Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 9x13 sheet pan with parchment paper. Butter the parchment because this stunning summer strawberry sheet cake recipe rises high and edges can stick if you skip this step.

Cream together 1 cup softened butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar for 3 minutes until the mixture turns pale and fluffy. This isn't just about mixing—you're incorporating air, which makes the cake rise without needing extra leavening because the bubbles expand in heat.

Add eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds between each egg until fully combined. I always scrape the bowl after the second egg because lumps hide in the corners, and they bake into hard pockets that ruin your texture.

Stir in 2 tbsp strawberry puree and 2 tsp vanilla extract until the batter turns light pink. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk—start with flour, then milk, then flour, ending with flour—because this prevents overmixing since you're not beating continuously after the eggs go in.

Pour batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 28-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, which means the cake is done but still tender because overbaking dries everything out instantly.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. This seems like patience torture, but warm cake shreds when you frost it, creating a disaster that no amount of decorating fixes.

Beat room-temperature cream cheese with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice until smooth. Spread frosting over the cooled cake in even strokes, working from the center outward because this prevents creating air pockets that catch light and look bumpy.