Strawberry Crunch Cake is a taste of nostalgia! Strawberry cake is topped with a cream cheese frosting and a layer of strawberry crunch topping—just like those old fashioned Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars.
This dessert is pure FUN! Strawberry Crunch Cake is a nod to the Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars (remember those?!).
This recipe starts off with an easy strawberry cake, made with boxed cake mix and strawberry Jell-O.
Then, it gets a layer of cream cheese frosting. The tanginess of the frosting nicely complements the sweetness of the cake.
Finally, a layer of Strawberry Crunch goes on top. It’s a mixture of Golden Oreos, more strawberry Jell-O, and butter, and it creates the most delicious strawberry shortcake flavored topping.
It’s all made in a 13×9-inch pan for easy serving.
Strawberry Crunch Cake is a sweet, colorful, and memorable dessert for a cookout, birthday, potluck, or just for fun!
Love strawberry desserts? Don’t miss this round-up of 10 old fashioned strawberry desserts!
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Tips for the best strawberry crunch cake
- Make the strawberry crunch topping while the cake is baking. It’ll cool in plenty of time to top the cake.
- For the frosting, set the cream cheese and butter on the countertop for at least 2 hours so it softens. This ensures that the frosting is nice and fluffy.
Ingredients
- You’ll need a white cake mix, along with vegetable oil, eggs, and a box of strawberry jell-O for the cake.
- The frosting is cream cheese, butter, milk, and powdered sugar.
- The strawberry crunch topping has Golden Oreos, another box of strawberry Jell-O and more butter.
How to make Strawberry Crunch Cake
Start by making the strawberry cake using white cake mix. In addition to the cake mix, this recipe has 1 cup of vegetable oil, 4 eggs, ½ cup water, and one small box of strawberry Jell-O.
Pour the batter into a greased 13×9-inch pan, and bake the cake at 350°F for 30–35 minutes. The top may turn brown—that’s ok! We are going to cover it with frosting anyway.
While the cake is baking, make the Strawberry Crunch topping.
Once the cake is completely cool, beat the softened butter, softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar in a large bowl to create the cream cheese frosting.
Top the cake with the cream cheese frosting (I like using an offset spatula for this), and then sprinkle the homemade strawberry crunch on top.
Strawberry Crunch Cake is now ready to serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The cake might not be as brightly colored, but it’ll still be delicious. I recommend making it according to the directions on the box. Then, proceed with this recipe as directed for the frosting and strawberry crunch topping.
Yes—to make this recipe even easier, you can use a can of cream cheese frosting instead of the homemade frosting.
Yes! How fun would Strawberry Crunch Cake Cupcakes be? Divide the cake batter between 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Bake at 350°F for 17–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Nope! Leave the filling in the Oreos.
Can I make Strawberry Crunch Cake ahead?
You can make the cake up to 2 days in advance. You can also make the strawberry shortcake crunch topping up to 2 days in advance. Keep both tightly covered at room temperature.
The day that you’re ready to serve the cake, make the cream cheese frosting. Then, frost the cake, and sprinkle the strawberry crunch on top.
Variations
Here are a few ideas on how to switch up the cake recipe:
- Make the cake into cupcakes (bake for 17–20 minutes).
- Make the cake into two 8-inch round cake pans (bake for 30–35 minutes).
And here are two more ideas for the strawberry crunch topping:
- Substitute ¾ cup freeze dried strawberries in place of the strawberry gelatin. Pulse them in a food processor along with the Golden Oreos. Proceed as directed by stirring in the butter, but do NOT bake the crunch topping—just spread it out and let it dry for about 30 minutes.
- Substitute 40 vanilla wafers in place of the Golden Oreos.
How to store Strawberry Crunch Cake
The cake should be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week (cover it tightly before storing).
You can also freeze Strawberry Crunch Cake. Wrap either the whole cake or slices tightly with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More nostalgic cake recipes
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Crunch Cake (13×9-inch pan)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 package white cake mix
- 1 (3 oz) box strawberry gelatin
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
For the strawberry crunch:
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 (3 oz) box strawberry gelatin
- 24 Golden Oreos
For the frosting:
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the white cake mix, one box of strawberry gelatin, eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
- Pour into the greased pan, and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- While the cake is baking, crush the Golden Oreos into small crumbles. You can use either a food processor, or place the Oreos in a plastic bag and pound them with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
- Place the crumbled Oreos in a medium bowl, and add one box of strawberry gelatin and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Mix gently to combine.
- Spread the mixture onto a greased baking sheet (or top the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat first). Bake for 8 minutes at 350°F. Let cool.
- Once the cake is cool, place the 4 tablespoons softened butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon of milk in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add an additional tablespoon of milk if the frosting is too stiff.
- Top the cooled cake with the frosting, then sprinkle the strawberry crunch on top. Cut into slices and serve!
MIka says
This recipe was very Sweet but also very YUMMY!
Kate Shungu says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review.
Tisha says
Do I remove the cream from the cookies before crushing them?
Kate Shungu says
No, leave it in!
Mrs. C says
yummy, but a very sweet dessert. I cut back on the sugar a bit and might do even less next time. it seems like you aren’t going to have much frosting, but there is plenty. definitely tasted reminiscent to the ice cream bar, but I think adding some whip cream would help it taste even more like it and separating some of the crushed cookies before mixing with the jello powder to add to the top at the end. 4 out of 5 of my kids loved it
Michelle says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Is 4oz of cream cheese accurate? Seems like a small amount.
Kate Shungu says
Yes, accurate! It’s not a thick layer of frosting since the crunch part is the star. Feel free to double the frosting recipe though if you want lots of frosting!
Sam K says
Hello
Just stumbled across your recipe, looks great .
In the ingredients you have listed ‘1 box of strawberry gelatin’ is that a box of jelly/jello powder? Or strawberry flavoured gelatin?
Kate Shungu says
A box of strawberry jello powder!