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This Strawberry Crunchy Layer Cake is an amazingly delicious cake with layers of vanilla and strawberry cake, strawberry and vanilla frosting and strawberry crunchies on the outside. It’s completely homemade, moist and so darn tasty you won’t want to stop eating it!
Strawberry Crunchy Cake
So you may have seen my Strawberry Crunchie Ice Cream Cake a few weeks ago. It was inspired by the Good Humor Strawberry Ice Cream Bars of my childhood and after making that ice cream cake, I thought a layer cake might be fun. This cake takes those great flavors and turns them into one outrageously awesome cake! I’m so totally in love with it!
Every single layer is full of flavor and brings out the perfect strawberry and vanilla flavor is every bite. Here are the various elements you’ll find in this cake:
- Strawberry Cake
- Vanilla Cake
- Strawberry Buttercream
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Strawberry and Vanilla Crunchies
And to make it even better, BOTH kinds of cake come from the SAME cake batter! No need to make two separate cake batters. You make one batter, divide it at the end and then add the final ingredients to each flavor. Both flavors of cake turn out wonderfully and have amazing flavor. I could not love this Strawberry Crunchy Layer Cake more!
How to make Strawberry Crunchy Layer Cake
The base of these cake layers is based on my Moist Vanilla Layer Cake. It’s basically the same cake, but increased by a bit so that you can get four full layers of cake without them being too thin. I decided a taller cake with thicker layers would be better here.
Cake Layers
The first thing you’ll want to do is get your strawberry puree ready. Grind up your strawberries in a food processor or blender, then cook the puree over the stove until it’s reduced by half. You’ll use this reduced puree in both the cake and the frosting, so you can make it all in one batch and then divide it, or do it separately. You can also make this ahead.
To start making this cake batter, it’ll be the same process as my vanilla cake. Cream your butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract together, then add the eggs one at a time.
From there, you’ll alternate adding the dry ingredients and some of the milk. This is where things start to differ. You’ll add just a tiny bit of milk at this point, which ends up giving you a fairly thick batter.
Divide the cake batter into two batches. One batch will be the vanilla cake, to which you’ll add the rest of the milk and gently fold it together. The other will be the strawberry cake, to which you’ll add the strawberry reduction, strawberry extract and red food coloring.
You’ll want to make four layers of cake, so divide both batters between two pans each, for a total of 4 pans. Bake them and then your ready for the next step.
Strawberry Crunchies
Much like the ice cream cake version of this cake, you’ll make both vanilla and strawberry crunchies. You’ll combine flour, sugar and butter and then to half of that you’ll add vanilla extract and to the other half you’ll add freeze dried strawberry powder. The powder gives the crunchies amazing strawberry flavor without adding a ton of liquid.
Bake the crunchies and they’re ready to go!
Buttercream
This cake has strawberry buttercream between the cake layers and vanilla buttercream frosting on the outside. They are fairly straightforward (based on my vanilla buttercream and strawberry buttercream recipes). The main thing to keep in mind is that the strawberry frosting will be a little thinner so that you have plenty of strawberry flavor, and the vanilla frosting should be a little thicker, so that it holds the cake together well.
Build the cake
And now it’s time to build the cake! Once you’ve got everything made, this is the easy part. Layer the cake layers together, alternating the strawberry and vanilla cakes. Fill the layers with the strawberry frosting and frost the outside of the cake with vanilla frosting.
Finally, frost the outside of the cake with the vanilla frosting, press the crunchies all over the cake and finish it off with some swirls of vanilla frosting and fresh strawberries!
This Strawberry Crunchy Layer Cake is truly a thing to behold! It’s not just a beauty (and quite tall!), the flavor is also out of this world! So, so good and perfect for the strawberry lover in your life! I’m a big, big fan and I hope you love it as much as we did!
PrintStrawberry Crunchy Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Strawberry Crunchy Layer Cake is an amazingly delicious cake with layers of vanilla and strawberry cake, strawberry and vanilla frosting and strawberry crunchies on the outside. It’s completely homemade, moist and so darn tasty you won’t want to stop eating it!
Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 1 1/2 cups strawberry puree (3 cups [420g] chopped strawberries)
- 3 cups plus 2 tbsp (406g) all purpose flour
- 3 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp (140g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (150ml) vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp (388g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs
- 3/4 cups plus 1 tbsp (195ml) milk, divided
- 1 1/4 tsp strawberry extract
- 15 drops red food coloring
Strawberry Shortcake Crunchies
- 1 cup (130g) all purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 cup (155g) sugar, divided
- 3/4 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 7 tbsp (98g) salted butter, room temperature, divided
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Frosting
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp strawberry puree (1 3/4 cups [233g] chopped strawberries)
- 1 1/4 cups (280g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch or two of salt
Vanilla Frosting
- 2 1/2 cups (560g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4–6 tbsp water or cream
- Pinch or two of salt
Instructions
NOTE: Strawberry puree is reduced down for both the cake layers and frosting. They are written out separately in the instructions, but you can cook it all at the same time, if you’d like.
To make the cake layers:
1. Add the strawberry puree to a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, stirring consistently to keep it from burning, until it has thickened and reduced by half to 3/4 cup, about 15-20 minutes. To measure, pour the puree into a measuring cup. If it’s more than 3/4 cup, add it back to the pan and continue cooking.
2. When the puree has thickened and reduced, pour into a measuring cup and allow to cool to at least room temperature. This strawberry mixture can be made ahead, if you like, and stored in the fridge.
3. Prepare four 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
4. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
5. Add the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
7. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
8. Add 1 tablespoon of the milk and mix just until combined.
9. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Batter will be thick. Do not over mix.
10. Divide the batter evenly between two bowls. It should be a little more than 3 cups each.
11. Add the remainder of the milk (3/4 cup) to one of the bowls and gently fold to combine. Add the reduced strawberry puree, strawberry extract and red food coloring to the other bowl and gently fold together to combine.
12. Divide each batter evenly between two pans, for 4 pans total, and bake the layers for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
To make the crunchies:
13. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
14. You’ll need two bowls – one for the vanilla crunchies and one for the strawberry. Add 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of sugar to each bowl.
15. Add the freeze dried strawberries to a food processor and grind into a powder. Add the powder to the bowl for the strawberry crunchies. Stir well to combine.
16. Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the strawberry bowl and the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of butter to the vanilla bowl and use a fork to combine each mixture until it comes together to form a crumble.
17. Lay the strawberry crumble evenly out onto one of the cookie sheets and ay the vanilla crumble evenly out onto the other cookie sheet.
18. Bake the crumbles for about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, particularly the strawberry crumble. The strawberry powder can brown quickly if left in for too long.
19. Let crumble cool completely and then use your fingers to break into smaller pieces, if needed. It’s ideal for the crumble pieces to be no larger than a small pea.
20. Combine all of the crunchie pieces together and gently toss to combine.
To make the strawberry frosting:
21. Add the strawberry puree to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, stirring consistently to keep it from burning, until it has thickened and reduced by half to a little less than 1/2 a cup, about 10-15 minutes. To measure, pour the puree into a measuring cup. If it’s too much, add it back to the pan and continue cooking.
22. When the puree has thickened and reduced, pour into a large measuring cup and allow to cool to at least room temperature. This strawberry mixture can be made ahead, if you like, and stored in the fridge.
23. Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
24. Add about half of the powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.
25. Add about half of the strawberry reduction and beat until well combined and smooth.
26. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined.
27. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.
28. Add additional strawberry reduction/milk or cream until your frosting is the right consistency.
To make the vanilla frosting:
29. Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
30. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
31. Add the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of water or cream and mix until smooth.
32. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or cream, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
To build the cake:
33. Use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
34. Place the first layer of strawberry cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
35. Pipe a dam of vanilla frosting around the outer edge of the cake and fill it with about 1 cup of strawberry frosting. Spread evenly on top of the cake.
36. Place the first layer of vanilla cake on top of the frosting, then top it with another dam of vanilla frosting and fill it with another cup of strawberry frosting.
37. Add the second layer of strawberry cake, another dam of vanilla frosting and fill it with another cup of strawberry frosting.
38. Add the final layer of vanilla cake on top, then frost the outside of the cake with the rest of the vanilla frosting. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
39. Press the strawberry crunchies into the frosting and cover the entire cake with them. The vanilla buttercream will crust over as it sits, so you want to add the crunchies immediately after frosting the cake or they won’t stick.
40. Use the remaining vanilla frosting to pipe some swirls on top of the cake and finish it off with some fresh strawberries.
41. The cake should be stored in an sir tight container until serving. It’s fine at room temperature for a day or so, but after that you’ll want to refrigerate it. I suggest adding the strawberries on top shortly before serving so they are fresh looking. Cake is best served closer to room temperature and should be eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
You’ll need about 2 pound of fresh strawberries for this cake. I needed one 1 oz bag of freeze dried strawberries for the crunchies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 1265
- Sugar: 141.7 g
- Sodium: 189 mg
- Fat: 64.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 170.2 g
- Protein: 6.6 g
- Cholesterol: 207.3 mg
I’ve made this before and the family LOVED it. My husband is asking for raspberry. Can I make everything the same way and use raspberry instead of strawberry? Do you think it will work??
I’m so glad to hear that! I think raspberry would be fine, if you can find raspberry extract and freeze dried raspberries.
Hi Lindsay,
This cake looks so good!!! I’m going to try it out, just love the presentation. How many cups of frosting is made for the individual frosting? Ty
I hope you enjoy it! I’m not sure why frosting you’re asking about? The strawberry or vanilla? I don’t typically measure how much frosting it makes, but I could give you a guess.
Making this as a birthday cake for a special little girl who loves strawberries! Wondering how long ahead of time I can make the crunchies? Thank you!
As long as the crunchies are in a cool, dry place, they should be fine for up to a week.
Thank you!
Can I freeze the strawberry purée and how long can I make it ahead
Yes, it should do fine frozen for up to 3 months.
¿Can I Substitute Milk For Half & Half For A Richer Cake?
I’m not sure that it’d necessarily be richer. The additional fat could add some more moisture to the cake and make it a little more dense, but I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure.