There’s nothing like a classic homemade strawberry cake, especially when it starts with a light, buttery sponge and layers of silky vanilla pastry cream and fresh strawberries. In this episode, Claire shows you how to make an elegant strawberry cake completely from scratch using simple ingredients and professional baking techniques you can recreate at home. You’ll learn how to bake a tender sponge cake, make a rich vanilla pastry cream with real vanilla bean, stabilize the filling for clean slices, and assemble a beautiful cake that’s perfect for spring, summer, birthdays, Easter, baby showers, or any special occasion. Whether you’re an experienced baker or tackling your first layer cake, Claire walks through every step so you can achieve bakery-quality results in your own kitchen.