To start, make the wine reduction. Add all of the Moscato wine to a medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by half, which will be 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons. Don’t boil. To measure how much wine remains, pour into a glass measuring cup. If you aren’t sure how to measure 6 tablespoons in a measuring cup, it’ll be in the middle of 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup, so in this case it’ll be right in the middle of 1 ¼ cups and 1 ½ cups. Add it back to the pan if it needs longer to cook down. When done, refrigerate until cool.

MAKE THE CAKE LAYERS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment circles on the bottom.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
3. Add the butter and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
5. Add about half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Add the milk and 1 cup of the wine reduction and mix until mostly combined.
7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25-26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 2-3 minutes, then flip them out onto cooling racks and let them rest until they reach room temperature.

MAKE THE FROSTING

1. To make the strawberry buttercream frosting, add the freeze-dried strawberries to a food processor and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
2.  Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
3. Add about half of the powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.
4. Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder and mix until well combined.
5. Slowly add the heavy cream and the vanilla extract and mix until well combined and smooth.
6. Slowly add the remainder of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
7. Add salt to taste and some additional heavy cream, if needed to get the right frosting consistency. Set aside.

MAKE THE SYRUP & BUILD THE CAKE

1. Combine the remaining 6 tablespoons of Moscato reduction and powdered sugar for the syrup in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. To build the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
3. Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Drizzle the cake layer with 4 tablespoons of syrup, then spread about 1 cup of frosting on top of the cake layer. Add the second cake layer, another 4 tablespoons of syrup and another cup of frosting. Top the cake with the final layer and frost the outside of the cake. See my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
4. Pipe a shell border with the remaining buttercream around the top outer edge of the cake. Sprinkle some additional ground up freeze dried strawberries around the top and bottom of the cake, if desired.
5. Store well-covered in the fridge until ready to serve. Cake is best served at room temperature. Best eaten within 2-3 days.