Start by washing the strawberries thoroughly, then pat them dry and cut them into quarters. Place the strawberries into a saucepan along with the gelling (jam) sugar and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer gently for 10–15 minutes. After simmering, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rosewater if you're using it. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to separate the purée from the pulp. The leftover pulp can be frozen and saved for future use—perhaps in a buttercream. For this recipe, you’ll only need the strained purée. Set it aside and allow it to cool completely before using.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare a 15 cm (6″) round baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or greasing and flouring it. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then set this mixture aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, and salt. Beat them together on high speed for at least 10 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and airy. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, oil, strawberry purée, and food coloring (if using). Note that without food coloring, the cake will have a brownish tone rather than a vibrant pink. Turn your mixer to its lowest speed and slowly pour the liquid mixture into the whipped eggs and sugar. Add the liquid gradually, mixing for 30–60 seconds until just incorporated.

Next, gently fold in the dry ingredients. You can do this by hand or on the lowest mixer setting—be careful not to overmix. Once fully combined, immediately pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Once fully cooled, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill it before torting and filling.

Finely chop the white chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and a pinch of salt until it’s just about to boil—do not let it boil fully. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 1–2 minutes. Then stir gently by hand until combined. To emulsify the ganache, use a stick blender, being careful not to incorporate too much air. Let the ganache cool at room temperature until it reaches the texture of creamy peanut butter.

Prepare 160 g (or more if needed) of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) using your preferred method. Bring the Philadelphia and Mascarpone cheeses to room temperature, then mix them together briefly until smooth. Add the instant vanilla pudding powder and let the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken. Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the SMBC by hand—avoid overmixing to preserve its smooth, airy texture.

Once the cake is fully chilled, slice it horizontally into three even layers. Fill the cake with two layers of the cream cheese buttercream, using about 120 g per layer. Smooth it out evenly, then stack the layers carefully. Chill the filled cake for at least 30 minutes to set the filling and stabilize the structure.

After chilling, mask the cake with the white chocolate ganache. A turntable and angled spatula are helpful tools for getting smooth, clean sides. Spread a generous amount of ganache over the top and sides, smoothing it out as you go. Once coated, chill the cake again for another 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set.

Take the leftover white ganache (you should have approximately 100 g) and gently melt it. Stir in 100 g of the reserved strawberry purée until fully blended. Whip the mixture on high speed in your mixer for a few minutes to make it light and creamy. Use this to create the drip effect: spoon or pipe the strawberry ganache over the edges of the cold cake and allow it to drip naturally. (You can refer to a drip cake video tutorial for technique if needed.)

Now for the fun part—decorating! Arrange all your decorations (such as fresh strawberries, sugar sprinkles, meringue kisses, macarons, chocolate bark, and sugar flowers) on a large plate beforehand so they’re ready to go. Begin decorating by placing the largest elements first, followed by medium-sized items, and finish with the smallest ones. Since the ganache remains soft for a while, you’ll have time to adjust or reposition elements as needed. Add sugar sprinkles last so they don’t sink into the ganache.