• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place parchment paper on the bottom of the two 8" round pan & grease the sides with cooking flour spray or butter. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl: Combine 4 egg yolks and ¼ cup of sugar. Beat for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and light yellow. Add vanilla extract, canola oil, milk and mix. Add flour, baking powder & salt to the bowl. Mix everything together. Make sure that you sift the dry ingredients before mixing them into the wet ingredients.
• In a separate large bowl: add the 4 egg whites and whip for 4-5 minutes until soft peaks begin to form. Continue to whip while adding 2 tbsp sugar to the bowl, then add the other 2 tbsp of sugar while whipping until stiff peaks. Add cream of tartar, vanilla extract and whip until stiff peak forms.
• Use a spatula and fold the ¼ of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Repeat this step 3 more times and fold them together until consistent and smooth.
• Divide the batter into 2 round pans (8"). Use a toothpick: make zig zag lines to remove air bubbles. Lift and tap the pans a few times to remove extra air bubbles from the batter.
• Bake for 25 minutes. Remove cake pan from the oven and let sit on a baking rack (1" above a flat surface) for 15 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and let completely cool on the baking rack.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

• Place a metal bowl & whisk attachments in the freezer for 1 hour. Just right before you remove the bowl from the freezer. In a small bowl: combine cold water, gelatin and mix until well combined. Microwave the gelatin in 45-60 seconds or until it becomes liquid forms & set aside
• Add cold heavy whipping cream to the bowl and whip for 6-8 minutes until stiff begins to form. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and whip until well combined. Slowly add warm gelatin mixture (microwave again if needed) and whip until stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble

• Cake Syrup - In a small bowl: add 2 tbsp sugar and 4 tbsp boiling hot water. Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved.
• Use a cake leveler- slice the cake into a level layers. Place cake on a clean plate/cake tray. Brush a generous amount of cake syrup on top of the 1st layer cake, then add a thick layer of whipped cream on top. Add sliced strawberries (1 lb) on the cream. Carefully add the 2nd layer cake on top of the strawberries, then brush with the rest of the syrup. Spread whipped cream on top and sides of the cake. Use a cake scraper to level and smooth the cream. Place cake back in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Fruit Syrup - In a small bowl: add 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp boiling hot water. Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved and set aside. While the cake is in the refrigerator: rinse, clean & pat dry the fresh fruits with a paper towel.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Decorate the cake with fresh fruits, then brush the syrup on top of the fruits. Place the cake back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Just before serving decorate with whipped cream.

Slice, serve & enjoy!