As one of my favorite vocalists sings, “The nights are long and cold and scary / Can we live through February?” Sometimes I dislike February; sometimes I don’t. It depends on whether I have to spend two days shoveling snow to get my car out or not. I actually like shoveling snow, but Bozeman has had some extreme Februarys in the past 10 years, especially if you live up high. A couple of these, with roof-level snow and 40 below temperatures, have made me rethink my aversion to Arizona.

I do like the concept of love that permeates this month, though. Not just romantic love, but love that focuses on connection, community, and family. There are endless things to love about Bozeman and the many amazing people and organizations that exist here. Those of us who have lived here most or all of our lives have seen enormous change, and of course we take the good with the bad. A month where the theme is love is an excellent reminder to focus on all the wonderful things about our community and the connections we share with our neighbors, families, families of choice, furry, feathered, and scaley family members, and the things that make each of our hearts sing in the deepest months of winter.

One of the things that makes my heart sing is baking. I love an on-theme recipe, and this one has white cake and frosting in honor of snow, and strawberries in honor of love. I first tasted this cake at my dear friend Melissa’s house. It was just after we finished college and I had not yet figured out what to do with my life, so I was renting a room from her and her husband in their little house in south Bozeman. One fine day Melissa, an artist who had figured out what she wanted to do with her life quite some time ago, was having a party. I came downstairs to find her assembling this cake, just finishing putting the sliced strawberries on top. There were a few extra berries that had been sliced up and were still sitting in the bowl, so I asked Melissa if I could eat one. We both popped a strawberry slice in our mouths, and immediately tasted the sharp, sulfury flavor of onion. It turned out that Melissa’s husband had helpfully offered to do the berry slicing, but he used the same knife he’d diced onions with earlier, without rinsing it off first.

That cake did not make it to the party, and you will see why. There are strawberries layered inside it and topping it, and raw onions together with fresh fruit is not a thing. Melissa and I ended up picking the damaged dessert apart later, trying to eat around the strawberries. So when you embark on this recipe, just make sure your berries taste like they should and you’ll be good to go.

Ingredients:
• 2 ½ cups cold heavy cream
• 6 oz. white chocolate
• 2 ¼ cups cake flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds. *NOTE: Poppy seeds can go bad. Due to their high natural oil content, they can become rancid, losing their nutty flavor, and developing a bitter, paint-like taste and smell, especially when exposed to heat, light, and oxygen. So get into that spice drawer in advance and check on your seeds, so you’re not texting everyone on the block to avoid making yet another trip to the grocery store.
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 ¼ stick unsalted butter
• 1 ½ Tbsp. grated lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Whites from 3 large eggs plus 1 whole egg
• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 Tbsp. strawberry jam
• 1 lb. strawberries (reserve 4 small whole berries for garnish)

Directions:
Frosting:
• 1. Pour 1 cup of the cream into a 4-cup glass measure; bring to a simmer in microwave, about 2 minutes; add white chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth; refrigerate while making cake.
Cake:
• 2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line bottom of two 8 x 2-in. round cake pans with parchment or wax paper; coat pans and paper with nonstick cooking spray.
• 3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt. Beat sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg whites and whole egg until smooth. With mixer on low, alternately beat in flour mixture and milk until incorporated. Continue to beat batter on medium speed for 3 minutes. Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth tops with spatula.
• 4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edge of cakes with knife; invert onto the rack and remove parchment paper. Turn cakes right side up. Cool completely, as this recipe will not work if those cake layers are at all warm!
• 5. In large bowl, beat chilled white-chocolate mixture with remaining 1 ½ cups cold cream until stiff peaks form.

Assembly:
With a serrated knife, halve cakes horizontally. Place 1 layer on a serving plate, cut side up; spread with 2 Tbsp of the jam. Spread a scant 2/3 cup frosting over jam. Arrange one third of the sliced strawberries evenly over frosting. Top with a second cake layer; spread with another 2 Tbsp jam, frosting and a layer of berries. Repeat with a third layer. Brush the cut side of remaining cake layer with the rest of the jam and place it on top, jam-side down. Cover cake with remaining frosting and garnish with strawberries, flowers, etc.

If you don’t care so much about homemade frosting, Cool Whip will work for coating this cake. You’ll just want to stick it in the fridge right away so the white stuff doesn’t slide off like a small avalanche, which wouldn’t be a risk if we lived in another climate or if you made this cake at a different time of year when you could open a window. However you frost this cake, it makes a wonderful Valentine for your loved ones, your main squeeze, your neighbor, yourself, or anyone who appreciates a cake that looks as beautiful as it tastes.