Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies from cake mix are gooey, moist brownies studded with white chocolate chips and layered with luscious cream cheese filling. Insanely delicious and easy recipe and fun alternative to regular brownies.
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I love cake mix desserts. With a simple box of cake mix in your pantry, you have the ability to make delicious Red Velvet Brownies, Apple Pie Coffee Cake, and Magic Pumpkin Bars.
But I think my favorite cake mix dessert recipe has to be these fudgy cake mix Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies.
Strawberry cake mix brownies are ridiculously gooey with the perfect fudgy texture, just like traditional chocolate brownies, studded with crunchy white chocolate chips and filled with soft, luscious cream cheese.
And they are thhhhhick. Like a couple of inches thick because they're made from three layers of soft and gooey deliciousness: strawberry brownie batter with white chocolate chips, dollops of cream cheese, and more strawberry brownie batter.
Strawberry brownies from cake mix is a simple dessert that's pretty to look at, delicious to eat, and super easy to make with seven simple ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Thick and fudgy, moist brownie with lots of strawberry flavor, perfect dessert for strawberry lovers
- Decadent dessert with irresistible flavor combo of strawberries and cream cheese
- Easy strawberry brownies recipe from a simple boxed cake mix
- Pretty pink brownies for Valentine’s Day, baby showers, birthday parties, wedding showers, or pink ribbon events
Ingredients
Please check the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Strawberry cake mix. This strawberry brownie recipe starts with one 15.25 ounce box of strawberry cake mix. Don’t follow any of the directions on the back of the box.
Vegetable oil. Use a neutral flavored oil like canola oil.
2 large eggs, divided. You’ll use one whole egg and one yolk in the strawberry brownie mix and 1 egg white in the cream cheese mixture.
Pure vanilla extract. Flavor extracts, like vanilla, give a box of cake mix homespun flavor.
White chocolate chips. White chocolate chips add crunch to the gooey strawberry brownie layer.
Cream cheese. Soften one 8-ounce brick of cream cheese to room temperature so it’s easy to mix together with the rest of the cream cheese filling ingredients.
How to Make Strawberry Brownies from Cake Mix: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix strawberry cake mix, oil, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium to medium high speed until a thick dough forms.
Stir in the white chocolate chips. They don’t really want to stick to the dough, so do the best you can.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, one egg white, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Pat ½ of the strawberry brownie mixture into the bottom of an 8x8 square baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 4: Dollop the cream cheese over the strawberry cake layer.
Step 5: Drop spoonfuls of the remaining strawberry brownie mixture between the cream cheese blobs. Make sure the bottom layer is fully covered with dollops of cream cheese and strawberry brownie batter. They will bake together.
Step 6: Bake for 28-32 minutes at 350 degrees or until the center of the brownies is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least an hour to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Line the pan with parchment paper to make removing the strawberry white chocolate brownies a cinch
- Using just the egg white in the cream cheese swirl keeps it bright white.
- Use room temperature cream cheese to avoid lumps in the cheesecake layer. To quickly soften cream cheese, remove from wrapper, cut into cubes, and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until it is soft and still holds a fingerprint when pressed.
Recipe FAQs
It’s best to store strawberry cheesecake brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Yes. Wrap cooled brownies in a single layer with plastic wrap and again with a double layer of aluminum foil or place in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator.
There are a few tricks to making clean cuts in gooey, delicious strawberry brownies.
First, line the pan with parchment paper so you can lift the whole slab of brownies out of the pan and cut them on a cutting board. It's easier than cutting them in a pan. Next, chill the strawberry brownies in the refrigerator for a few hours until they are very cold for nice clean cuts. Finally, use a warm knife and wipe it clean between cuts.
More Delicious Treats with Cake Mix
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
Strawberry Brownies
- 1 box strawberry cake mix
- ½ cup oil
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix strawberry cake mix, oil, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, and vanilla extract with on medium to medium high speed until a thick dough forms. Stir in the white chocolate chips. They don’t really want to stick to the dough, so do the best you can.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, one egg white, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Pat ½ of the strawberry brownie mixture into the bottom of the pan. Dollop the cream cheese over the strawberry layer. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining strawberry brownie mixture between the cream cheese blobs, covering the entire bottom layer.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least an hour to cool completely.
Could I do the recipe without the chocolate chips? Or would it alter the end result too much?
Yes, you can leave out the chocolate chips. Enjoy! Cara
I tripled the recipe. It didn’t look like it was going to make a lot, I used a large rectangular Pyrex baking dish, it’s currently still baking and let me tell you, it RISES! Idk if it’s just the cake mix I am using or what but this thing is thick! Hopefully it comes out as good as those photos!
Yes, these are tall, thick bars! Fingers crossed for your triple-batch plan, let me know how they turn out. Cara
Just made this and I was so shocked and happy! It turned out so good, not to rich just enough sweet!!
Hi, Celina! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, thank you for the nice note :). Cara
I realized that I didn’t have enough cream cheese as I was getting ready to mix this up. I subbed thick Greek yogurt for half of the cream cheese and added an extra egg white. I also added 1/8 tsp lemon zest and 1/8 tsp orange zest to the cream cheese mixture (like I would do for cheesecake) I added the extra yolk to my cake mix so I didn’t waste it. (They get “lost” in my fridge) They needed a few extra minutes in the oven, but we’re a hit for a Memorial Day holiday treat. Thank you! 🙂
Wow, way to make it work! The orange and lemon zest sound delish :). Thank you for your note, I'm so glad they were a hit. Cara
Just took these out of the oven, but couldn’t wait for them to cool!! So yummy and sweet!! I’m going to make these for the next potluck!! Thank you!
Hi, Cheryl! I'm so glad you enjoyed them, thank you for your nice note :). Cara
Im getting ready to try this recipe - so I'll keep you posted - Got my Fingers Crossed
Thank you so much!
Followed recipe exactly.. and they turned out perfectly. Thanks for the amazing, and super easy go to treat.
I’m going to try this with other cake flavors 😁
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them! Have fun experimenting with other flavors :). Cara
Hi there Cara! I just made these and followed the recipe but the dough was drier than yours looks. They came out looking more like a crumble. I'm sure they will taste great, but they don't look nearly as nice as yours. Do you think the cake mix brand makes a difference? I used Duncan Hines. Do you think I should try two eggs instead of one egg and one yolk? Thanks so much for your thoughts!
Hi! Gosh, what a bummer. I suppose the brand of cake mix could be the culprit, but I've never noticed much difference between the major national brands. Egg whites can actually be drying, so I'd be more inclined to try a little milk until the batter comes together. I hope this helps, let me know! Cara
I made this exactly as directed and the cream cheese later is runny and did not dollop so I poured it over the bottom of the brownies and put the rest of the brownie mix in sections over the top. So far, after cooking an additional 10 minutes, the brownies are done and the cream cheese mixture is still thin. Disappointing…
Hi, Susi, I'm disappointed, too! I've not heard of this happening before. I'm curious what brand of cream cheese you used and if it came in a tub or in a brick? Some brands have more water in them, and brick cream cheese is firmer than the kind in a tub. Or is it possible it was overmixed? That can also make it runny. I've always had good luck making this recipe with a brick of Philadelphia cream cheese. I hope that helps! Cara
This was really easy to make! My boyfriend and I were looking for something for a sweet tooth and this definitely caught our eye. Super yummy and very sweet pairs well with an ice cold glass of milk! Lol.
Hi, Jasmine, thank you for your review, I'm so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed them!