strawberry cake

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh strawberries

cake

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

filling and icing

• 3 cups (1,5 pint) whipping cream (light)
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

syrup

• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar

Instructions
In a small bowl mix the ingredients for the syrup and stir until the sugar melt. Set aside.
Rinse the strawberries. Separate some 10-12 of them for the decoration and cut the rest into small slices. Put the cut strawberries in a bowl and pour 5 tablespoons syrup.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. If you want to avoid cutting the cake use two cake pans.
Beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff.
Pour little by little the sugar.
Add the egg yolks one by one.
Add vanilla.
Stop beating and , using a strainer , sift the remaining ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt), over the bowl with the egg mixture. Stir gently with a spoon.
Pour and stir the melted butter spoonful by spoonful.
Stir gently to unite all the ingredients.
Pour the mixture into the cake pan , if you use one , or divide equally the batter if you use two cake pans.
Bake for 30'.
You can test if the cake is ready by inserting a knife in the center of it. If the knife comes out clean, the cake is ready. Be careful , you cannot open the oven's door the first 20'.
Remove the cake from oven and let it cool completely.
Beat the whipping cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff.
With a long , sharp knife cut the cake horizontally in two layers.
Place the bottom layer of the cake on a serving platter and using a brush , or tablespoon , soak it with syrup.
Spread the 1/3 of the whipping cream and scatter the cut strawberries.
Soak the second layer with syrup and place it on the top.
Spread the remaining cream on the top and the sides and decorate with whole strawberries.

enjoy

To enjoy more desserts , try to find vanilla powder.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract = 1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder.