The BEST Strawberry Crunch Cake (Gluten Free)

This strawberry crunch cake is so sweet and perfect for summer! It's inspired by the nostalgic ice cream bars with an easy strawberry crunch topping, classic buttercream frosting, and roasted strawberry filling.

If you're a fan of this cake, you need to try my strawberry custard tart and my strawberry jam cake!

When it comes to playing around in the kitchen and developing new recipes, I often draw inspiration from nostalgic treats that I remember from my childhood (enter: my gluten free circus animal cookies and s'mores cookies).

This time around, I was determined to capture the essence of strawberry shortcake ice cream bars. But let's be real, those do have an artificial taste about them (maybe that's why we loved them so much).

So, I wanted to take it up a notch and make a strawberry crunch cake inspired by this beloved treat, but for grown-up tastebuds.

We're making a strawberry crunch topping using freeze dried berries and rice cereal (more on that below). We're adding an ultra simple yet delicious roasted strawberry filling. And the end result couldn't be more perfect!

Why You'll Love This Strawberry Crunch Cake

• All of that delicious strawberry flavor! The cake itself is my favorite vanilla cake, but don't worry: we get lots of strawberry coming through between the filling and the crunch topping.
• This cake is quite sweet, which is why the 6-inch size is just perfect. It's not cloying, but one small slice is all you need.
• It's such a fun celebration cake! You can take this to a summer BBQ or whip it up for a birthday party. It just looks fun.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Gluten free flour: My favorite gluten free flour blend is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1. Unless otherwise noted, this is the flour I use in all of my recipes. If you're using a different blend, you'll want to make sure it contains xanthan gum. And, because this is a cup for cup flour, you should be able to use AP flour if you're not looking to make this cake gluten free.
• Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, then fill with whole milk until you have ½ cup. Allow the mixture to sit 5-10 minutes before using.
• Greek yogurt: I like to use plain Greek yogurt as an egg substitute in my cakes. While an eggless cake will be slightly more dense, it's still so moist and that's partly due to the yogurt. I typically use 0% or 2% Greek yogurt in my baking.
• Strawberries: I like to use fresh berries for the filling but you should be able to use frozen berries. Do not thaw before using.
• Gluten free rice cereal: While many strawberry crunch cakes use golden Oreos or vanilla wafers in the crunch topping, I like to use rice cereal simply because I think the cake is sweet enough already, and rice cereal is more neutral in flavor. I use Rice Chex.
• Freeze dried strawberries: Most major grocery stores should carry freeze dried strawberries. I know I've seen them at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Target. You can also find them online.
• Powdered sugar: I'll let you in on a little secret... I rarely sift my powdered sugar when making frosting. If yours is especially clumpy, though, you may want to.
• Heavy cream: If you don't have heavy cream on hand, feel free to use whole milk in the frosting instead.

Step-By-Step Instructions

STEP ONE: Start with the cake layers. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

STEP TWO: Cream the butter with the sugar, then add the yogurt, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and continue beating.

STEP THREE: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed.

STEP FOUR: Bake cake layers on 350ºF for 28-30 minutes.

STEP FIVE: Roast the strawberries for the filling. Toss the berries with sugar, then bake on 400ºF for 20 minutes.

STEP SIX: Make the crunch topping. Toss the rice cereal and freeze dried strawberries into a zip-top bag and crush into crumbs with a rolling pin (or throw it in a food processor). Add the melted butter and stir.

STEP SEVEN: Make the frosting. Beat the butter for a few minutes until it's smooth, then add the powdered sugar and cream.

STEP EIGHT: Place one layer on your cake stand and spread a bit of frosting on top. Pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the cake and spread the filling onto the cake layer. Top with the second layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Press the crunch topping all over the cake immediately after frosting.

Expert Tips

• The recipe may look overwhelming at first glance, because there are a lot of steps involved, but I promise it's not! I recommend reading through the recipe (maybe more than once) so you know what to expect.
• That being said, you can also break the process up over a few days. I like to make the cake layers the night before. Just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature. The frosting and crunch topping are best made fresh the day you are assembling. The filling can be made and stored in the refrigerator a few days in advance.
• As always, I recommend using a scale to weigh your flour. This is the best way to ensure accuracy. We'll need 197 grams of flour for this recipe.
• You may not actually need to level off the tops of your cakes, if they're relatively flat.
• This cake is not super crumbly, so I never really apply a crumb coat and don't think you will need to, either.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Store

You can store this strawberry crunch cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, you'll want to move it into the refrigerator.

Did you try my strawberry crunch cake? Leave me a comment below or tag me on Instagram @justastastyblog and #justastastyblog! And don't forget to subscribe to get new recipes directly in your inbox.

📖 Recipe

The BEST Strawberry Crunch Cake (Gluten Free)

Print Recipe

A deliciously sweet cake filled with roasted strawberries and covered in irresistible strawberry crunch topping!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword berries, buttercream, eggless, fruit, gluten free, strawberry, summer

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Calories 730

Author Taleen Benson

Ingredients

For the cake layers

• 1 ⅓ cups (197g) gluten free flour blend
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter room temperature
• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (114g) Greek yogurt room temperature
• ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the roasted strawberry filling

• 6 ounces (170g) strawberries roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the strawberry crunch topping

• 2 cups (60g) gluten free rice cereal
• 1 cup (20g) freeze dried strawberries
• 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature

For the buttercream frosting

• 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 3 cups (340g) powdered sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

For the cake layers

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-inch round cake pans and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  1 ⅓ cups (197g) gluten free flour blend, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until smooth. Add the yogurt, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and beat to incorporate. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
  ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (114g) Greek yogurt, ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

For the roasted strawberry filling

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a glass baking dish, combine the strawberries and sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely.
  6 ounces (170g) strawberries, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the strawberry crunch topping

• Add the rice cereal and freeze dried strawberries into a large zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to crush into crumbs. Transfer to a small bowl and add the melted butter. Stir until fully combined. Set aside.
  2 cups (60g) gluten free rice cereal, 1 cup (20g) freeze dried strawberries, 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter

For the buttercream frosting

• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, about 5-6 minutes.
  1 cup (227g) unsalted butter
• Add the powdered sugar and salt and beat to combine. Add the cream and beat for another 5-6 minutes.
  3 cups (340g) powdered sugar, ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Assembly

• Use a large serrated knife to level the top of each layer, if necessary, to create a completely flat surface. Place one layer on your cake stand and spread ¾ cup of frosting evenly on top.
• Pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the cake. Add the filling to the center of the cake layer and use a spatula to spread evenly.
• Place the second cake layer on top. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Use your hands to gently press the crunch topping all over the sides of the cake immediately after frosting.

Notes

• The cake must be COMPLETELY cool before assembling and frosting.
• If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, then fill with whole milk until you have ½ cup. Allow the mixture to sit 5-10 minutes before using.
• You can use a food processor for the crunch topping, if you don't want to use the rolling pin method. You will need coarse crumbs.

Nutrition

Calories: 730kcal

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