layer; spread the remaining frosting on top of second cake and around sides of both cakes.