{Almost} Naked Strawberry Cake

Now folks, until roughly 3 months ago, I was not much of a baker. No-sireeee. My friends would laugh at me when I would come up with the idea to make a baked goodie. The fall season was always fun at college, as some friends would laugh their little buns off while I would try to make an apple pie in a dorm kitchen. 

Let's just say I have come a loooooong way.

It was my uncle's birthday last month, and the last of the beautiful strawberries were out. I was on a huge strawberry kick, so I thought to myself, what could be better than a fresh strawberry cake for a birthday celebration? Nothing. Excatly. 

I followed this recipe from Martha Stuart for Versatile Vanilla Cake. Let me tell you, this is a fantastic cake. Dense without being heavy and perfectly moist. This recipe is a winner and bookmarked for future use. I didn't want to have frosting that overpowered the gorgeous organic strawberries I found at a local farm, so I opted for a thin layer of vanilla frosting {also a la Martha} on both cakes. Simply frost, layer with sliced strawberries, plunk another cake on top, frost and arrange more strawberries around the edge, and voila. 

You guys, I couldn't have been happier with the result. Next time you're in the market for a fantastic vanilla cake recipe, Martha's your girl.