The “Triple Crown” Neapolitan Layer Cake

The Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
The Creaming: Cream the butter and sugar together until very pale and fluffy (about 3–5 minutes). Add the egg whites one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
The Dry & Wet: Alternately add the flour/baking powder and the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
The Division: Divide the batter evenly into three bowls (roughly 2 cups of batter per bowl).
- Bowl 1 (Vanilla): Leave as is.
- Bowl 2 (Chocolate): Fold in the cocoa powder and extra milk.
- Bowl 3 (Strawberry): Fold in the strawberry reduction/jam.
The Bake: Pour each flavor into its own pan. Bake for 25–30 minutes. Let them cool completely before frosting.
The Assembly: Stack the layers with your favorite frosting. Traditionally, it’s Chocolate on the bottom, Vanilla in the middle, and Strawberry on top.

The Strawberry Secret: Don’t just use chopped strawberries; they release too much water and make the cake soggy. Use a reduction (strawberries boiled down to a thick syrup) for a concentrated punch of flavor without the extra liquid.
Level Your Layers: Use a serrated knife to trim the domed tops off the cakes before stacking. This prevents the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” effect and makes the slices look like clean stripes.
The “Crumb Coat”: Since you have three colors, do a thin “crumb coat” of frosting first and chill it for 20 minutes. This locks in the crumbs so your final outside layer is perfectly clean.