Strawberry Crunch Cake
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jul 14, 2025 
Use pantry staples like boxed cake mix and vanilla pudding to make this deliciously simple Strawberry Crunch Cake that tastes just like the iconic ice cream bar, complete with a Golden Oreos and freeze-dried strawberries crumble on top!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Today we’re sharing a treat that’s reminiscent of a nostalgic dessert, Strawberry Krunch Bars, and is easy to serve at any event or party… Get ready to be blown away by the ULTIMATE Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Cake recipe!
We love our scratch-made Strawberry Cake recipe. However, to save time here we use a classic strawberry cake mix with the addition of instant vanilla pudding mix to make the cake ultra-moist and tender. Then we made a quick whipped cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled it with crunchy strawberry crunch topping.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Crunch Cake
- Nostalgia in a bite – Who doesn’t crave those amazing ice cream truck Strawberry Krunch Bars from back in the day?
- Strawberry overload – This cake is bursting with delicious strawberry flavors, a rich and creamy frosting and an insatiable crunchy topping.
- Easy and impressive – This cake is glorious, but extremely approachable, and a huge crowd-pleaser at any event. It can be made two or three days before a party, and freezes well.
This retro-inspired Strawberry Crunch Cake is summer in a slice!
Ingredients and Tips
- Strawberry cake mix – Use your favorite brand.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix – This is the secret to making a super moist cake!
- Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – I prefer to use vegetable oil, but you can also use other neutral-tasting oil, like canola or avocado oil.
- Milk – You can use either whole milk or the 2% variety.
- Cream cheese – To make that rich frosting, you’ll need a base of softened cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar – This will help stiffen the frosting and make it perfectly sweet.
- Golden Oreo cookies – These are a MUST to get that crunchy cake topping!
- Freeze-dried strawberries – These enhance the strawberry flavor, they add a lot of extra crunchiness, texture and a gorgeous pink color.
- Butter – Use a melted unsalted butter to bind together the cookies and strawberries into a nice crumb.
- Cookies – Instead of Golden Oreos, crumble up some shortbread cookies and fold them into the whipped topping.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Cake – We use strawberry box cake mix for that robust strawberry-riffic flavor. However, you can swap it with white cake mix or yellow cake mix to make this more of a shortcake-centric Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Cake!
- Frosting – While nothing beats the flavor of homemade frosting, you can certainly make things easier on yourself and use canned cream cheese frosting or cool whip. Either way, guests are going to devour this cake!
- Layers – Turn this into a layered cake by baking two layers using round cake pans with frosting in between.
- Cupcakes – Bake individual cupcakes with this batter and top with a generous heap of frosting and crumble mixture.
- Ice cream cake – Top the cake layer with vanilla ice cream or strawberry ice cream.
- White chocolate chips – Fold mini white chocolate chips into the cake mixture.
- Gluten-free – Use a gluten-free strawberry cake mix and make sure that the pudding mix you’re using is also GF.
How To Make Strawberry Crunch Cake
To make this nostalgic and decadent Strawberry Crunch Cake all you need is a few simple pantry ingredients, and in one hour you’ll have a fluffy strawberry cake covered in the creamiest frosting and crunchy Oreo crumbles!
Find the full Strawberry Crunch Cake recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Otherwise, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Leftovers – Wrap the cake tightly without the frosting and freeze for up to 3 months.
Transfer the cake to an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap plus a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 2-3 hours and then top with the frosting and crumble mixture.
Serving Suggestions
Top the cake with slices of fresh strawberries right before serving, if you like.
For the full Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Bar effect, I suggest adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side of the cake. Your inner child will thank you. :)
This fun and delicious dessert fits right in at any casual celebration! It is especially lovely in the spring and summer. Bring it to picnics, potlucks, pool parties, or any occasion – and watch guests absolutely light up with joy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Our strawberry crunch cake recipe is great to make 2-3 days before you plan to serve. To keep it nice and crunchy I recommend making and adding the Oreo and dried strawberry topping the day of your gathering.
Yes, you can. However, to keep the cake from getting soggy it’s best to add fresh strawberries shortly before serving.
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Ingredients
For the Strawberry Cake –
- 15.25 ounce box strawberry cake mix
- 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting –
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Strawberry Crunch Topping –
- 16 Golden Oreo Cookies
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spray generously with baking spray.
- Set out a large mixing bowl. Combine the strawberry cake mix, vanilla pudding, eggs, oil, and milk. Whisk (or beat) until the batter is very smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is puffed, and a toothpick inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before continuing on.
- For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting: Place the softened cream cheese in a clean mixing bowl. And the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until well combined. Then turn on medium speed and slowly add the heavy cream to the cream cheese mixture. Once fully combined, turn the speed to high and beat until the heavy cream is whipped into a light, but firm, frosting.
- Scoop the whipped frosting over the cake and spread in an even layer.
- For the Strawberry Crunch Crumble Topping: Place the Golden Oreos and freeze dried strawberries in a zip bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the cookies and strawberries into a fine crumb. Then drizzle melted butter into the crumbs and shake vigorously to create small crumbly chunks. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the frosting. I like to use it all, but you can use as much of the crumble topping as you like.
- Cover with plastic wrap and keep the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Cake tastes best at room temperature, so if refrigerating, allow the cake to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
I just made this, and we’ve decided it’s our new birthday cake recipe for everyone in the family. That means we will be making this at least five times a year!
Hi, I’d like to make this but only have yellow cake mix. I see that I can turn it into strawberry cake (kind of) with the addition of strawberry jello. Could I also add the pudding mix for moisture or would that overload the cake mix ratio and turn gross? Thanks in advance for your help.
this is my favorite ice cream, so the fact that it is cake, you have made my dreams happen! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe