Red Velvet Strawberry Cake

Recipe View Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. (5 minutes)

Recipe View In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. (3 minutes)

Recipe View In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the oil until well combined. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla extract, vinegar, and food coloring. Gradually add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. (7 minutes)

Recipe View In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. (2 minutes)

Recipe View Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. (35 minutes)

Recipe View Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely. (10 minutes)

Recipe View For the frosting, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. (10 minutes)

Recipe View Pour the frosting into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (placing the wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming), and refrigerate until completely cooled. (60 minutes)

Recipe View Once the frosting is cool, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the cooled milk mixture until light and fluffy. (5 minutes)

Recipe View To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Frost with half of the frosting and arrange the sliced strawberries over the frosting. Top with the second cake layer and frost with the remaining frosting. (10 minutes)