These Strawberry Cake Squares are light and fluffy and topped with a cream cheese layer and fresh strawberries. An easy to make dessert that can be served just as they are or with vanilla ice cream!

I know it’s a bit early for strawberry season for most of you, but we’re in full swing strawberry season here in southern Spain. They have been plentiful and fantastic. I just recently made a batch of the Strawberry Shortcake Muffins and am planning to make the Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Cups soon. All great ways to use up some strawberries. Just last summer I posted a recipe for Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake Squares and I thought they would be amazing with strawberries as well. I was right, so take a look!

What are these Cake Squares Like

• Difficulty – This is a really easy cake to make. Much like a sheet pan cake, it comes together really quickly with no fussy techniques.
• Taste – This is a light vanilla cake and has a soft crumb. The cream cheese layer on top is thin but soft and creamy. The strawberries won’t sink into the cake too much, it’s almost like they are a layer on the top.
• Serving – This recipe makes 16 squares the size of brownies. You can always cut them bigger if you like to serve them as a dessert with Lemon Curd, ice cream or whipped cream.

Ingredients

• Flour – All purpose flour is used for this recipe, it’s the most commonly used flour for baking.
• Baking powder – Baking powder is used as a rising agent. NOTE, baking powder does exprire, so make sure yours is in date.
• Salt – Just regular table salt helps enhance flavours
• Butter – Softened unsalted butter.
• Eggs – Large eggs at room temperature.
• Sugar – Granulated white sugar.
• Vanilla – Adds flavour to the cake squares.
• Cream cheese – Regular full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature.
• Strawberries – This recipe uses fresh strawberries

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line with parchment paper a 8 x 8 inch baking tin. Set aside.
2. Sift dry ingredients – Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Mix butter, sugar and eggs – In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed for about a minute. Add all the sugar at once and mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 -3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix in until incorporated into the batter. Add vanilla and mix until combined, just about 20 seconds.
4. Finish cake batter – Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined and there are no lumps. Don’t over mix. Pour this batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle over 1 cup of fresh strawberries.
5. Make cream cheese layer – In a clean mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on high for about 30 seconds. Add all the sugar at once and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.
6. Assemble cake squares – Pour the cream cheese batter over the cake batter and smooth it over until it completely covers the top. Sprinkle over remaining 2 tablespoons of blueberries.
7. Bake – Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
8. Cool – Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Cut and serve – Cut into squares and can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for a month.

Recipe Tips

• Use room temperature ingredients – Room temperature eggs and butter work best for baking cakes. Make sure to take your ingredients out of the fridge at least 30 – 40 minutes before using.
• Measure ingredients correctly – I like to weigh my ingredients (in the recipe card, the ingredients can be converted to metric with the click of a button). You get exact measurements every single time.
• Use the correct baking pan size – I used an 8 x 8 inch baking pan for this cake. I recommend sticking to this size pan. If you use a pan that’s larger, the cake will be flatter. Alternatively, if you use a smaller baking pan, the cake may not bake through the centre.

Substitutions

• Fresh strawberries – I used fresh strawberries for these cream cheese cake squares. Alternatively, you could use frozen strawberries. if you use frozen strawberries, add them frozen. You could also use blueberries or raspberries.

Serving & Storage

• Serving – These are best served after they cool down completely and set. They go great on their own or you can serve them with fresh whipped cream, ice cream or Homemade Lemon Curd.
• Storage
  • Store in the fridge – These are best kept in the fridge in an airtight container. They will keep for about three days and they will still be moist and not dry.
  • Store in the freezer – Store them in a freezer proof container and they will store in there for about a month. To defrost, just take them out and let them defrost naturally

Frequently Asked Questions

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake Squares

Make these Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake Squares the next time you have fresh blueberries on hand. A light cake square filled with fresh blueberries and and a moist cream cheese layer.

Check out this recipe

Strawberry Snacking Cake

With strawberries plentiful around here the moment, I always have them on hand. The other day I whipped up this super easy and tasty Strawberry Snacking Cake. A great one to keep in mind when time is not on your side and you're looking for something fresh and seasonal.

Check out this recipe

Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Cups

These Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Cups are the perfect after dinner dessert for summer. biscuit layer followed by a vanilla cream cheese filling and topped with lightly sweetened strawberry whipped cream.

Check out this recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

US CustomaryMetric

Strawberry Cake Squares

These Strawberry Cake Squares are light and fluffy and topped with a cream cheese layer and fresh strawberries. And easy to make dessert that can be served just as they are or with vanilla ice cream!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: North American

Keyword: cake squares, easy desserts, strawberries

Servings: 16 squares

Calories: 206kcal

Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

Cake Layer

• 1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup butter at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 Cup granulated white sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla

For the Cream Cheese Layer

• 1 Cup cream cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 Cup granulated white sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla

Other

• 1 1/2 cups strawberries cut into small pieces

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line with parchment paper a 8 x 8 inch baking tin. Set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed for about a minute. Add all the sugar at once and mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 -3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix in until incorporated into the batter. Add vanilla and mix until combined, just about 20 seconds.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined and there are no lumps. Don't over mix. Pour this batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle over 1 cup of the fresh chopped strawberries.
• In a clean mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on high for about 30 seconds. Add all the sugar at once and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the cream cheese batter over the cake batter and smooth it over until it completely covers the top. Sprinkle over remaining 1/2 cup strawberries.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Cut into squares and can be stored in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for a month.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Nutrition Facts

Strawberry Cake Squares

Amount Per Serving (1 square)

Calories 206 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 64mg21%

Sodium 203mg9%

Potassium 47mg1%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 0.3g1%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 418IU8%

Calcium 37mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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