• Preheat oven to 350° and line two 8” cake pans with parchment rounds.
• Add strawberries to a small blender or food processor and pulse to create strawberry puree (NOTE: start by blending 1 lb. strawberries and increase as needed. It’ll be somewhere around 1.5 lb. whole strawberries to create 1 ½ cups puree).
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter, strawberry puree, milk, and vanilla together.
• In a separate bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir with a hand mixer until the batter is smooth, but being careful not to over-mix.
• Divide the batter into the prepared cake pans, then bake the cake for 32-37 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then carefully invert them onto a cooling rack. Wait for the cakes to cool completely before icing them.

for the icing:

• Pulse the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor or small blender; set aside.
• Whisk the butter and milk together with a hand or stand mixer, then add in the blended freeze-dried strawberries and powdered sugar; mix until the icing is smooth.
• Ice the cake, slice and enjoy!