Strawberry Crunch Cake Brownies with Vanilla Glaze
Strawberry crunch cake brownies made easy with store-bought cake mix. Then topped with a simple vanilla glaze, and cookie and strawberry crumble.
In the mood for something sweet? You’ve come to the right place. While you’re here, be sure to check out the decadent Eggnog Tres Leches and the Churro dessert tacos with strawberries and cream.
These Strawberry Crunch Cake Brownies are the perfect dessert to serve when time is a factor. You know I love a quick and easy recipe so these brownies are perfect when you’re in a crunch! Whether you’re a pastry chef or a baking novice, these brownies will leave your guests impressed.
Your store-bought cake mix will be elevated to homemade status when you add the glaze and crumble. If you throw away the box evidence, no one will guess that this strawberry treat wasn’t made from scratch. I promise!
Ingredients Needed for the Strawberry Crunch Cake Brownies:
For the brownies gather:
- Strawberry cake mix
- Large eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Milk
The vanilla glaze requires:
- Powder sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
Finally, the strawberry crunch calls for:
- Oreos
- Dried strawberries
Strawberry Crunch Cake Brownies
Pro Tips
- Use boxed cake mix! The store bought cake mix has all of the ingredients you need to make the perfect strawberry cake brownies.
- Crunch Cake – The crunch cake topping can be made with freeze dried strawberries or with strawberry jello
- Brownie icing – Brownie icing is super simple to make, just a simple mixture of powdered sugar and milk!
Use your favorite brand of store bought cake mix. I recommend a strawberry cake mix that’s marked as “moist.” The brand is not as important as the technique used to create the brownie texture vs. cake texture.
Can I make cupcakes using this recipe?
Absolutely! You can make a cake or cupcakes, following the box recipe and add the vanilla glaze and strawberry crunch to the finished product.
A cake can be made instead of brownies as well. The strawberry crunch comes from the Oreo’s and dehydrated strawberries. Both cake and cupcakes will hold this topping as long as the vanilla glaze is used!
How To Make the Strawberry Brownies:
Refer to the recipe card below for a complete list of instructions and ingredients.
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, in a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the strawberry cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and milk.
Mix until thoroughly combined. The batter will be thick instead of “cake like.”
Pour the batter into a pre-greased 9×13 baking dish. Put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
Place a toothpick in the middle of the brownies. It the toothpick comes out clean, the brownies are good to go. If the toothpick comes out with batter, bake them for an additional 5-10 minutes.
But be careful not to overcook. No one likes a dry brownie!
Let the brownies cool for about 10 minutes out of the oven while you prep your toppings.
Icing for the strawberry crunch brownies:
Place the powder sugar in a bowl. Add one tablespoon of milk and the vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Gradually add small amounts of milk until the glaze reaches your desired consistency.
If the glaze is too thick, slowly add more milk until it is creamy and slightly thin. Stir the glaze until all of the powder sugar is dissolved. It shouldn’t be too runny.
Strawberry Crunch topping:
Here comes the fun part! Some similar recipes involve placing your toppings in the oven. This no bake method is faster and the end result is equally as yummy!
Add your Oreos and dried strawberries to a food processor or blender until they are crumbly, but not turned into complete powder.
Finishing Touches for the Strawberry Crunch Cake Brownies
By now, the brownies should be cool enough for toppings. Spread the glaze evenly over the top of the brownies. Finally, sprinkle the strawberry crunch topping over the glaze and gently press it down to help it adhere.
Some crumble will fall away while serving. You can’t expect all this strawberry delight without a little mess. Enjoy!
What do I do with leftover brownies?
If you manage to not eat every square, store leftover brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Related
Looking for other dessert recipes like this? Try:
Strawberry Crunch Cake Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 box Strawberry cake mix
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/3 cup Vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Milk
Vanilla Glaze (“glue” for topping)
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons Milk, see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Strawberry Crunch Topping
- 10 whole Golden Oreo cookies
- 1 cup Dehydrated or freeze dried Strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the strawberry cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and milk. Mix until thoroughly combined. Batter will be thick instead of "cake like."
- Pour the batter into a pre-greased 9×13 baking dish. Place it in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the brownies and check if they’re done by poking a toothpick in the middle. If the toothpick comes out dry, they are done. If the toothpick comes out with batter, bake them for an additional 5 minutes.
- Vanilla glaze: place the powder sugar in a bowl. Add one tablespoon of milk and the vanilla extract. Stir it to combine. If the glaze is too thick, slowly add more milk until it is a creamy and slightly thin glaze. Be sure to combine the glaze until all of the powder sugar is dissolved, and it’s not too runny.
- Strawberry crunch: While the brownies are cooling, add the Oreos and dried strawberries to a food processor or blender and pulse until they are crumbly, but not turned into complete powder.
- Once the brownies have cooled down (about 10 minutes out of the oven). Spread the glaze evenly over the top.
- Next sprinkle the strawberry crunch topping over the top of the glaze and gently press it down to help it adhere. Some crumble will fall away during serving.
These Strawberry Brownies are so delicious!! I love the strawberry crunch topping! Thanks for the great recipe!
These were delicious! Reminded me of my favorite strawberry shortcake treat from the ice cream truck.
I love these brownies!! Th crunchy topping reminded me of the Good Humor strawberry shortcake bars in the best way! So much nostalgia and goodness, and so easy to make!
Brownies with a crunch? Sold! We made these last week for our weekend baking project, and we loved them. Plus, they were fun to make!
Vanilla and strawberry are a perfect combo and this sweet treat captured both so so well! Loved naking it and everyone enkoyed having it
This reminded me of a cake version of those delicious ice cream bars. This recipe didn’t disappoint! it was incredibly tasty and easy to make!
These brought back memories of my childhood! I’m with the other commenters here-these brownies reminded me so much of strawberry shortcake ice cream bars!! So good!
….the ease is what I intended to write.
Adored the with which you can prepare these brownies and the crunch! I will surely be making them again soon.
My daughters and I had great fun making these! Certainly making these again and I am going to hide the box. Loved the recipe!
This reminded me so much of the strawberry shortcake ice cream bars I used to beg my mother to buy me from the ice cream truck. They’re absolutely amazing.
These strawberry crunch bars were so vibrantly pink. My cousin loved them. Since emory is allergic to strawberries she could only watch.
I am not a chocolate person so when Valentines Day is nearing I always look for new strawberry recipes to try out before the big day and I love the simplicity of this delicious recipe.
This was such a fun recipe to make! It reminds me of those Strawberry cheesecake ice cream bars but in the form of a cake – SOOO good!!