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Strawberry pie filling and spoonfuls of sweetened cream cheese sit beneath a dry cake-mix topping moistened with melted butter. Use the specified mix weight and spread each layer evenly. Check for cooked topping as well as bubbling fruit before serving.
Use 15.25 ounces of yellow cake mix. Package weights change, so read the label instead of assuming one box always matches. Do not add the eggs, oil or water from its standard cake directions to this layered dessert.
Ingredient amounts and preparation
- Set out: 1 can (21 oz) strawberry pie filling
- Set out: 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- Set out: 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Set out: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Set out: 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- Set out: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Cooking sequence and doneness
- Stage 1
- Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch dish.
- Stage 2
- Spread the canned strawberry pie filling evenly across the base. Beat softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Stage 3
- Drop small spoonfuls over the fruit. Scatter the measured 15.25 ounces of dry yellow cake mix in an even layer.
- Stage 4
- Drizzle melted butter slowly over as much of the surface as possible.
- Stage 5
- Bake about forty-five to fifty minutes, checking for bubbling edges and fully cooked topping without dry powder pockets. Redistribute visible pooled butter over dry patches carefully if necessary and continue baking.
- Stage 6
- Rest briefly before spooning into bowls. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
The formula uses a twenty-one-ounce can of prepared pie filling, which includes a thickened sweet sauce. Fresh strawberries alone provide a different moisture and sugar balance. Use a separately developed recipe if replacing the canned filling.
Why add cream cheese in small spoonfuls?
Small dollops distribute it through the fruit layer and heat more evenly than one large mound. Beat the cream cheese with its sugar and vanilla until smooth first. Avoid stirring all the layers into a batter after assembly.
How can dry topping patches be reduced?
Scatter cake mix in a level thin layer, then drizzle the measured butter slowly across the entire surface. Break up dry mix clumps before adding. Check during baking and redistribute a little visible pooled butter over dry spots with care, without adding an unmeasured extra stick.
What is the serving texture?
This is a spoon dessert with fruit and cream cheese beneath a crumbly cake topping, not a cake that reliably cuts into tall slices. Let it settle briefly after baking. Refrigerate the remaining dessert promptly because of its dairy filling.
When is it finished?
Look for bubbling edges, a set cooked topping and no obvious raw powder pockets. Start checking around forty-five minutes and continue as needed. Browning in one corner does not establish that the whole surface is ready.
Storage and serving later
Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly in shallow containers at 40°F or below; do not wait for a large hot batch to cool completely on the counter. University of Illinois Extension’s leftover guidance gives a three-to-four-day refrigerated window and 165°F for reheating foods served hot. Keep cold salads and toppings chilled, and follow shorter product-label limits where applicable. Do not leave the prepared dish out longer than two hours, or one hour above 90°F; return the remaining batch to cold storage.
For another complete recipe, see Strawberry Cake-Mix Bars with Fresh Berry Glaze or Baked Oreo Cheesecake with Optional Chocolate Ganache. Each has its own ingredient quantities and cooking sequence; keep those measurements separate when choosing a meal. Recipe guidance is based on the listed ingredient amounts and the method checks above. Timing is an estimate rather than a kitchen-test result; ingredient brands and cookware can change the outcome.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- Which cake mix quantity is needed?
Use 15.25 ounces of yellow cake mix. Package weights change, so read the label instead of assuming one box always matches.
- Is fresh fruit a direct replacement?
The formula uses a twenty-one-ounce can of prepared pie filling, which includes a thickened sweet sauce. Fresh strawberries alone provide a different moisture and sugar balance.
- Why add cream cheese in small spoonfuls?
Small dollops distribute it through the fruit layer and heat more evenly than one large mound. Beat the cream cheese with its sugar and vanilla until smooth first.
- How can dry topping patches be reduced?
Scatter cake mix in a level thin layer, then drizzle the measured butter slowly across the entire surface. Break up dry mix clumps before adding.
- What is the serving texture?
This is a spoon dessert with fruit and cream cheese beneath a crumbly cake topping, not a cake that reliably cuts into tall slices. Let it settle briefly after baking.
- When is it finished?
Look for bubbling edges, a set cooked topping and no obvious raw powder pockets. Start checking around forty-five minutes and continue as needed.