In a medium bowl toss the strawberries and sugar together until every strawberry is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge as you prepare the rest of the cake.

Preheat oven to 400F, line 2-9”cake pans with nonstick spray or butter and dust with flour, then line the bottoms with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract).

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the sifted dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake at 400 for 5 minutes then turn the temp down to 350 and bake for another 15-22 minutes. Allow to cool completely before layering.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat the cream until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Add the sifted powdered sugar; set aside.

Place a dollop of whipped cream in the middle of a serving plate or cake stand. Invert the first cooled cake layer onto the prepared serving plate or cake stand. Spread about 1/3 of the whipped cream on the layer, top with the prepared strawberries. Repeat with next layer. Top with more whipped cream and strawberries.