Strawberry shortcake says summer

Hello alliteration!  I made this cake for my friend Janelle's birthday.  I'm a big fan of homemade birthday cakes that are exactly what the birthday person wants.  While not a true shortcake, it was still pretty delicious. 

Strawberry shortcake

For the cake:

-2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

-2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

-Pinch of salt 

-3/4 cup milk 

-1 1/4 cups brown sugar, loosely packed 

-10 tbsp. butter, softened (1 stick plus 2 tbsp.)

-4 eggs, at room temperature 

-1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

For the frosting and filling:

-1 pint heavy whipping cream

-1 pint strawberries, washed, rinsed, dried and hulled 

-1 cup blueberries, washed, rinsed and picked over for stems 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a large springform pan and set aside.  Sift flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Cream butter in a large bowl and add sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix.  Add flour mixture and milk in on-off turns, beating thoroughly after each addition but taking care not to overmix.  Pour mixture into springform pan and bake about 35-40 minutes, or until top of cake is beautifully golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool. 

When cake has cooled, whip cream with a little more brown sugar to taste until soft peaks form (you don't want it to be too sweet, just have a touch of sweetness).  Remove cake from pan and cut in half horizontally with a serrated knife.  Place top half of cake on a separate plate.  Cover bottom half with half of the whipped cream and cut strawberries, cut side down.  Sprinkle with blueberries.  Place top half of cake back on, cover with whipped cream and a ring of cut strawberries around the edge.  I made a "J" in blueberries for Janelle.