Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Fruit Desserts Strawberry Desserts This Strawberry Crunch Cake Is Pure Childhood Nostalgia 4.7 (3) 3 Reviews It's like the classic ice cream bar, but so much better. By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on February 1, 2024 Recipe tested by Kathryn Hendrix, RDN, LD Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Grant Webster Prep Time: 15 mins Bake Time: 30 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 16 Yield: 16 slices Jump to Nutrition Facts Make this easy sheet cake and you'll be rewarded with layers of sweet strawberry cake, fluffy cream, and a crunchy cookie topping. Our recipe for strawberry crunch cake is a delicious way to dress up a boxed cake mix. Once it's done, pile on a cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with crushed cookies. It's the perfect spring dessert. What Is Strawberry Crunch Cake? This strawberry sheet cake recipe is inspired by the classic ice cream bars you may have had as a kid. The bars are inspired by strawberry shortcake and feature a strawberry center, creamy vanilla coating, and a crunch coating. Here, we've reimagined those flavors as a sweet strawberry and cream cake. Strawberry Crunch Cake Ingredients There are three parts to making this strawberry crunch cake recipe. Here's what you'll need for each step. Cake Cake Mix: Grab one box of strawberry cake mix for this recipe. You'll also need milk, oil, and eggs like most boxed cake mixes call for. This helps keep the finished cake extra-moist.Gelatin Mix: A package of strawberry gelatin is our secret to the most intense strawberry flavor. Cream Layer Cream Cheese: You'll need a block of cream cheese to make the fluffy topping. Let it come to room temperature before mixing with the other ingredients.Sugar: Use powdered sugar for the creamiest texture in this recipe. Vanilla: Adding vanilla extract to the cream helps play up the strawberry shortcake flavors. Cream: Thin the mixture and add fluffiness with heavy cream. Crunchy Topping Crushed Cookies: We used crushed shortbread cookies for the topping but you could also substitute crushed vanilla sandwich cookies.Strawberries: You'll need freeze-dried strawberries for this recipe. Look for them next to the dried fruit or fruit snacks in the grocery store. How to Make Strawberry Crunch Cake This strawberry cake recipe requires just 15 minutes of prep thanks to a few shortcut ingredients. Here's a quick look at how to make it. Mix the cake mix and strawberry gelatin and combine with the remaining cake ingredients. Bake and cool completely. Mix up the cream cheese layer and spread it on the cake. Crush the cookies and freeze-dried strawberries together and sprinkle it on the cake. How to Make a Cake from Scratch That Looks Like It’s From a Bakery How to Make Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes You can easily make this into a strawberry crunch cupcake recipe. Simply pour the cake batter into a lined muffin tin according to cake mix directions. Bake and cool the cupcakes completely. Frost with the cream mixture and sprinkle on the crushed cookies. How to Store Strawberry Crunch Cake Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Do not leave the cake at room temperature. If you are making the strawberry crunch cake ahead, bake it and cool it. Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Do not frost until ready to serve. Million Dollar Cake: Here's How to Make the Nostalgic Dessert Ingredients 1 (13 to 16) ounce box strawberry cake mix 1 (3-ounce) package strawberry gelatin mix 4 large eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil Whipped Topping 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 cups heavy cream Crunchy Topping 2/3 cup shortbread cookies, such as Lorna Doone (about 12 cookies) 1/3 cup crushed freeze dried strawberries (1/2 oz) Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 3 qt baking dish. In a large mixing bowl mix together cake mix, jello, eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Pour into prepared dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Prepare Whipped Topping: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium to high until combined. Slowly add cream while continuing to beat until mixture thickens to a spreadable consistency. Spread on cooled cake. Grant Webster Stir together crushed shortbread cookies and strawberries. Sprinkle over Whipped Topping. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 430 Calories 30g Fat 35g Carbs 6g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 16 Calories 430.4 % Daily Value * Total Fat 30.4g 39% Saturated Fat 13.5g 67% Cholesterol 111.8mg 37% Sodium 205.6mg 9% Total Carbohydrate 34.5g 13% Dietary Fiber 0.5g 2% Total Sugars 26.7g Protein 6g 12% Vitamin D 1mcg 5% Vitamin C 8.2mg 9% Calcium 77.1mg 6% Iron 0.9mg 5% Potassium 131mg 3% Fatty acids, total trans 0.7g Vitamin D 41.8IU Alanine 0.3g Arginine 0.3g Ash 1g Aspartic acid 0.5g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0.1mcg Choline, total 58.5mg Copper, Cu 0.1mg Cystine 0.1g Energy 1801.5kJ Fluoride, F 2.3mcg Folate, total 28mcg Glutamic acid 0.9g Glycine 0.3g Histidine 0.1g Isoleucine 0.2g Leucine 0.4g Lysine 0.4g Methionine 0.1g Magnesium, Mg 11.3mg Manganese, Mn 0.1mg Niacin 0.7mg Phosphorus, P 103mg Pantothenic acid 0.6mg Phenylalanine 0.2g Phytosterols 18.7mg Proline 0.5g Retinol 215.8mcg Selenium, Se 8.8mcg Serine 0.3g Starch 4g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0.2g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.5mg Tryptophan 0.1g Tyrosine 0.2g Valine 0.3g Vitamin A, IU 780.6IU Vitamin A, RAE 218.8mcg Vitamin B-12 0.3mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 16.3mcg Water 67.7g Zinc, Zn 0.5mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.