Vanilla Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 329°F/165°C and line the bottom of three 6 inch/15 cm diameter cake pans with parchment paper (or a deep pan lined with parchment paper on the sides for no spillage).
2. In a large bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla, and beat at medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture doubles or triples in volume.
4. Meanwhile, whip the cold heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
5. Gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture using a flexible spatula until you get a homogeneous batter.
6. Then, fold in the whipped cream with circular movements until you get a well-blended batter.
7. Weigh the batter and distribute it evenly among the 3 prepared pans.
8. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes (about 1 hour if using a single pan for baking) without opening the oven door until they are well risen and cooked in the center. (5 minutes before the end of baking, insert a toothpick into the center of the cakes; it should come out clean, if not, extend the baking time)
9. Let cool for a few minutes in the pans before carefully running a knife around the edges, then unmold and let cool completely upside down on a cooling rack.

Strawberry Filling

1. Cut the strawberries into small pieces and mix them with powdered sugar in a bowl, let them sit for a few minutes.

Mascarpone Frosting

1. In a bowl, whip the cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at low-medium speed until thick.

Assembly 

(Assemble in a deep cake pan or in an adjustable pastry ring)

1. Trim the tops of the sponges and remove the crust if necessary with a small knife to achieve perfectly white sponges.
2. Place a first layer of sponge at the bottom of the pan previously covered with plastic wrap for easy unmolding.
3. Using a piping bag and the mascarpone frosting, apply a layer onto the sponge, fill the center with the strawberries, and cover with the second layer, repeating until the 3rd layer of sponge.
4. Close the plastic wrap over the top layer and place the cake in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes.

Mascarpone Covering Frosting

(Use acrylic disks for a perfect smooth finish)

1. Unmold the layer cake and place it on an acrylic disk on a rotating cake stand.
2. Apply a thin layer of mascarpone covering frosting to seal in the crumbs and smooth with an offset spatula.
3. Then cover the top of the cake with a smooth layer of frosting before placing the second acrylic disk.
4. Cover the entire layer cake with the mascarpone covering frosting, smoothing with a steel frosting smoother until you achieve smooth finishes.
5. Place the cake in the freezer for 1 hour before carefully running a knife between the cake and the top acrylic disk to detach it.
6. Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining covering frosting and a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip.
7. Decorate with strawberries and place back in the fridge for 1 hour before serving with a strawberry coulis.