Preheat your oven to 180/160C Fan, and line three 20 cm/8" cake tins with parchment paper.
Add the butter, sugar, self raising flour, and eggs into a bowl, and beat together until smooth.
I use my Kitchenaid with the paddle attachment, and it takes about 30 seconds or so. Once smooth, split between your three tins evenly.
Add your strawberries to the tops of the cakes. If they're smaller strawberries I halve them, if they're larger I quarter them. Simply plop them on top.
Once ready, put the cakes into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. The strawberries create more moisture, and make it take a little longer to bake, so keep an eye on it after 20 minutes.
Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for about 30 minutes, then remove carefully and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Once cool, whip up your double cream with the icing sugar.
Spread a tablespoon or two of jam onto your first sponge, and crush over some meringue.
Spoon on 1/3 of the whipped cream, and spread. Add the second sponge and repeat.
On the third sponge, slather on the cream or pipe it, and add a fresh strawberry for each future slice. Sprinkle over some crushed meringue, and a sprinkle of freeze dried strawberries.
Enjoy!
Notes
This cake should really be stored in the fridge because of the fresh cream, but because of the fresh strawberries in the sponge it stays relatively moist.
Its best on the day of baking.
Frozen strawberries will produce more liquid when baking so it might take longer to bake.
You can use homemade meringue if you wish, but I just bought the regular nests you can buy at any supermarket.
I used some homemade strawberry jam, but any jam will do!
You can bake a smaller version of the cake by using two 8' tins and: