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Strawberries mixed with the flavors of vanilla and cream is one of the sweetest flavor combos around. These strawberry shortcake squares have a thick layer of cream in the middle and are topped with a crumble made from a surprising selection of ingredients. These piled-high squares are sweet, fun, and have quite a few shortcuts that simplify the process.
To start with you’re going to need a vanilla or yellow cake mix, then make it into a dough rather than a batter. This forms the foundation of the bars and when made this way a cake mix suddenly becomes more like a big sugar cookie.
Once your base is baked then top it with some Cool Whip. You could also use regular whipped cream if you prefer.
Now, on to the crumble topping. To make this you’ll need to make up 2 batches, one in vanilla and one in strawberry. The secret ingredients here are strawberry Jell-o and vanilla pudding mixes. When mixed up with some flour and butter and baked for a few minutes they become crispy, sweet toppings.
Sprinkle the topping on (along with some chopped strawberries) and then cut into squares for a thick, rich, dessert that’s sweet, creamy, and crunchy all at the same time.
Strawberry Shortcake Squares
Yield(s): Makes 9-12 squares
1h 30m prep time
30m cook time
527 calories
Diet: Vegetarian
you're making mealtime meaningful.
For the cake:
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
For the topping:
- 1 (3oz) package strawberry Jell-o mix
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened and divided
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 (3 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
For the frosting and assembly:
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip topping, thawed
- 1/2 cup diced strawberries
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl combine cake ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased and lined 9”x9” baking dish. Mixture will be thick. Pour into pan and press into corners and level using hands. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 1 hour before topping.
- In a small bowl combine Jello mix, half stick of butter and 1/2 cup of flour. In another bowl combine vanilla pudding mix with remaining topping ingredients. Sprinkle strawberry tipping on a baking sheet and on another sheet spread out the vanilla topping. Bake for 5-8 minutes at 350˚F. Do not leave unattended as the topping can easily burn.
- Allow topping to cool while you prepare the frosting by combining all frosting ingredients together using an electric mixer. Spread frosting over cooled base, then sprinkle with topping and strawberry pieces. Cut into 9-12 bars. Keep uneaten portions in refrigerator.
Recipe adapted from Deliciously Sprinkled.