Strawberry Crunch Cake Recipe

Why We Love This Strawberry Cake Recipe

Today we’re sharing a treat that’s reminiscent of a nostalgic dessert, Strawberry Krunch Bars, and is easy to serve at any event or party… Get ready to be blown away by the ULTIMATE Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Cake recipe! Back in the day, you would hear the happy yet taunting music from blocks away. You would run to your piggy bank to grab a couple of dollars, then run down to the curb, waiting for the ice cream truck to arrive. Although we loved orange creamsicles and fudge bars, the best ice cream truck treat, in my opinion, was the strawberry crunch bar, also known as Strawberry Shortcake Bars! Although these frozen ice cream bars, wrapped in strawberry crunch, would be somewhat difficult to make it home, making a strawberry crunch bar-inspired cake is quite easy! We love our scratch-made Strawberry Cake recipe. However, to save time here we use a classic strawberry cake mix with the addition of instant vanilla pudding mix to make the cake ultra-moist and tender. Then we made a quick whipped cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled it with crunchy strawberry crunch topping. This cake is glorious, but extremely approachable, and a huge crowd-pleaser at any event. It can be made two or three days before a party, and freezes well.

Ingredients You Need

For the Strawberry Cake –

Strawberry cake mix – your favorite brand Instant vanilla pudding mix – the secret to super moist cake Eggs – room temperature is best Vegetable oil – or other neutral-tasting oil, like canola or avocado oil Milk – whole milk or 2%

For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting –

Cream cheese – softened Heavy cream – essential for the most rich and fluffy frosting Powdered sugar – stiffens the frosting and makes it perfectly sweet Vanilla extract – to complement all of the different cake flavors Salt – just a pinch helps to balance the sweetness

For the Strawberry Crunch Topping –

Golden Oreo cookies – the most delicious and convenient ingredient to get just the right crunch cake topping consistency Freeze-dried strawberries – for big strawberry flavor, lots of crunchiness, and a gorgeous pink color Butter – melted, it binds together the cookies and strawberries to form a nice crumb

How to Make Strawberry Crunch Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spray generously with baking spray. Set out a large mixing bowl. Combine the strawberry cake mix, vanilla pudding, eggs, oil, and milk. Whisk (or beat) until the batter is very smooth. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is puffed, and a toothpick inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before continuing on. For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting: Place the softened cream cheese in a clean mixing bowl. And the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until well combined. Then turn on medium speed and slowly add the heavy cream to the cream cheese mixture. Once fully combined, turn the speed to high and beat until the heavy cream is whipped into a light, but firm, frosting. Scoop the whipped frosting over the cake. Spread in an even layer. For the Strawberry Crunch Crumble Topping: Place Golden Oreos and freeze-dried strawberries in a zip bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the cookies and strawberries into a fine crumb. Then drizzle melted butter into the crumbs and shake vigorously to create small crumbly chunks. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the frosting. I like to use it all, but you can use as much crumble, or as little, of the crumble topping as you like. Cover with plastic wrap and keep the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Pro Tip: Cake tastes (and feels) best at room temperature, so if refrigerating, allow the cake to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe Variations

Cake – We use strawberry box cake mix for that robust strawberry-riffic flavor. However, you can swap it with white cake mix or yellow cake mix to make this more of a shortcake-centric Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Cake! Frosting – While nothing beats the flavor of homemade frosting, you can certainly make things easier on yourself and use canned cream cheese frosting. Either way, guests are going to devour this cake! Layer cake – It’s easy to turn this sheet can into a layer cake recipe! Divide the batter between two prepared 9-inch cake pans. Bake per the box instructions, and let the cakes cool completely before frosting. I still recommend only putting the crunchy mixture on top, as it will become moist and lose its crunchiness in the layers.

Serving Suggestions

Top the cake with slices of fresh strawberries right before serving, if you like. For the full Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Bar effect, I suggest adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side of the cake. Your inner child will thank you. :) This fun and delicious dessert fits right in at any casual celebration! It is especially lovely in the spring and summer. Bring it to picnics, potlucks, pool parties, or any occasion – and watch guests absolutely light up with joy!