Strawberry Ribbon Cake

For the cake:.

Grease two baking pans, 8x8x2; dust with flour.

Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt onto wax paper. Cream butter until soft in a large bowl; beat in sugar gradually until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fluffy again, then flavorings.

Stir in flour mixture, alternately with milk, just until blended. Spoon half the batter into one pan; stir food coloring into remaining batter; pour into second pan. Bake in moderate oven (375°F) 35 minutes, or until centers spring back when pressed with fingertip. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; turn out onto racks; cool completely.

Split each cooled layer; put together, alternating pink and yellow, with part of the strawberry butter cream; frost sides and top with remaining.

For the Strawberry Butter Cream:.

Blend cream cheese with butter until fluffy in a medium-size bowl; beat in strawberries. Stir in 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the mixture for filling. Beat remaining confectioners' sugar into remaining mixture in bowl for frosting.