Strawberry Ribbon Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks/8 oz.)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/8 teaspoon red food coloring

For the Strawberry Butter Cream

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/3 cup mashed fresh strawberries
• 1 (1 lb) package confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. 1

   For the cake:.

2. 2

   Grease two baking pans, 8x8x2; dust with flour.

3. 3

   Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt onto wax paper. Cream butter until soft in a large bowl; beat in sugar gradually until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fluffy again, then flavorings.

4. 4

   Stir in flour mixture, alternately with milk, just until blended. Spoon half the batter into one pan; stir food coloring into remaining batter; pour into second pan. Bake in moderate oven (375°F) 35 minutes, or until centers spring back when pressed with fingertip. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; turn out onto racks; cool completely.

5. 5

   Split each cooled layer; put together, alternating pink and yellow, with part of the strawberry butter cream; frost sides and top with remaining.

6. 6

   For the Strawberry Butter Cream:.

7. 7

   Blend cream cheese with butter until fluffy in a medium-size bowl; beat in strawberries. Stir in 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the mixture for filling. Beat remaining confectioners' sugar into remaining mixture in bowl for frosting.