Strawberry Earthquake Cake
I created this cake while experimenting with messy but magical desserts. The way the cream cheese and strawberries baked into swirled pockets felt like a delicious accident — beautifully imperfect and bursting with flavor.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch baking dish
- Medium bowl
- Large bowl
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter
- 1 box strawberry cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (109 g)
For the Cream Cheese Swirl and Topping
- 1 package cream cheese 8 ounces, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted (1 stick / 113 g)
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (312.5 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup diced strawberries plus extra for garnish (166 g)
- 2 cups white chocolate chips (364 g)
- vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add the cake mix, eggs, water, and oil to a medium bowl. Mix until the ingredients combine. Pour this batter into your prepared baking dish.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, melted butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
- Fold the diced strawberries into the cream cheese mixture.
- Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter in the dish. Use a knife to swirl the mixture into the batter to create the earthquake effect.
- Sprinkle the white chocolate chips on top of the batter. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the center is set.
- Garnish the cake with extra diced strawberries. Serve the cake warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
This cake tastes great when served warm with vanilla ice cream. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries for the filling, but if you use frozen, do not thaw them first.