Fluffy Strawberry Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
For the Ganache:
120g heavy cream
120g dark chocolate, chopped

For the Cake:
1 cup sugar
9 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 cups flour (180g)
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups milk, room temp
4 egg whites, room temp
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract 

For the Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp gelatin, 4 tsp hot water

Sliced strawberries, to layer

Directions:
1. Make the Ganache: Heat the heavy cream until hot, but not boiling. If you do this in a small saucepan on the stove, you will see tiny bubbles forming on the edges of the pan. That’s when the cream is ready. Remove from heat, then add the dark chocolate. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then mix until smooth. Set aside to cool, or store in the fridge (you may have to reheat it later).
2. Make the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease two 8-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, whip the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture and the milk, alternating between the two, to the butter mixture, whipping between each addition.
4. In a medium sized bowl, whip the egg whites, almond extract, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. You will add the egg whites into the rest of the batter by folding them in, using a spatula. Add just a third of the egg whites at a time. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
5. Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Make the Whipped Cream: While the cakes are cooling, make the whipped cream. Simply whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whip with an electric mixer until the cream begins to thicken.
7. Once the cream is starting to get thick, prepare your gelatin mixture. In a very small bowl, combine the hot water and gelatin. Mix until smooth. Add this gelatin mixture to the heavy cream and finish whipping. You will whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Once you’re done, place the cream in the fridge so it can begin to set.
8. Assemble the Cake: Layer the strawberries on top of the first layer of white cake. Spread the whipped cream on top. Place the second layer of white cake on top of that. Pour the ganache on top of the cake.
9. NOTE: You do not want the ganache to be pipping hot, but you do want it to be a thin enough consistency that you can pour it on top of the cake. If you place the ganache in the fridge, gently heat it on low heat over the stove. It does not take a lot of time or a lot of heat for the ganache to melt again.
10. Once the cake is covered in ganache, place in the fridge for at least 5-10 minutes to let the chocolate set.
11. Decorate the cake with leftover whipped cream and strawberries. I used some leftover cream cheese frosting (from THIS RECIPE) to decorate the cake. Use whatever you have on hand and enjoy!