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If you're hoping for a show-stopping treat with barely any work, this Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake is your answer. Creamy cheesecake meets sweet strawberries with a buttery soft cake on top, all made in just one dish. No crazy steps here. Your friends or family will think you went all out, but it couldn't be easier.
The first time I served this at a family party, everybody figured I must have bought it at one of those expensive bakeries. It disappeared fast! Now my sister begs me to make it once the warm weather rolls around.
Dreamy Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Go with the regular full fat stuff and give it time to get soft so you don’t fight lumps later
- Granulated sugar: Helps keep each bite tasting sweet if you use the fine kind it mixes in quickest
- Egg: Helps the cheesecake set and get velvety aim for super fresh eggs
- Vanilla extract: Gives that yummy cheesecake smell and taste pure vanilla’s always better if you have it
- Fresh strawberries: Bring loads of flavor and color pick the juiciest ripe ones or use frozen that you’ve drained
- Cornstarch: Thickens up your strawberry mix so it’s jammy not watery
- Lemon juice: Makes things bright not too sweet always use fresh if you can
- All purpose flour: This is your cake base just check your flour’s not stale
- Baking powder: Makes the cake nice and fluffy test it in warm water if you’re unsure it’s still good
- Salt: Lifts all the flavors a dash is plenty
- Unsalted butter: Brings rich taste to the cake and the buttery topping higher end butter is worth it here
- Whole milk: Keeps the cake extra moist skip skim milk if you want it soft
- For topping: Toss on more butter plus sugar for that irresistible gold and crispy lid
Simple Step-by-Step
- Start Baking
- Switch your oven on to 350 F. Butter up or spray a 9x13 baking dish so nothing sticks and the pieces are easy to lift out.
- Mix Cheesecake Stuff
- Blend cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a bowl until totally smooth. Room temp cream cheese is your best friend for easy mixing.
- Strawberry Prep
- Toss strawberries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice. Warm this up in a saucepan on medium, giving it a stir once in a while. When it’s thick, glossy, and coats a spoon (about 5 to 7 minutes), take it off the burner and let it cool a bit so it won’t melt your cake batter later.
- Whip Up Cake Batter
- Stir up your flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in another big bowl. Pour in the melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix so there aren’t dry spots. You want it pretty smooth and pourable.
- Put It Together
- Batter goes in the pan first. Swirl in the cheesecake mix with a spoon or knife. Dot strawberry filling all across the top so you get pretty red fruit in every piece. Don’t overdo the mixing.
- Finish Off
- Melted butter gets drizzled everywhere on top, then a sprinkle of sugar to make it caramelize and get crunchy as it bakes.
- Bake It
- Bake about 40 to 45 minutes. You want golden edges and a center that doesn’t jiggle if you poke it. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes so it firms up and is easy to cut.
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I just love swirling cheesecake into the batter and catching those red strawberry stripes underneath. That bright color makes me think of warm weather picnics with my mom, who was always baking some sort of fruity treat.
Chill and Keep Fresh
Store any extra slices in the fridge (covered) for up to four days. It actually turns creamier as it hangs out, so it’s awesome for prepping ahead. To reheat, just zap a piece in the microwave for about fifteen seconds, or leave it out to warm up a bit on its own.
Easy Swaps
Switch up the fruit—raspberries, blueberries, or peaches all taste great in here. This cake’s easygoing and lets you use up whatever’s in season. For milk, sub two percent or splash in some cream to low fat milk if that’s all you’ve got. It’ll keep things rich.
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Serve It Up Right
Each piece is extra tasty with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Want to make it look fancier? Sprinkle on some fresh berries or dust a little powdered sugar just before you serve it up.
Fun Food History
This kind of treat showed up in American kitchens back in the days when shortcut baking was cool. But here you’re ditching the boxed stuff for all real ingredients. It’s kind of a cross between an old cobbler and creamy cheesecake all in one pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Is it okay to swap in frozen strawberries?
Totally! Just let them thaw and get rid of any extra juice before mixing in.
- → What signs should I look for when it’s baked through?
You want the edges deep golden and the middle barely firm. A toothpick poked in should look almost clean when you pull it out.
- → Can I make this dish in advance?
Yep! Bake it up to a day before, cover up, and stash in the fridge. Warm it a little before eating if you want.
- → Could I use something instead of cream cheese?
Yep, try whipped ricotta or mascarpone for a lighter touch. The taste will change a bit, though.
- → How should I serve this easy bake?
You’ll want it a tad warm, finished with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you’d like.