Seth's Strawberry Cake

Seth found a recipe card about 10 months ago for a giant, family sized strawberry shortcake.  He has been asking for it as a birthday cake ever since.  The recipe he found was a white cake mix, cool whip creation, which would have still been tasty, but I wanted to up the ante a bit, and this is what I came up with.  It was good.  Really, really good.  The only change I made between making it and writing it down was to increase the quantity of whipped cream, because I felt like I didn't have enough.  I wish there was more squishing out between the layers.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cubes unsalted butter - room temp.
8oz cream cheese - room temp
6 eggs - room temp
3 cups superfine sugar (you can take regular sugar and blend it in the food processor 30 seconds)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350, with rack in the center of the oven.  Butter and flour a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Using the stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add the sugar, in three additions, beating well each time.  Continue beating on med/high until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes.)  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well each time.  Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.  Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.

Bake 60-75 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool 20 minutes.  Remove from cake pan and cool completely.

Strawberries
1 1/2 quarts of strawberries
1/4 cup sugar

Wash strawberries.  Set aside 8 or so for the top.  Slice the rest and place in a large bowl.  Add sugar.  Mash a bit with a potato masher.  Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Whipped Cream
3 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Chill your bowl and beater ahead of time.  Beat the whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until mixed.

Assembly
Cut the cake into thirds with a big serrated knife.  Place the bottom layer on a cake plate.  Cover with half the strawberry mixture, and then about 1/3 of the cream.  Repeat with next layer.  Finish with top of cake, and the rest of the whipped cream, and arrange the whole strawberries on the top.