Strawberry Tall Cake

I love a good Easter cake. 
Duh.

While my all-time favorite is this coconut cake, this delightful recipe comes in a close second. Partly because it's delicious. And partly because it's easy as pie cake. It's a strawberry tall-cake, which is basically just a typical strawberry short-cake, but stacked x3. "Mo' cake, mo' better," I think the old adage goes.
But instead of your typical strawberry shortcake, the cake layers of this bad boy are made from my mama's divine cream cheese pound cake recipe. Yeah, not regular pound cake--we do cream cheese pound cake around these parts. We may be related to Paula Deen; I'm still researching. 

I will post the pound cake recipe separately, because if you feel intimidated or lazy, then the cake is ah-mazing on its own. To be honest, it's actually at its best when made in a bundt cake pan and slightly undercooked. But for the purpose of this particular cake, I made the recipe and cooked it in three 8-inch round pans. Remember, a pound cake is NOT a cake you want to overcook. I'd rather have a too-moist cake than a too-dry cake any day of the week!

And then, after baking the cake, the rest is simple. You chop up a whole mess of strawberries, toss a little sugar on them, and let them marinate for a bit while you make the homemade whipped cream. Once you have the whipped cream made, you're ready to go! You just put strawberries and whipped cream in between each layer, and then frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream. 

Or you could make it a naked cake. Or hell, make the pound cake recipe in the bundt cake pan and just top it with the whipped cream and strawberries. Whatever. It'll all taste the same. It's not an exact science, and this isn't one of those cakes that's a stunner. It's a comfort food. But it's a grown-up comfort food. The kind that will bring a man to his knees. 

CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE
1.5c (3 sticks) unsalted butter
3c sugar
1 (8oz) package regular cream cheese
6 eggs
3c plain flour
1tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and add to creamed mixture slowly. Add vanilla extract. 

Spray baking pan with Baker's Joy spray. For this cake, separate the mixture evenly into three 8-inch round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for roughly 40 minutes. Remember, every oven is different, and baking depends on your oven and settings. Check the cakes at 30 minutes by using the toothpick test (if it comes out clean, then the cake is done; if it comes out runny, then the cake is not done). I always check every five minutes afterward until the cakes are perfectly cooked. My cakes in my oven were cooked at around 40 minutes.

*(Alternatively, if you want to make this pound cake in a bundt cake pan, then bake at 325 for one hour. ) 

Once cooked, remove cake pans from oven and put the pans on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. After ten minutes, remove the cakes from the pans and allow to continue cooling on wire racks until completely cooled. 


STRAWBERRIES
3 containers of ripe strawberries
2tbsp sugar

Remove stems and leaves and thoroughly wash strawberries. Cut into thin slices and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and mix together. Let marinate for a while. 


WHIPPED CREAM

32oz whipping cream

1/3c sifted confectioner's sugar

2tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl (stand mixer with whisk attachment or handheld mixer), whip cream until stiff peaks are about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, because then the cream will become lumpy. 

*This recipe make a LOT of whipped cream, since we are filling and frosting the cake with it. If you choose to do this cake in bundt cake form, then half the recipe.