Strawberry cake, fresh berries, cream cheese pockets, white chocolate, and optional coconut bake into a gooey strawberry earthquake cake with dramatic cracks and very little decorating.

Strawberry earthquake cake lands somewhere between a sheet cake and a warm cream cheese dessert. The strawberry batter rises around spoonfuls of filling, creating cracks, soft pockets, and a top that never needs frosting. Fresh berries sharpen the boxed cake flavor, while white chocolate adds little creamy bites. It is an easy choice for a potluck because one pan makes 15 sensible squares and the messy surface is the point. There is no pressure to level layers or pipe a border. In fact, trying to make it tidy would take away the best part.

Why the cracks are a feature

The cream cheese mixture is heavier than the cake batter, so it moves downward in places while the batter rises around it. That uneven movement creates the earthquake pattern and keeps the center gooey. Sour cream helps the boxed mix stay moist enough to bake around those rich pockets without becoming crumbly. The recipe works best when the filling is dropped in large, separate spoonfuls. Swirling it looks tempting, but it spreads the cheese too thin and removes the contrast between cake and filling. The edge test also matters because a toothpick pushed through a cream cheese pocket will never look clean.

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Strawberries, dairy, and the optional coconut

Choose firm ripe strawberries and cut them into pieces no larger than 1/2 inch. After dicing, blot them well with paper towel. Extra surface moisture can create gummy tunnels in an already soft cake. Full-fat cream cheese and sour cream give the most stable texture. Reduced-fat versions work, but the filling will be looser and the finished slice less creamy. Coconut is optional rather than essential. It forms a chewy base note that suits the sweet strawberry flavor, but leaving it out does not require any other adjustment. Let melted butter cool for a few minutes before it meets the cream cheese so the filling stays thick.

Mix lightly and let the oven make the pattern

Coat the pan thoroughly, including the corners where sugary batter likes to stick. If using coconut, scatter it before adding batter. Mix the cake ingredients only until the dry streaks disappear. Overbeating adds air and can make the top rise sharply before collapsing. Fold in the blotted berries with a spatula, then spread the batter level. Beat the softened cream cheese alone first. Once it is smooth, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and the cooled butter. Drop the filling from a large spoon across the pan, leaving pink batter visible between the mounds. Do not drag a knife through them. Add the white chocolate chips and bake until the perimeter is set. Mine needed the full 50 minutes in a glass dish, but metal may be quicker. Cool at least 20 minutes. Warm slices are softer and pudding-like; room-temperature slices hold a cleaner square.

Because the cake contains cream cheese and fresh fruit, cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Let a slice sit out for 15 minutes before serving, or warm it briefly if you prefer the filling soft.

Serving strawberry earthquake cake

A warm square is gooey and best eaten with a fork, perhaps with unsweetened whipped cream. At room temperature, the cream cheese pockets firm and the slices travel more cleanly to a potluck. Chilled pieces become dense and almost cheesecake-like, so let them stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Fresh sliced strawberries make a useful garnish, but add them only to individual plates because their juice softens the top. I would not add ice cream unless the pieces are cut smaller than usual. There is already plenty happening in one square. For fifteen equal portions, cut three rows across the short side and five down the long side.

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Strawberry Earthquake Cake

Author: Yas Sine Cooking Method: Baking Cuisine: Dessert Courses: Dessert Recipes Recipe Keys: C Cake Mix F Fresh Strawberries P Potluck

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 50 mins Rest Time 30 mins Total Time 1 hr 35 mins

Cooking Temp: 350  C Servings: 15 Calories: 342

Best Season: Spring, Summer

Dietary:

V Vegetarian

Description

This easy strawberry earthquake cake starts with cake mix and bakes around dollops of cream cheese filling for a cracked, creamy center.

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 box Cake: strawberry cake mix (15.25 ounces or 432 g)
• 3 large eggs
• ¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
• ¹⁄₂ cup full-fat sour cream (120 g)
• ¹⁄₂ cup water (120 ml)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups fresh strawberries diced and patted dry (225 g)
• ¹⁄₂ cup sweetened shredded coconut optional (40 g)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips. Cream cheese filling: 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened (170 g)
• ¹⁄₂ cup powdered sugar (60 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly. (57 g)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Sprinkle coconut across the bottom if using.
2. Beat the cake mix eggs oil sour cream and water just until combined. Fold in the dry diced strawberries.
3. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared dish.
4. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar vanilla and melted butter and beat until creamy.
5. Drop large spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture randomly over the batter. Leave the dollops in place rather than swirling.
6. Scatter the white chocolate chips over the top.
7. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the edges are set and a tester inserted about 2 inches from the edge comes out clean. The center may still jiggle slightly.
8. Cool on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting into 15 pieces..

Note

Pat the diced strawberries thoroughly dry to limit wet pockets. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze individually wrapped slices up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator. Source nutrition per serving: 342 calories, 38 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 19 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 298 mg sodium, 112 mg potassium, 1 g fiber, 26 g sugar, 420 IU vitamin A, 8 mg vitamin C, 78 mg calcium, 1 mg iron.

Keywords: strawberry earthquake cake, strawberry cream cheese cake, cake mix dessert, potluck cake