Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 105 mins
Servings: 12 slices
Yield: 1 layered cake
Remember those ice cream bars from when you were a kid that were covered in delicious bits of strawberry crunchies? This layer cake is blanketed in a homemade version of those same crumbles. Homemade strawberry crunch is made with a combination of freeze dried strawberries and crushed vanilla wafer cookies, plus a little melted butter to hold it all together. It is decadent, fun, and nostalgic!
In fact, freeze strawberries are used in two ways in this recipe. Not only in the strawberry crumble, but they are also incorporated into part of the buttercream frosting to create a couple of layers inside the cake with strawberry flavored frosting.
Ingredients
White Cake:
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1 15 1/4 ounces box white cake box
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1 cup water
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1/3 cup vegetable oil
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4 large egg whites
Strawberry Cake:
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1 15 1/4 ounces box strawberry cake mix
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1 cup water
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1/3 cup vegetable oil
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3 large eggs
Buttercream:
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8 cups powdered sugar
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2 cups softened unsalted butter
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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2 tablespoons milk
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1/4 cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries
Strawberry Crunch:
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2 cups freeze-dried strawberries
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6 ounces vanilla wafer cookies
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3 tablespoons melted butter
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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Prepare the white cake layers. In a large mixing bowl, combine the white cake mix, water, oil, and egg whites until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes or by hand until ingredients are smooth.
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Divide the white cake batter into two 8-inch round cake pans coated with cooking spray. Bake for 26 to 31 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely before assembling the cake.
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Prepare the strawberry cake layers. In a large mixing bowl, combine the strawberry cake mix, water, oil, and eggs until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes or by hand until ingredients are smooth.
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Divide the strawberry cake batter into two 8-inch round cake pans coated with cooking spray. Bake for 26 to 31 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely before assembling the cake.
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Make the buttercream. In a large mixing bowl fitted with a wire whisk, combine 4 cups of the powdered sugar, 1 cup of the butter, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Beat well to combine. Add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired spreadable consistency is achieved.
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Remove 1/3 of the white buttercream frosting to a bowl. To the remaining 2/3 still in the mixing bowl, add the 1/4 cup of crushed freeze-dried strawberries. Beat well to combine and set aside.
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In another large mixing bowl, fitted with a wire whisk, combine the remaining 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup of butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat well to combine. Add the milk, one teaspoon at a time, until the desired spreadable consistency is achieved.
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Using a serrated knife, cut the rounded top off of the cakes to make a level surface.
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Place one of the strawberry layers down on a cake stand or serving platter. Top with half of the pink strawberry buttercream.
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Stack one of the white cake layers on top. Frost with about 1/4 of the white buttercream.
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Place the other strawberry cake layer on top. Frost with the remaining pink strawberry buttercream.
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Place the last white layer on top. Frost the top and the sides of the cake with the remaining white buttercream.
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Prepare the strawberry crunch. In a large zip bag, crush freeze-dried strawberries and vanilla wafer cookies using a rolling pin until a coarse meal is reached.
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Add melted butter to the bag and toss until the mixture is evenly combined.
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Cover the cake completely with strawberry crunch, pressing the mixtures all over the sides and top. Chill until ready to serve.
Cut Baking Time
If you have four 8-inch round cake pans and and an oven that can accommodate them, you can bake together at the same temperature for the same length of time or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 12 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 1038 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 59g | 76% |
| Saturated Fat 27g | 133% |
| Cholesterol 157mg | 52% |
| Sodium 311mg | 14% |
| Total Carbohydrate 124g | 45% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 5% |
| Total Sugars 104g | |
| Protein 7g | |
| Vitamin C 21mg | 106% |
| Calcium 94mg | 7% |
| Iron 1mg | 8% |
| Potassium 171mg | 4% |
| *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. | |
