Fresh Strawberry Marble Cake

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper; grease and flour the sides.

2 . Stage

Puree whole strawberries in the bowl of a food processor or electric blender and set aside.

3 . Stage

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

4 . Stage

Beat egg whites in another large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until peaks form. Gently stir into the batter.

5 . Stage

Pour 1/2 of the batter in a medium bowl and set aside. Add pureed strawberries and food coloring to the remaining batter and mix well.

6 . Stage

Pour batters evenly into the prepared cake pans, alternating between red and white batter in each pan.

7 . Stage

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Immediately run a spatula between the cakes and the sides of the pans. Let cool for 15 minutes; remove cakes from the pans. Remove paper. Cool completely on wire racks.

8 . Stage

While cakes are cooling, mix confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, butter, milk, strawberry extract, vanilla extract, and food coloring together in a bowl. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes.

9 . Stage

Frost the bottom cooled cake layer and add 1/2 of the sliced strawberries evenly. Repeat for second layer. Add the top layer. Frost the top and sides, covering any trace of strawberries in the layers.