Do you need a special spring and summer cake? This Strawberry Crunch Cake is perfection and a strawberry lover’s dream. This cake will be devoured for any occasion with its fun, crunchy exterior and dreamy buttercream frosting.
Would you like more strawberry treats? Then try our Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes or our Baked Strawberry Donuts. Or sticking with berries try our gorgeous yet easy Lemon Blackberry Cake.
This cake is gorgeous but if you want something simpler then try this Strawberry Cake.
Soft, moist, tender, full-of-flavor strawberry cake layers are frosted with creamy, fluffy pink buttercream. Golden Oreo crumbs and crushed freeze-dried strawberries are added to the sides of the cake, bringing a crunchy element to the cake. Fresh strawberries are piled on top to finish off this amazing cake!
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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Cuisinart 9-inch Round Cake Pan, Nonstick Bakeware, Silver
Freeze-Dried Fruit Snacks, Strawberry Crisps, Pack of 6
12-Inch Porcelain Round Cake Stand, Cake Plate, Dessert Stand
Do you remember the Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Bars? They were like a strawberry shortcake, and this is what this cake is like. Also, with its crunchy exterior, it makes for a delightful dessert.
What is Crunch Cake Made of?
There seem like a lot of ingredients, but they all make your cake the best it can be. I love using both vegetable oil and sour cream to give the cake the moistness it needs.
Ingredients
Cake:
Cake flour – Cake flour can be made by removing 6 tablespoons of flour and mixing in 6 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Baking powder and baking soda – Both of these are leavening agents and are needed to help the cake rise.
Salt – This is as important in baking as it is in cooking for flavor.
Sugar – Regular white granulated sugar is best for this cake.
Salted butter, room temp – I love using salted butter as that is what I have on hand.
Vegetable oil – This adds moisture to your cake and gives the cake a lovely, tender crumb, much more so than butter does.
Eggs – Eggs help mix all the other ingredients together and also give structure to your cake.
Milk – You can use whatever you have on hand, skim, 1%, 2% or 3%.
Sour cream – Greek yogurt or plain yogurt can be used instead.
Vanilla – A classic cake flavoring that goes great with strawberries; you can also use strawberry extract if you like.
Strawberry jello – This gives the cake a pretty pink color and a great strawberry flavor.
Buttercream:
Salted butter, room temp – You need to use softened butter to get a creamy, smooth buttercream.
Powdered sugar – This sugar, also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, makes a light, fluffy buttercream.
Vanilla – The perfect flavoring, but if you want to up the strawberry flavor, you can use strawberry extract, too.
Salt – Always needed to up the flavor profile. Table salt is just fine used here.
Pink food coloring, optional – You can make a white icing, too, but the pink makes this cake so pretty.
Topping:
Crushed golden Oreos – Using these Oreo cookies gives the outside of the cake a scrumptious crunch!
Freeze-dried strawberries – Adding these to the cookies makes them strawberry-flavored. Freeze-dried strawberries are fun to munch on, too.
Fresh strawberries – And who doesn’t love fresh strawberries in season? Perfect to decorate the top with.
How to Make Strawberry Crunch Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of 3-9″ cake pans with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Set aside.
To make the cake batter, start by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Add the sugar and butter to a large bowl.
Using a hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth. Add the vegetable oil and beat until combined. Next, add in the eggs and beat until combined.
Add in the milk, sour cream, and vanilla and mix. Lastly, add the flour mixture and the strawberry jello into the bowl and mix just until combined.
Divide the cake batter between the greased cake pans. Place into the oven to bake for 35-38 minutes or until baked through. Once baked, remove from the oven and set on the counter to cool completely.
Buttercream Frosting
To make the buttercream, start by placing the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 4 minutes. Scrape the sides down and add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat together for 3 minutes. Add in a few drops of pink food coloring and beat together for 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides down. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with frosting and set aside.
Once the cake layers have cooled, remove them from the pans. Place one cake layer onto a cake stand or cake plate. Frost with about ⅔ cup of frosting. Place a second cake layer on top and frost. Place the last cake layer on top and frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.
Combine the Oreo crumbs and freeze-dried strawberries. Pack the mixture onto the sides of the cake. Pipe a ring around the top edge of the cake.
Pile fresh strawberries into the center of the frosting ring. Slice and serve.
Recipe Pro Tips!
FAQs:
Storage: Cake may be stored at room temp for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips: Once the flour has been added to the cake batter, only mix until just combined to prevent making the cake rubbery.
Beating the butter before adding the remaining ingredients for the buttercream allows the butter to be smooth and aerated, creating a soft, creamy, fluffy buttercream.
After placing the crumb topping to the sides, use a pastry brush to brush the crumbs away from the bottom edges for easy cleanup.
Do You Love to Bake Cakes?
We like to make a simple cake but get a stunning result. Here are some of our favorites.
Strawberry Crunch Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup salted butter room temp
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 3.4 oz box strawberry Jello
Buttercream:
- 2 cups salted butter room temp
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pink food coloring optional*
Topping:
- 1 cup crushed golden oreos
- 1 cup crushed freeze dried strawberries
- Fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of 3-9” cake pans with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Set aside.
- To make the cake batter, start by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Add the sugar and butter to a large bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth. Add the vegetable oil and beat until combined. Next, add in the eggs and beat until combined. Add in the milk, sour cream, and vanilla and mix. Lastly, add the flour mixture and the strawberry jello into the bowl and mix just until combined.
- Divide the cake batter between the greased cake pans. Place into the oven to bake for 35-38 minutes or until baked through. Once baked, remove from the oven and set on the counter to cool completely.
Buttercream Frosting
- To make the buttercream, start by placing the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 4 minutes. Scrape the sides down and add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat together for 3 minutes. Add in a few drops of pink food coloring and beat together for 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides down. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with frosting and set aside.
- Once the cake layers have cooled, remove them from the pans. Place one cake layer onto a cake stand or cake plate. Frost with about ⅔ cup of frosting. Place a second cake layer on top and frost. Place the last cake layer on top and frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream. Combine the Oreo crumbs and freeze-dried strawberries. Pack the mixture onto the sides of the cake. Pipe a ring around the top edge of the cake.
- Pile fresh strawberries into the center of the frosting ring. Slice and serve.
Comments & Reviews
Swathi says
Strawberry crunch cake is delicious. I tried yesterday. My family enjoyed it.
Nicole says
I love this healthy way to decorate the outside of a cake! It’s like a grown up version of sprinkles! Delish!
Nora says
The color is so amazing! My daughter and her friends loved it!
Ramona says
This looks lush! I would really love to give it a go. It looks soo amazing, I am sure it taste as good, my kids will really love it.