Strawberry Earthquake Cake
A visually stunning and delicious strawberry cake with swirls of cream cheese, fresh strawberries, and pockets of melty white chocolate—perfect for a quick, crowd-pleasing dessert.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch baking dish
- Large bowl
- Mixer or Whisk
- Spatula
- Knife or Skewer
- Wire rack
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter
- 1 box strawberry cake mix 15.25 oz
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
For the Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 oz cream cheese full-fat, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled (1 stick)
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh strawberries hulled and diced
- 2 cups white chocolate chips
- vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish generously with non-stick spray.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, combine strawberry cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil. Beat until smooth and lump-free, about 1 minute.
- Step 3: Pour batter evenly into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Step 4: In a separate bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add melted and cooled butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until thick and fluffy.
- Step 5: Gently fold diced strawberries into cream cheese mixture, being careful not to overmix.
- Step 6: Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture over cake batter. Use a knife or skewer to gently swirl the two mixtures to create a marbled effect.
- Step 7: Sprinkle white chocolate chips evenly over the surface.
- Step 8: Bake for 50-55 minutes until edges are golden and center is set but slightly jiggly. A toothpick inserted into the cake (not the cream cheese swirl) should come out with moist crumbs.
- Step 9: Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with extra fresh strawberries before serving.
- Step 10: Serve warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Substitute frozen strawberries by thawing and draining well. Try raspberries or blueberries for a different berry twist. For a lighter cream cheese layer, replace half with Greek yogurt or mascarpone. Use milk or dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate if preferred. Add lemon zest to brighten flavors or sprinkle toasted nuts for crunch. Store covered at room temperature up to 24 hours or refrigerate airtight up to 4 days. Freeze wrapped tightly for up to 2 months.