Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans. While the oven heats, puree the strawberries and strain to extract the juice—you should have about 1 to 1¼ cups. Pour the juice into a saucepan and boil for 10 minutes until reduced to about ⅓ cup; this concentrates the strawberry flavor dramatically. Once reduced, mix in the ⅔ cup room-temperature milk and a few drops of food coloring to achieve your desired pink hue, then set aside to cool slightly. I like to reduce the juice separately from the fresh pulp because it ensures you capture the most vibrant strawberry flavor in the cake itself.

In a large bowl, beat together the avocado oil, butter, and 1¾ cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, then add the vanilla essence and almond extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding the dry ingredient mixture and the strawberry milk mixture from Step 1 to the butter mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients—this prevents the batter from becoming overly wet and ensures even distribution. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter using a spatula with careful, broad strokes to maintain the airiness that gives this cake its tender crumb. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Place the filled pans in the preheated 350°F oven and bake for 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The cakes should be golden and spring back when gently touched. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting—this prevents the frosting from melting or sliding off warm cake.

While the cakes cool, make the jam filling by combining the leftover strawberry pulp, ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and ⅛ tsp salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until completely chilled—a cold filling prevents it from sliding out from between the cake layers.

In a bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with 1½ cups powdered sugar, 1.5 tsp vanilla essence, and ⅛ tsp salt until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat the cold heavy cream with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form—cold cream whips to maximum volume, which is why I always pull it straight from the fridge. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated and fluffy. This combination creates a frosting that's rich, stable, and easy to work with for assembly.

Place one cooled cake layer on your serving plate or cake board. Using a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (or simply a spoon), pipe or spread a ring of frosting around the outer edge of the cake layer, leaving the center slightly open. Spoon the chilled strawberry jam from Step 4 into the center ring, filling it generously but not overflowing. Carefully place the second cake layer on top, then spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the assembled cake, creating your desired finish—smooth, rustic, or with decorative swirls.

Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to set and the flavors to meld. This resting time also makes the cake easier to slice cleanly. Serve chilled or at room temperature, and store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.