Decadent Strawberry Crunch Cake Recipe for Summer Gatherings

I love this fresh Strawberry Crunch Cake in spring and summer. Light, bright, and full of fresh strawberries, it’s perfect for warm days, backyard parties, and holiday celebrations like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

This cake makes the most of seasonal berries and pairs a tender yellow cake with a syrupy strawberry layer, whipped cream, and a crunchy cookie-and-freeze-dried-strawberry topping. It’s a bit of work but straightforward, and the result is nostalgic — reminiscent of a Strawberry Crunch ice cream bar, but even better.

Ingredients

The cake batter uses classic pantry ingredients: butter, oil, sugar, flour, eggs, milk, sour cream, and vanilla. The oil keeps the cake extra moist and the sour cream adds tenderness. Extra egg yolks enrich the texture and deepen the cake’s golden color.

The topping is three parts: cooked strawberries, whipped cream, and a crunchy crumble made from butter cookies, freeze-dried strawberries, and butter. You’ll dice fresh berries, simmer them with sugar into a syrup, whip chilled cream with a little powdered sugar, then toss crushed cookies and freeze-dried berries with melted butter for the crunch.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the recipe card below for the full ingredient measurements and step-by-step instructions.

Method

Begin by creaming the butter until smooth, then add the oil and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and extra yolks slowly, then stir in a milk and sour cream mixture. Fold in the dry ingredients, pour the batter into a generously buttered 9×13 pan, and bake until a tester comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, sauté diced strawberries with sugar until they release juices and become syrupy. When the cake is out of the oven and still warm, poke holes across the top with the end of a wooden spoon and pour the hot strawberry mixture over it so the juices sink into the cake.

Make the crunchy topping by crushing butter cookies and freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor. I prefer to pulse them separately and then combine so the cookie crumbs and bright freeze-dried pieces retain contrast rather than turning uniformly pink. Mix the crumbs with a little melted butter so they clump slightly.

Whip chilled heavy cream with a small amount of powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the cooled cake, then sprinkle the cookie-and-freeze-dried-strawberry crumble on top. Chill the assembled cake in the fridge for at least a couple of hours so the layers set and the strawberry syrup sinks into the cake.

After chilling, slice and serve. You’ll notice the strawberry syrup soaked into the holes and keeps the cake wonderfully moist.

Yield: 1, 9×13 cake

Strawberry Crunch Cake

Prep Time:
30 minutes

Cook Time:
45 minutes

Cake Cooling:
1 hour

Total Time:
2 hours 15 minutes

I love this fresh Strawberry Crunch Cake in the spring and summer! It is light, fresh, and makes great use of the season’s bounty.

Ingredients

for the cake:

• 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temp
• ½ cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 ¼ cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 large Eggs, room temp
• 5 large Egg Yolks, room temp
• 2 ⅔ cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
• ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ½ cup Whole Milk, room temp
• ½ cup Sour Cream, room temp

for topping:

• 2 pounds Strawberries, diced, reserve a few for garnish
• ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• ½–¾ cup Powdered Sugar
• 20 Chessmen or Lorna Doone Cookies
• 1 cup Freeze-Dried Strawberries
• 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Instructions

for the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a 9×13 metal baking pan.
2. Cream the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
3. Lower the speed to medium and add the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat for about 5 minutes until light and doubled in volume.
4. Reduce the speed and add the eggs and yolks slowly, one or two at a time.
5. Scrape the bowl, then add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Whisk together the milk and sour cream and, with the mixer on low, pour into the batter. Mix only until no flour streaks remain.
7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 40–45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

for topping:

1. Place diced strawberries and the granulated sugar in a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then simmer 4–5 minutes until syrupy and the sugar is dissolved.
2. Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes across the top of the warm cake and pour the strawberry mixture over the cake so the juices soak in.
3. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 2–4 hours until completely cool.
4. Just before serving, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form and the cream is thickened. Spread over the cooled cake.
5. Pulse cookies and freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor (or crush in a bag) until small pieces form but not a fine powder. Mix with melted butter so the mixture clumps slightly.
6. Scatter the crunchy crumble over the whipped cream and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days; do not freeze.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 471
Total Fat: 25g
Saturated Fat: 12g
Cholesterol: 142mg
Sodium: 158mg
Carbohydrates: 56g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 41g
Protein: 6g

Nutrition values are estimates and may vary with ingredients used.