Description
A fun, easy dessert bursting with juicy strawberries, creamy swirls of cream cheese, coconut, and pecans. This cake is gooey, messy, and absolutely irresistible—perfect for gatherings or a sweet treat at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 box (15.25 oz) strawberry cake mix
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (or frozen, thawed and drained)
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
- Extra sliced strawberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine strawberry cake mix, eggs, oil, and water. Beat for about 2 minutes until smooth and slightly fluffy.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan and smooth evenly.
- Sprinkle sliced strawberries evenly over the batter and gently press in.
- In a medium bowl, blend softened cream cheese, melted butter, and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
- Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture over strawberries. Swirl gently with a spatula or knife—do not overmix.
- Sprinkle coconut and chopped nuts over the top. Add white chocolate chips if using.
- Bake for 38–45 minutes, until golden and edges are set. Center will be slightly gooey. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly.
- Cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- Garnish with extra strawberries and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
For best results, use room temperature cream cheese and eggs. Don’t overmix the cream cheese swirl—big pockets create the signature ‘earthquake’ look. If using frozen strawberries, thaw and pat dry to avoid soggy cake. Cake is delicious warm or chilled; store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square (about 1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 27
- Sodium: 320
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 9
- Carbohydrates: 39
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5
Keywords: strawberry earthquake cake, easy dessert, strawberry cake, cream cheese swirl, potluck cake, summer dessert, homemade cake, coconut, pecans, earthquake cake