All the flavors of fresh strawberry shortcake in a tall, beautiful, celebratory cake—that’s what professional baker Juanita Traughber of Nashville, Tennessee, envisioned when she developed this cake. She serves it as a birthday cake perched on a tall, clear glass cake stand with a high glass dome for full effect. Just one candle in the center is enough, she says. “I don’t want to detract from the beauty of the strawberries.” Traughber uses a decorative angled cake server to cut thin slices.

“STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE” CHIFFON CAKE

CAKE

2 ¼ cups cake flour

1 ½ cups white sugar, divided

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

5 large egg yolks, room temperature

¾ cup cold water

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 large egg whites, room temperature

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

FROSTING

2 cups chilled heavy cream

6 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups sliced strawberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour three 6-inch or two 9-inch round baking pans, or a 12-cup chiffon cake pan.

To make the cake, sift the flour, 1 ¼ cups of the sugar, baking powder, and salt together twice into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat the yolks, water, oil, lemon peel, and vanilla with a hand mixer on high-speed until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture until well blended.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining ¼ cup white sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Using a large spoon or spatula, gently fold one-fourth of the egg whites into the cake batter until combined. Add the remaining egg whites and stir until well combined. Scrape the batter evenly into the pans. Bake about 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks and let cool for at least 1 hour.

To make the frosting, place the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a clean mixing bowl and beat on high speed until the mixture forms stiff peaks, about 2 minutes.

Trim the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler. If desired, cut each layer into halves horizontally to make 6 layers. Set the first cake layer on a plate and spread a layer of whipped cream evenly over it. Add a layer of sliced strawberries. Repeat with remaining cake layers.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Notes: The eggs must be room temperature to beat to a fluffy consistency, so take them out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before beginning this recipe. Overmixing the fluffy egg whites into the cake batter will deflate the batter, which should be light and airy, so handle your whipped eggs with care.

Putting the warm layers on the wire rack into the freezer reduces the cooling time by half.