Strawberry Crunch Cake

Delicious layers of vanilla and strawberry cake with a vanilla frosting and strawberry crunchies on the outside make this strawberry crunch cake a crowd pleaser.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 723kcal

Author Ryan Beck

Ingredients

Cake

½ cup reduced strawberry puree (1 lb strawberries)
3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (350g)
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
½ cup canola oil
6 large egg whites
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1-2 drops red food coloring (optional)

Vanilla Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (4 sticks)
6 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream

Strawberry Crunch

2 cups freeze-dried strawberries
32 Golden Oreos
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Cake

Puree 1 pound of strawberries in a food processor. Add to a saucepan and heat for 30 minutes over medium heat. It should reduce to about ½ cup. Let cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two 9" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and then butter the pans. Toss a tablespoon of flour in the pans and turn to coat the entire pan, tossing the extra flour out. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and oil until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about another 2 minutes. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. You can also use a hand mixer to do this.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Add ½ cup of the milk and mix until just combined.
Now divide the batter evenly between two bowls. In one bowl, stir in the remaining ½ cup of milk until combined. In the other bowl, stir in the strawberry puree and 1-2 drops of red food coloring if desired.
Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are set and no longer wiggly. Inserting a toothpick should come out mostly clean with some moist crumbs, but no wet batter. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Frosting

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add butter and sugar. Mix on low speed until blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.
Add vanilla extract and heavy cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 more minute, adding some more cream if needed for spreading consistency. Place in fridge until ready to use on cake.

Strawberry Crunch

In a large Ziploc bag, crush freeze-dried strawberries and Golden Oreos using a rolling pin. Add butter to bag and toss until everything is combined.

To Assemble

Once the cakes are cool, cut the white cake in half horizontally to form two even layers. Place the first layer on a stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Add the strawberry cake layer and cover with frosting. Finish with the second white cake layer. Add the remaining frosting on the top and the sides.
Press the strawberry crunch into the frosting and cover the entire cake with it.

Notes

Take the time to reduce the pureed strawberries as it intensifies the flavor without adding a ton of liquid.
All refrigerated items should be at room temperature, which helps the batter mix easily and evenly.
Use a digital scale so you can have the same amount of vanilla and strawberry cake.
If you want a more red strawberry cake, you need to add a few drops of food coloring.
Allow the cakes to completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will melt.

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