Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 28 minutes
Total time: 58 minutes

Ingredients :
For the cake layers:
5 egg whites, room temperature
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon of almond extract
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the icing and topping:
1 ½ cups unsalted butter
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
2 teaspoons of almond extract
1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
1 ounce package freeze-dried strawberries, crushed into fine crumbs
1 ½ cups sliced ​​almonds, divided

Instructions :
Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper circles. Use Wilton Bake Even Strips to keep cakes level without wasting! Put aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, whisk egg whites with ¼ cup buttermilk. Put aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the cake flour with the baking powder and salt. Put aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the granulated sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy (scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Stir in the almond extract.
Add the dry ingredients slowly until combined. Slowly add the egg mixture, beating until well combined.
Finally, stir in the remaining buttermilk.
Pour the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the molds for 5 minutes. Then invert onto a rack lined with parchment paper (to prevent the cake from sticking). Cool completely.
For the icing, beat the butter with the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract. Beat for about 4 minutes until fluffy. Remove about 1 cup of white frosting and set aside.
To the remaining frosting, add the freeze-dried strawberries, crushed until smooth.
To assemble. Spread one layer of cake on a cake plate. Spread WHITE almond frosting on top only. Add diced fresh strawberries and ¼ cup sliced ​​almonds.
Cover with the second layer of cake. Using an offset spatula, spread the remaining strawberry frosting over the sides and top (feel free to use a piping tip to add swirls if desired).
Once all the frosting has been applied, use your hands to press the remaining sliced ​​almonds into the side of the cake. To give it a nice finish, I only added almonds to the bottom third. If you like, add a fresh strawberry on top!
Keep the cake covered until ready to serve. Can be refrigerated if desired. ENJOY.