Whisk together all the custard ingredients in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking continually. Turn down the heat so that the mixture just simmers, and whisk until thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a round of wax paper, and funky. Then, chill custard, covered, for at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with lightly oiled parchment paper. Sift together the flour, 1 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt two time into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat together the yolks, water, oil, zest and vanilla until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture. In another large bowl beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat on high until the peaks are stiff but not dry.

Using a rubber spatula, fold a couple of quarter of the fluffy egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Then very gently fold in the remaining whites. As soon as the egg whites aren’t any longer visible, stop folding. Scrape the batter into the two prepared round cake pans and spread evenly. Bake for roughly 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in their pans on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When totally cool, run a knife around the sides to release the cakes, cover each pan with a wax paper-lined plate, and flip. Gently lift the pans off of the cakes.

Slice the strawberries thinly and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and stir. Allow the strawberries to absorb the sugar for 1 hour, giving them a stir every now and then. Strain the berries, reserving the released juices.

When the cakes are thoroughly chilled slice them in half so you have four layers. Place each layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet or plate. Whip the cream and sugar together until stiff.

Place one cake layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with 1/3 of the reserved strawberry juice. Cover with a layer of strawberries, and then a layer of custard. Repeat for the following layers. Then, ice the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream. Top with fresh strawberries.

Chill the cake for at least 8 hours before serving, so that the cake has time to absorb the strawberry juices. Bring to cool room temperature before serving.