Strawberry Crunch Cake

This strawberry crunch cake has 2 layers of strawberry-flavored cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, and a delicious strawberry and golden cookie crumble coating. Perfect for a show-stopping dessert, or for anyone who loves strawberry crunch ice cream bars!

Ingredients

Cake:

• baking spray with flour
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons strawberry-flavored gelatin, such as Jell-O (from 1 (3 ounce) package)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups whole buttermilk

Frosting:

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream, or more as needed

Crumble:

• 25 golden Oreo cookies
• ⅔ cup freeze-dried strawberries
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Directions

Step 1: Preheat Pizzello oven to 350℉ (175℃). Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour and line bottoms with parchment.

Step 2: To make the cake: Whisk flour, gelatin, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl.

Step 3: Beat butter at medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed and scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until just combined. Beat in vanilla.

Step 4: Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating on low speed just until combined after each addition. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

Step 5: Bake in the preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Step 6: Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans and cool completely on a wire rack, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Step 7: To make the frosting: Add butter and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

Step 8: Gradually add powdered sugar, alternately with cream, beating on low speed until completely incorporated and smooth. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 9: To make the crumble mixture: Place cookies, strawberries, and salt in a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky (bits of strawberry and cookie should still be visible), about 12 pulses. Drizzle in butter and pulse about 5 times to combine.

Step 10: Trim tops of cakes with a serrated knife if needed to make flat on top.

Step 11: Place 1 cake layer on serving platter; spread evenly with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer.

Step 12: Spread top and sides of cake with the remaining frosting.

Step 13: Sprinkle crumble mixture over top and sides of cake, pressing lightly to adhere until completely covered. Chill cake for 1 hour before slicing.