Strawberries and Cream Cake

I tend to steer clear of dessert duty unless cookies are acceptable. The thought of baking and being precise with measuring makes me anxious. After being asked to bring a dessert to a girls dinner, I looked up recipes that included strawberries because I just bought an lb of them in hopes to eat a bit healthier. This recipe is a hybrid between an old Martha Stewart recipe and a Barefoot Contessa deconstructed recipe. It turned out to be very satisfying! Serves 8

Ingredients
1 lb strawberries, tops cut off and sliced into small pieces
1 stick butter at room temperature, plus a little to butter the pan
1.5 cups flour, plus a little to flour the pan
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
2 eggs plus two yolks 
2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

one bunch mint
1.7 oz Grand Marnier 

Preheat the oven to 350F
Butter the bottom of an 8 inch pan
Then line with cut out parchment paper
Cover again with butter and the sides, then sprinkle with flour

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt
In a mixer, combine 1/2 cup sugar and the stick of butter
Beat on high for about a minute (until creamy)

Use a large knife

Slowly add in eggs, one at a time allowing to mix fully
Then add the two yolks
Add vanilla

Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture
Then half of the milk
Repeat and end with flour mixture

Pour the dough into the pan and cook for about 30-35 minutes
Once the cake can be poked with a knife and nothing remains on the knife when you pull it out, the cake is done
Allow to cool for 10 minutes

Meanwhile, toss strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar and Grand Marnier (do about half of the bottle, then taste test to get desired amount)

Make the whipped cream by combining remaining 1/4 cup sugar with heavy cream in the mixer
Combine until peaks form

When cake is cooled, plop it onto a plate upside down carefully
slice in half horizontally
Place one half on the plate and save the other
Top with 1/2 of the strawberries and half of the whipped cream
Place the other half of the cake on top
Spread remaining whipped cream
Top with strawberries and mint