• Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease an 8" pan with oil and line it with parchment paper.

Sponge Cake

• Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Mix the yolks with lemon zest, ⅓ cup of sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir in the baking powder, oil, water, flour, and little poppy seeds. Set aside.
• Whip the whites with a pinch of salt until frothy. Slowly sprinkle in the remaining sugar. Keep beating until you see stiff peaks.
• Gently mix a spoonful of egg whites into egg yolks. Carefully fold all that yolk mixture back into the whites.
• Pour the cake batter into your greased pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a small toothpick poked in the middle comes out mostly clean.
• Let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes. Then, flip it out onto a rack so it will cool completely.

Lemon Syrup

• Toss lemon juice, water, and sugar in a small saucepan. Boil it for about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Strawberry Sauce

• Get another saucepan and throw in strawberries, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. Boil and simmer the mixture for 5-7 minutes until thickened. Let it cool off.
• Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• Toss white chocolate with ¼ cup of cream in a heat-safe bowl. Prepare a pan with steaming water and pop the bowl over it. Let it melt smoothly over low heat. Set aside at room temperature.
• In a big bowl, beat the cream cheese 'til smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar with vanilla extract until combined. Pour in the melted chocolate you set aside earlier (Step 9) and mix well.
• Add the whipping cream. Keep mixing till stiff peaks start to form.

Cake Assembly

• Slice the cake into three layers. Spread frosting on your serving platter, then put the first cake layer on top.
• Drizzle about ⅓ of the lemon syrup over the cake, followed by about ⅓ of the chocolate cream cheese frosting. Gently spoon your strawberry sauce atop the frosting, but leave a small border around the edges (about half an inch).
• Repeat with the second layer. Soak the final (third) cake layer well with the remaining lemon syrup.
• Spread the rest of the creamy frosting over the whole cake. Smooth out the sides and top.
• Refrigerate for a few hours to a whole day.
• Optional decorations: leftover frosting, strawberry halves, poppy seeds, etc. Enjoy!