Wash and hull 1 pound (16 oz) of fresh strawberries.

Blend or puree the strawberries until smooth—you should have about 2 cups of strawberry puree.

Pour the puree into a medium saucepan. Set over medium-low heat.

Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 25–30 minutes. The puree should gently bubble and reduce in volume.

Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened and reduced to about 1 ⅓ cups. It will coat the back of a spoon.

Cool the reduction to room temperature before using. For this recipe, you’ll need ⅔ cup (163g) of the reduced sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease two or three 8 inch springform pans with butter (butter the sides and bottom) and line each pan with a parchment paper circle for easy cake removal. Set aside.

Add freeze-dried strawberries to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until the strawberries break down into a fine powder.

In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, and vegetable oil, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy.

Add in the egg whites, sour cream, and milk.Beat with the electric mixer.

Add in ⅔ cup strawberry reduction sauce, mix to combine.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.

Evenly divide the batter among the pans. If using 2 pans, that’s 3 cups of batter per pan, if using 3 pans, that’s 2 cups of batter per pan. If you have bake even cake strips, soak them, then secure them around the outside of the pans.

Bake 2 pans for 35-45 minutes or 3 pans for 27-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pans, then use a small spatula to loosen the cake from the edge of the pan. Remove the cake from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Add freeze-dried strawberries to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until the strawberries break down into a fine powder.

Place the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium speed and beat together for 1-2 minutes, until whipped and fluffy.

Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and 4 cups of powdered sugar, beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.

Taste the frosting and if you prefer it more sweet, add in 1 more cup of powdered sugar.

Add in the freeze dried strawberry powder, beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.

If needed, level the cooled cakes using a cake levered or serrated knife.

Spread a small amount of frosting on the bottom of your cake plate / stand, this acts as “glue” to prevent the cake from moving. Place one cake layer over the frosting. Measure 1 cup of frosting and evenly spread that on top of the first layer. Top with the second cake layer and spread the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake.