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Strawberry Crunch cake Recipe

The strawberry crunch cake was one of my favorite desserts as a kid.

My mom would bake this cake all summer when we had berries coming through our garden.

I have not seen it on many menus today but this dessert still tastes great!

If you love strawberries or if you just want to try something new, then prepare yourself for a strawberry crunch cake recipe full of flavor.

The cake itself is simple enough to follow along with without needing much instruction.

However, there are certain steps required to create a proper streusel topping that will give your strawberry cake the extra flair needed.

This recipe is perfect for anyone looking to impress their friends and family at brunch or dinner time.

While most people think of the strawberry crunch cake as being sweet, it also has a healthy dose of protein thanks to the addition of eggs.

This makes it a great option for breakfast or lunch boxes.

If you feel like getting creative, you could even add a dollop of whipped cream to top off each slice.

You’ll never look back after trying this tasty recipe!

What Is A Strawberry Crunch Cake?

A strawberry crunch cake is simply a cake topped with a streusel mixture.

The idea behind these cakes is to use up leftover cake batter from other recipes by adding more moisture and sweetness into them.

Strawberry Crunch Cake Recipe Ingredients:

  • 1 box yellow cake mix (for example Duncan Hines)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 egg
  • 12 ounces of frozen strawberries (thawed)
  • Streusel Topping Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick butter (melted) + 2 tablespoons cold butter (cut into small pieces)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup milk

To make the streusel topping, combine all ingredients together until well mixed.

Set aside while preparing the rest of the cake ingredients.

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Next, sift dry cake ingredients together (flour, baking powder, and salt).

Once they are evenly mixed, set aside.

In another bowl, whisk wet ingredients together (egg, water, and milk).

Add wet ingredients to dry ones and stir until completely combined.

Add 3/4 cup of strawberry slices to the bottom of the prepared pan and spread them around so they cover the entire surface area.

Pour half of the cake batter over the strawberry layer and gently spread it out using a spatula.

Repeat with remaining batter on the second layer.

Once both layers have been placed in the pan, poke holes all over the cake with a fork.

Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cake to cool before cutting into squares.

For the streusel topping, place all ingredients into a food processor.

Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

What Are The Ingredients In A Strawberry Crunch Cake?

Strawberries, flour, sugar, baking powder (baking soda), salt, eggs, oil, vanilla extract, milk, butter, and sour cream.

These are the common ingredients found in every batch of strawberry crunch cakes that I have ever tried.

How Do You Make A Strawberry Crunch Cake?

You start by preparing a cake batter according to package directions. Once the cake batter is done baking, remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting. After the cake has cooled, combine sugar, flour, butter (cut into small pieces), egg yolks, vanilla extract, milk, and salt together in large bowl using electric mixer until well combined. Add strawberries to mixture and gently fold until evenly distributed throughout. Pour cake batter into pan and smooth top with spatula. Sprinkle streusel topping over cake batter and place cake in freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and allow cake to thaw slightly before slicing and serving.

Streusel Topping Recipe

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅛teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sliced almonds

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, and salt. Add melted butter and stir until fully incorporated. Sift flour into sugar mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula. Fold in nuts. The more thoroughly you blend these dry ingredients, the better your streusel will taste. Set aside while you cook up the cake.

What Is The Best Way To Serve A Strawberry Crunch Cake?

This cake is delicious served warm from the oven straight out of the pan. While it may seem tempting to take a piece directly from the cooling rack, resist the urge. Leaving the cake cool will allow for the flavors to meld together more fully. Once cooled, place the cake on its side so you get nice slices instead of having to cut into the middle of the cake.

Storing a strawberry crunch cake

Since this cake contains both butter and sugar, it should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. When storing a strawberry crunch cake in the fridge, keep it away from other foods that contain dairy products. In particular, avoid putting the cake near cheeses, sour cream, and yogurt since these items can react badly with the fats found in the cake.

How Long Does A Strawberry Crunch Cake Last?

A strawberry crunch cake should ideally last about two days before becoming stale. This means that you shouldn’t need to refrigerate it unless you plan on eating it within those two days.

What Are Some Popular Variations Of A Strawberry Crunch Cake?

Strawberry Crunch Cake Recipe

This classic recipe consists of two layers of moist cake topped with a buttery, crumbly streusel topping. This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com.

Chocolate Strawberry Crunch Cake

Want more chocolate in your life? Try this chocolate strawberry crunch cake recipe from Food Network. The chocolate layer is rich, fudgy, and perfectly complemented by the fluffy frosting.

Frozen Berry Crumble Cake

For those hot days, this frozen berry crumble cake recipe from Epicurious.com offers a cooling treat. With its tart blueberries and tangy lemon curd, this cake is sure to cool you down.

Lemon Raspberry Crisp Cake

A crisp, light yellow cake layered with juicy raspberries and creamy lemon curd. This cake is perfect for serving during warmer weather months.

What Is The Nutritional Value Of A Strawberry Crunch Cake?

This strawberry cake contains no trans fat and very little saturated fats.

This means that it fits into the heart-healthy category.

There is also a good amount of fiber present to keep you feeling fuller longer.

Protein is another important part of this fruit filled cake since it provides energy for those who need it.

Eggs provide the necessary nutrients that help to build strong muscle tissue which helps prevent disease later in life.

Ingredients

  • 1 box chocolate cake mix (such as Duncan Hines)
  • 4 large ripe strawberries, sliced
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 2 large egg whites beaten until stiff peaks form
  • ¾ cups powdered sugar

For the Streusel Topping:

  • 1 ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter cut into small cubes
  • ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt

How Did The Strawberry Crunch Cake Come To Be?

Strawberries were first cultivated in Europe during the 15th century by monks who discovered them growing wild around monasteries.

They later traveled east before spreading throughout other parts of the world.

Today, strawberries are grown in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Most of these crops are used to produce jams, jellies, juices, wines, and frozen treats.

In America, strawberries became very popular during World War II due to rationing.

During the war years, they were often given away free to soldiers fighting overseas because they were so plentiful.

After the war ended, Americans began eating more and more strawberries.

A few decades later, supermarkets started stocking them year-round.

Now, almost everyone has access to fresh strawberries nearly every day of the week.

What Are Some Tips For Making A Perfect Strawberry Crunch Cake?

To help you get started on your journey towards creating the perfect strawberry crunch cake, here are several tips to keep in mind while following along with the directions below.

Read the instructions carefully before starting

It is very important to read the entire list of ingredients and directions before beginning.

Many times, recipes have additional ingredients that aren’t included in the original listing.

In order to ensure that you don’t run into issues later on, take the time to review everything listed before moving forward.

Make sure you have all necessary supplies ready to go

Strawberries must be perfectly ripe and juicy for this recipe to work properly.

To achieve maximum results, use only the freshest strawberries available.

For those who prefer frozen strawberries, they will need to thaw first so that they are soft and pliable.

Frozen strawberries should be allowed to sit for about 30 minutes before using them in the batter.

Keep track of how many strawberries you used

This recipe calls for 2 cups (500 mL) of sliced strawberries.

Once you complete baking the cake, you will need to measure out exactly how many strawberries were used to create the final product.

Be sure to write down how many strawberries you used so that you won’t forget the amount later on.

Use the correct size pan

As mentioned above, the strawberry crunch cake uses two 8-inch round pans.

These pans are usually found inside your oven where you typically store cookware.

When you open up the box, you may notice that the pans are rectangular instead of circular.

They are called “round” because they resemble the shape of a circle.

Bake the cake according to the directions provided

When following the directions in the recipe, please note that it says to bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

While these temperatures are accurate, depending on what type of oven you own, the actual temperature may vary slightly from room temperature.

Let the cake cool completely before frosting it

After baking the cake, allow it to cool until it reaches room temperature.

Afterward, remove the cakes from their respective pans and place them onto cooling racks to finish cooling.

Do not leave the cakes on the rack too long since they will become moist when chilled.

Once you have cooled the cakes, you will be able to frost them easily.

How Can I Troubleshoot A Strawberry Crunch Cake That Didn’t Turn Out Right?

When baking a cake using a box mix, it may take longer than expected to cook through.

In order to ensure that the cake turns out perfectly, it is important to keep an eye on its progress throughout the cooking process.

If the cake starts to brown too quickly before it reaches the center, remove it from the oven immediately so that it doesn’t burn.

If the edges start to get overdone while the rest of the cake remains undercooked inside, you should let the cake cool completely before slicing into pieces.

Also, don’t forget about cooling down the cake pan once the cake is done baking.

Once cooled, you can either place the cake directly onto a serving plate or wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap so that it stays moist until ready to eat.

You might notice that your cake is slightly sunken in the middle.

While this may seem odd at first glance, it is actually normal.

When baking cakes with boxed mixes, they tend to sink more than homemade recipes because the egg whites used in the batter often leave behind air pockets.

To fix this problem, simply use a toothpick to poke holes around the edge of the cake to release these bubbles.

Doing this will help prevent the cake from sinking further in the future.

Strawberry Crunch cake Recipe

The strawberry crunch cake was one of my favorite desserts as a kid. My mom would bake this cake all summer when we had berries coming through our garden.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Strawberry Crunch cake Recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 3345kcal

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Pan

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

  • 1 box vanilla cake mix
  • 1 box strawberry cake mix

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 1 1/2 c. butter softened
  • 6 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp. heavy cream

FOR THE STRAWBERRY CRUNCH

  • 1 c. freeze-dried strawberries
  • 1/2 box Nilla wafers crushed
  • 3 tbsp. melted butter
  • fresh strawberries for garnish

Instructions

  • Set the oven’s temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put aside a 9×13-inch baking pan and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
  • One stick of room temperature butter should be smoothed out with an electric mixer in a big basin. When the mixture is creamy, add the granulated sugar. Beat the egg and egg whites together for two minutes on high speed, or until fluffy.
  • Beat until mixed after adding the milk, jello powder, and vanilla extract.
  • In a sizable separate basin, mash the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. It should just blend after being added to the wet mixture. Beat at a low speed.
  • To make the buttercream frosting, beat 2 sticks of softened butter over medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the salt, vanilla, and heavy cream, then continue whipping until everything is thoroughly combined. While adding the powdered sugar gradually, keep beating at a medium speed. Beat frosting at a medium speed until it is frothy and light.
  • Roll the golden Oreos and dried strawberries with a rolling pin in a Ziploc bag until they create a coarse, pea-sized crumb. Seal the bag, add 4 Tablespoons of melted butter, and toss everything together.
  • After covering the cake with the buttercream icing, evenly distribute the crunch mix.  Serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 3345kcal | Carbohydrates: 601g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 103g | Saturated Fat: 63g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 240mg | Sodium: 2282mg | Potassium: 925mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 495g | Vitamin A: 2820IU | Vitamin C: 723mg | Calcium: 539mg | Iron: 18mg
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