When I was a kid, my mom would go all out for my birthdays. I’m talking theme birthdays (Beauty & the Beast, Under the Sea, etc.) and all the decorations that come with it.
She would also always make me a homemade birthday cake. They ranged from Chocolate fudge to my all-time favorite: strawberry. I love strawberry cake. I’m not a huge strawberry fan, but there’s something about strawberry cake that always draws me in. I’ll always choose strawberry cake over any other.
I’ll never forget the strawberry cake my mom made for my birthday, even if it was more than 20 years ago. That pink, sweet icing; the hot pink fluffy cake. Strawberry birthday cake is where it’s at.
I spotted this recipe for strawberry “brownies” and knew I had to make it for Valentine’s day. All it is: strawberry cake mix, cream cheese, and fresh sliced strawberries. What could be better than that?
These delightfully strawberry-flavored morsels were perfect. They’re soft and chewy—everything good about a regular brownie. I had to cook them for longer than the originally recipe stated, but they ended up being the perfect consistency.
If you want to amp things up, you might want to mix in some mini-chocolate chips. If there’s one thing better than strawberry cake, it’s chocolate-covered strawberries. I was going to toss some into my brownies, but completely forgot to buy the chips while I was at the store. Still—these brownies were the bees knees.
You’ll know they’re ready to come out of the oven with the top begins to crack. I baked mine for about 35-40 minutes, but oven times can differ—depending on yours. If you like them more chewy, then bake them for the time I did and then let them sit out to cool. You’ll end up getting some incredibly chewy brownies that way.
Enjoy!
Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 box strawberry cake mix
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 6-8 strawberries, sliced thin
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9″ square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, combine cake mix, oil, cream cheese, and egg. Beat on low speed until mixture is just combined (and you no longer see lumps of cake mix). Mixture will be extremely thick.
- Spread out brownie mixture into prepared pan, pressing down with hands if needed. Place sliced strawberries on top in a single layer. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until top starts to crack. Let cool in pan for 15-20 minutes before cutting.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9″ square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, combine cake mix, oil, cream cheese, and egg. Beat on low speed until mixture is just combined (and you no longer see lumps of cake mix). Mixture will be extremely thick.
Spread out brownie mixture into prepared pan, pressing down with hands if needed. Place sliced strawberries on top in a single layer. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until top starts to crack. Let cool in pan for 15-20 minutes before cutting.
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Strawberrylicious. 🍃🍓