Gooey Strawberry Earthquake Cake (Printable)

Moist strawberry cake swirled with cream cheese filling, fresh strawberries, and melted white chocolate chips for a gooey, marbled dessert.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Cake Base

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 & Toppings

09 - 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
10 - 1 cup white chocolate chips
11 - 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together strawberry cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water until just combined. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan.
03 - In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract; beat until creamy and fluffy.
04 - Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture randomly over the cake batter. Sprinkle diced strawberries and white chocolate chips evenly over the top. Add shredded coconut if using.
05 - Use a butter knife to gently swirl the cream cheese mixture through the batter for a marbled effect. Do not overmix.
06 - Bake for 40-45 minutes, until edges are set and center is slightly wobbly. The cake should remain gooey inside; do not overbake.
07 - Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The center stays purposely underdone creating a molten lava cake situation that makes people literally moan after their first bite
  • Its the dessert that looks like you spent hours in the kitchen but actually relies on cake mix for its foundation
  • The combination of tangy cream cheese and sweet white chocolate against strawberry cake hits every single craving button simultaneously
02 -
  • The center will look underdone when you take it out but it continues cooking as it cools and that slight wobble is exactly what creates the gooey texture everyone goes crazy for
  • Room temperature ingredients for the cream cheese filling are nonnegotiable because cold cream cheese creates unmixed lumps that stay stubbornly solid throughout baking
03 -
  • Spray your measuring cup with nonstick spray before measuring the oil and it slides right out instead of clinging to the sides
  • If the coconut on top browns too quickly tent the pan with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking

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