• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set out a 9” circular cake pan.

Cake:

• In the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a large bowl if you’re using a hand mixer), sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in sugar, and gently mix together.
• Next, add in the butter, mixing until the mixture is combined and sandy in texture.
• Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest together. On med-low speed, add the wet ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat the mixture until combined and smooth.

Assembly:

• Pour the melted butter into the cake pan and tilt the cake pan until the butter has evenly coated the pan. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top of the melted butter.
• Arrange the strawberries around the bottom of the pan, overlapping as needed to make sure the entire bottom of the pan is covered in strawberries.
• Pour cake batter over the top of the strawberries and smooth into an even layer.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden brown, the strawberries are bubbling (you will probably see juice bubbling on the sides), and a cake tester comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool about 5-10 minutes. Next, gently run a knife around the sides of the cake.
• Then, cover the top of the cake pan with a large plate or serving dish. Carefully holding the two together, flip them over. Gently tap the cake pan until the cake releases from the pan and onto the plate.
• Allow the cake to cool 20-30 minutes more before serving.
• Serve warm, and top with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
• Store leftovers in the fridge and warm before serving leftovers.