White Chocolate Mousse (prepare 2 hours before assembly)
8 ounces white chocolate (finely chopped, good quality)
1-1/2 cups whipping cream (chilled)

Stir white chocolate and 1/2 cup of cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a large bowl. Let stand until mixture is cool and just beginning to thicken, stirring occasionally. Whip remaining 1 cup of cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into cooled chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Almond Buttermilk Cake (prepare 2 hours before assembly)

1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup and 3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 cup water
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast almonds on a baking sheet until golden brown. Cool.
Using a food processor, grind almonds until fine. Set aside.
Butter and flour two 10-inch diameter cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, mix cooled almonds and sugar. Sift flour on top of the almond mixture. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, oil and salt until smooth and pale in color. Add buttermilk and mix to incorporate. In a separate bowl, hand blend the water, baking soda and extracts. Add the water mixture into the egg mixture and beat until well blended.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking by hand until smooth. Divide into two cake pans. Bake 25 minutes or until light golden brown and tester comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks and let cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache (prepare 1 hour before assembly)
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (finely chopped)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter (unsalted)
pinch salt

Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Warm the cream, sugar, butter and salt in a saucepan over low heat. When it comes to a simmer, remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let rest for 2 minutes.

Whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Marinated Strawberries (prepare 1 hour before assembly)
1 quart fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur

Hull and slice strawberries and toss with sugar. Stir in liqueur and let stand at room temperature until sugar dissolves.

White Chocolate Buttercream (prepare when ready to assemble)
4 ounces white chocolate (good quality)
2 sticks butter (room temperature, unsalted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a double boiler, melt white chocolate. Cool briefly. Pour the melted white chocolate into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add butter and salt. Using the whisk attachment, whip until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whisking until smooth.

Assembly Instructions:

Using a serrated knife, split both 10-inch cakes in half horizontally. Place the first layer on platter. Top with 1/3 of the strawberries and juices distributed evenly. Spread with 1/4 of the chocolate ganache and follow with 1/3 of the white chocolate mousse. Repeat these steps with two more layers of cake, then top with the remaining layer. Ice the cake with the white chocolate buttercream.

For an added flourish, the remaining chocolate ganache can be used for decorating the top of the cake. The sides of the cake can be decorated with toasted and cooled sliced almonds or ground chocolate wafer crumbs. For a fancy event, Haviland recommends decorating the top of the cake with chocolate dipped strawberries.