1 cup (125 grams) (¼-inch-thick) sliced fresh strawberries
Pink food coloring
Garnish: fresh strawberries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) round cake pans; line bottom of pans with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. With mixer on medium-high speed, gradually add castor sugar, beating until fluffy, about 5 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Scrape sides of bowl.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. (Do not overbeat.) Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Using a serrated knife, level top of cake layers, and cut layers in half horizontally. Place bottom layer on a cake stand. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip with Italian Meringue Buttercream. Fill another pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip with Strawberry Pastry Cream. Pipe a ring of Italian Meringue Buttercream around top edge of cake layer. Pipe a ring of Strawberry Pastry Cream inside ring of buttercream. Continue alternating with Italian Meringue Buttercream and Strawberry Pastry Cream rings until you reach center of cake. Top with next cake layer, and pipe a ring of Italian Meringue Buttercream, creating a dam. Fill in buttercream ring with a thin layer of jam. Layer strawberry slices on top of jam. Top with next cake layer, and repeat Italian Meringue Buttercream and Strawberry Pastry Cream rings. Add final layer, and spread a thin layer of Italian Meringue Buttercream on top and sides of cake to create a crumb coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Place half of remaining Italian Meringue Buttercream in a small bowl. Dip tip of a wooden pick in food coloring, and gently dip tip into buttercream. (A little food coloring goes a long way.) Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip with pink buttercream. Remove cake from refrigerator, and place on cake stand. Pipe a ring of pink buttercream around bottom of cake. Pipe a ring of white buttercream around cake above pink buttercream. Repeat until you reach top of cake. Hold an offset palette knife or cake scraper against side of cake as you turn cake completely around, smoothing out striped frosting as you go. Spread remaining white buttercream on top of cake to meet sides. Top cake with strawberries, if desired.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://bakefromscratch.com/fraisier-layer-cake/