Happy Birthday, Me!

Sadly, I did not make this cake for my birthday (if I had, I could go eat some as soon as I post this.) I made it a couple of weeks ago. But this is the sort of cake I had for special occasions growing up (birthdays, graduations, even my wedding cake was a variation of this.)


It is the best cake in the world.

Spongy cake, creamy custard, strawberries, and LOTS of whipped cream. And, of course, white chocolate shavings on top.



I found the recipe here, and won't re-type it... it's quite long. Completely worth the effort, though. And completely perfect. Here's just the ingredient list (yes, you need eleven eggs):

Cassata Cake!
For the cake layers:
2 1/4 c. cake flour
1 1/4 and 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
3/4 c. cold water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 t. lemon zest
1 t. vanilla extract
5 large egg yolks at room temperature
8 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 t. cream of tartar

For the custard:
6 large egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. half and half
3 T. cornstarch

For the macerated strawberries:
3 lb. strawberries
2 T. sugar

For the whipped cream:
2 c. chilled heavy cream
1 T. sugar