Averie Cooks

-1 Cake
-1 Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans (or one 9×13-inch pan) with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans; set aside.
-1 To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric handheld mixer), add all ingredients except strawberries, and beat on medium-high speed until well blended, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
-1 Add the strawberries and beat to incorporate.
-1 Turn batter out into prepared pans, divided evenly, and bake for about 30 to 34 minutes, or until done and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
-1 Allow cakes to cool in pans, on a wire rack, for about 15 minutes before inverting and removing cakes to cool completely on wire racks.
-1 Make sure cakes are completely cooled before frosting them.
-1 Frosting
-1 To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric handheld mixer), add the butter, and beat on medium-high speed to smooth it.
-1 Add the strawberry preserves, extract, 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, and beat on medium-high speed to blend.
-1 Add 1 additional cup confectioners’ sugar, and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until very well whipped, light, and fluffy. As necessary, drizzle in the cream to thin frosting to a thick, yet spreadable, consistency.
-1 Optionally add red food coloring to make the frosting pinker; I added about 10 drops.
-1 Add about one-third of the frosting to the top of one of the cakes and smooth it with a spatula or knife. Place the other cake on top, add about one-third of the remaining frosting, and smooth it. Add the remaining amount of frosting to the sides of the cake and smooth it.
-1 Optionally add fresh strawberries for garnishing before serving.