Watsonville Strawberry Dream Cake

Name: Watsonville Strawberry Dream Cake
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter* (plus butter to coat baking pan); 2 1/2 cups cake flour (plus flour for baking pan); 2 cups plus 1/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice; 2 large cage-free eggs; 2 tsp lemon juice (divided); 2 tsp vanilla extract (divided); 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 pint fresh organic strawberries (washed, stemmed and chopped fine); 2 pints fresh organic strawberries washed (stemmed and sliced); 1 pint whipping cream (chilled); 1 cup sifted icing sugar

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Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter* plus butter to coat baking pan
2 1/2 cups cake flour plus flour for baking pan
2 cups plus 1/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice
2 large cage-free eggs
2 tsp lemon juice divided
2 tsp vanilla extract divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 pint fresh organic strawberries washed, stemmed and chopped fine
2 pints fresh organic strawberries washed stemmed and sliced
1 pint whipping cream chilled
1 cup sifted icing sugar

Instructions

Place oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Cream butter together with 2 cups cane juice until smooth and fluffy. On slow speed, add eggs one at a time. Add lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
In a separate non-reactive bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, on low speed, alternating with buttermilk. Mix batter until blended and smooth. Fold in chopped strawberries gently until well incorporated.
Pour into baking pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until center of cake springs back up after a gentle press with your finger, or a paring knife you've inserted comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack to rest for 30 minutes. Turn out the cake* onto the cooling rack and let cool for 1 hour.
Mix the sliced strawberries with 1/4 cup cane juice and mix thoroughly. Let rest while cake is cooling. Whip the cream on high speed. Slowly add icing sugar when cream is frothy. Add remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whip to stiff peaks.
Spread sliced strawberry mixture evenly over cake. Spread the whipped cream over the sliced strawberries.