• Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C). Grease and line the bottoms of three 6-inch round cake tins with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, and almond extract until light and fluffy (about 6 minutes).
• Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
• Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
• Gently fold in the egg whites; do not overmix.
• Divide batter evenly among the cake tins.
• Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let cool in the tins on wire racks for 10 minutes, then invert onto the racks, remove parchment paper, and cool completely.
• Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1–3 hours.

For the Strawberry Compote

• Place strawberries and sugar in a saucepan and stir to coat.
• Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Stir in lemon juice.
• In a bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. Add to the strawberries a little at a time, whisking frequently, until the sauce has thickened.
• Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Buttercream

• In a stand mixer, beat butter and vegetable shortening until light and creamy (about 5 minutes).
• Add icing sugar one cup at a time, beating well until combined. As the frosting thickens, add the strawberry compote and cream, then beat until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla extract and pink gel color, and beat until evenly incorporated.

Assembly

• Place the first cake layer on an 8-inch cake board, flat side down.
• Fit a 1/2-inch round nozzle into a piping bag and fill with strawberry buttercream.
• Pipe a dam of buttercream around the cake. Fill the dam with strawberry compote and spread carefully.
• Pipe buttercream over the compote.
• Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
• Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill for 1–3 hours.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the sides and top.
• Chill the crumb-coated cake for 30 minutes until the buttercream is firm.
• Once chilled, cover the cake evenly with buttercream, and smooth the edges.
• Transfer some buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe swirls around the top edge.
• Top the swirls with chocolate-dipped strawberries.