Instructions

For the Cake

1. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix together the sugar and ground vanilla bean (if you are just using vanilla extract, skip this step and add the extract when you add the vanilla bean paste).
4. Beat the vanilla sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla bean paste and beat for an addition 2 minutes.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well for about 2 - 3 minutes before adding another egg.
6. Slowly add in half the flour mixture and slowly mix until just incorporated. Add int he buttermilk and beat just until it is absorbed by the batter. Add in the remaining flour and beat on medium for about 2 minutes.
7. Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans. Drop each pan twice on a table to release any air bubbles.
8. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the sides begin to pull away and the top of the cake springs back when you push down.
9. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Strawberry Mint Buttercream

1. Put 10 strawberries and the sugar into a small saucepan and heat on medium-high. Muddle the strawberries to help break them down and allow the juices to escape. The sugar should melt into the juices and the mixture should begin to boil. Mash the strawberries more as needed. Allow the mixture to boil for about 5 - 10 minutes, or until it thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely to room temperature. I placed my saucepan in a bowl of ice water to help speed the process.
2. Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until completely smooth and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar half a cup at a time, mixing well between each addition until the mixture becomes creamy again. Add in the mint extract and beat the buttercream for a full minute.
3. Stir the salt into the strawberry syrup and pour the syrup into the buttercream and beat until it is fully incorporated.
4. Chop the remaining strawberries into small pieces. Pat them dry slightly and toss into the buttercream and mix until fully incorporated.
5. Frost as usual (I put almost half the buttercream on the very center of the bottom layer (do not spread out) and placed the top layer on before adding more buttercream. You can use and offset spatula to remove any "overhanging" frosting, but I found that wasn't an issue for us.