Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and set aside. Getting your oven to temperature now means the cake bakes evenly from the moment it goes in.

Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the room-temperature butter and mix until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs—you want small pea-sized pieces of butter throughout. This texture is what gives you that tender crumb.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla powder, and milk until combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (about 15 seconds). Don't overmix or you'll develop gluten and get a tough cake—I learned this the hard way when I stirred too vigorously one time.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 32-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake should be golden on top and spring back when you lightly touch the center. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake cools, prepare your strawberries. Slice them and toss with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (not included in the ingredient list—I usually grab extra from the container). Let them sit for 10 minutes so they release their juice. The natural syrup from the berries becomes your sweetener for the layers.

Pour heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl and whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form (about 1 minute). Add powdered sugar and lemon zest, then whip another 30 seconds until stiff peaks form. Don't skip the lemon zest—it's the unexpected brightness that makes people ask "what is that?" in the best way possible.

Once the cake is completely cool, slice it horizontally into two layers using a serrated knife. Place the bottom layer on your serving plate. Spread half the whipped cream on top, then arrange half the sliced strawberries over it. Add the second cake layer, then top with remaining cream and strawberries. This strawberry shortcake 4th july crowd is best assembled within 2 hours of serving.