If I slice strawberries very thin and layer them on top of SWBC, with a crusting dam, will the natural sugars cause them to get runny and make my layers start to slide? Anyone made anything like this before? Using WASC, torted into four thin layers...
Thanks for any help!

Yes, they will weep. Also, sliced strawberries must remain refrigerated. I think the time out of the refrigerator is only two hours. I provided a link in a recent thread.

You need to treat the cake just as we do strawberry shortcake. It should be assembled shortly before serving.

I ran into this same problem, you do want to assemble it as late as you can. If you want you can try and pipe the outside of the layer with frosting and then put the strawberries in the middle. This creates a wall so the strawberries will weep not as fast. Also take the time to let each layer set up in the fridge before you start the next one. you dont want to stack your cake too fast. Hope this helps/ works for you! ( hope this makes sense as well)

I will only do fresh strawberries if its a simplier cake. Or if most of the decorations can be made and just placed on the cake. So that I can stack within 12 hours of serving. I've made multiple cakes with fresh strawberries and everyone LOVES them. Its really just the timing of it.

I posted this same question about a month ago. Ended up having to call the bride the day before because the 'test' I ran showed the cake to be unstable...the strawberries and the icing would not play nice together.

Substituted a strawberry flavored buttercream between the lemon cake layers instead.
Mine had to be done the night before and ended up not being cut until almost 6 pm the following day. It had to sit outside for about four hours in the California heat . That added up to a disaster waiting to happen. I played it safe.
Ended up refunding money ( $5 per cake) since I couldn't deliver what she ordered.
At least I know for next time to not even suggest it.

mommachris