Strawberry Earthquake Cake (Printer-friendly)

Soft strawberry cake marbled with cream cheese filling and topped with white chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, and nuts.

# What You Need:

→ For the Cake

01 - 1 box (15.25 oz) strawberry cake mix
02 - 3 large eggs
03 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil
04 - 1 cup water

→ Cream Cheese Filling

05 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
07 - 2 cups powdered sugar
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Add-Ins & Topping

09 - 1 cup white chocolate chips
10 - 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
11 - 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
12 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish thoroughly with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a large bowl, combine the strawberry cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Mix with electric mixer or whisk until well blended and smooth, about 2 minutes. Spread batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract; beat until fully combined and fluffy, scraping down sides as needed.
04 - Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture randomly over the surface of the cake batter, spacing them evenly across the dish.
05 - Use a butter knife or skewer to gently swirl the cream cheese mixture through the cake batter. Make figure-eight or circular motions, being careful not to overmix and completely blend the layers.
06 - Sprinkle white chocolate chips, chopped strawberries, sweetened shredded coconut, and chopped pecans or walnuts evenly over the top of the swirled batter.
07 - Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set. A toothpick inserted should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. Do not overbake.
08 - Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving. The cake will continue to set as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cream cheese swirl creates these incredible pockets of tangy sweetness in every single bite
  • Its impossible to mess up because the messy, cracked top is exactly how its supposed to look
02 -
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes or the cream cheese layers will collapse when you cut it
  • The center will still look slightly jiggly when you remove it from the oven but it sets as it cools
03 -
  • Substitute milk for water in the cake mix for a richer, denser crumb that holds up better to the heavy filling
  • Chop your strawberries into uniform pieces so they distribute evenly rather than sinking to the bottom

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